Technician will be reducing its printing for its 99th volume from two days per week to one. The greatest student newspaper in the world is taking one step closer to the abyss and instead becoming the greatest student media online presence in the world.
This is sad. And something about it doesn’t feel quite right. Even with the optimism and excitement that many have felt looking to a future with a heavier web approach, the loss of print is more than simply a change in medium.
When people avidly read our online content, whether they are current students, alumni or have never set foot on campus, they get the same information, viewpoints and entertainment, with the exception of puzzles. But there is also something intangible that is missing. While these readers consume with pride all the many happenings of our area, it isn’t the same as the real thing.
Alumni who find themselves back on campus pick up our papers as a small taste of the real thing that they used to have while they were here. I do not think we could ever look to something that exists only virtually and say that it is the real thing. Without something palpable — something to step into the archive room and smell or to see on the newsstand continuing its journey from 1920 to today — something would be missing that simply cannot be filled in cyberspace.
Students lose chances to develop skills around elements of print papers like design and formatting in an increasingly restricted supply of learning opportunities. Although print production is on the decline across the board, and meeting the students where they are is one of the duties of Technician, Student Media needs to continue giving a platform through which students can prepare for possible future careers in journalism.
The move also fits with the trends of other news organizations. Mainstream media is increasing its presence online, taking advantage of the unlimited space that it offers as well as a way to creep into the minds of readers through the ever-present information hubs that smartphones are. While this approach is effective and increasingly relevant to the lives of students, Technician simply does not have the same resources to do this with the effectiveness or reach that an organization like The New York Times does in terms of presence in news feeds and carrying weight with media mediators like Apple, Facebook and Google.
A student wrote to us expressing their concern for the integrity of Technician’s content in a more web-focused approach. The concern was centered around maintaining our independence from other media to get our content to readers. In an era plagued by biased reporting, fake news and the decline of net neutrality, the fact that paper can’t be hacked lends credibility and protection to those who continue to utilize it.
While Student Media functions as a not-for-profit business, it is also an organization at an educational institution that exists in part to provide experiences for the students it serves. As an institution of higher learning, NC State has the ability to be a haven of the old ways where we instill values about local news, real ink and paper, and a shared experience between our incredible student body.
If we are that old-school school that just won’t abandon the newspaper, it adds traditional value that NC State students can be proud of. Technician is coming close to being a 100-year-old tradition of our school, and as an organization that serves a unique and relatively small population, we are under no obligation to change completely with the times. While we are not yet to that point, it is my hope that we never get there.
People I have spoken to express their disappointment with the change: students, strangers and alumni alike. And even though they do not have all the financial details and political issues surrounding such a decision, the concept is one which elicits the sadness of an era on its way out. While this feeling may be superficial for some, it is wrong to ignore the values that back up those sincere feelings.
This decision was a business one, and not enough thought was given to what we are losing as opposed to the budget cuts we are achieving. This reduction is projected to save about $25,000 over the next year. $25,000 is a low bar to hit if there is a price tag on retaining double print production.
The bottom line is this, if you share my sentimentality, or know someone who does, that sentiment must have a dollar value. If businesses and individuals are unwilling to invest in Technician, the loss of our print production is a foregone conclusion.
