June 23- They will still roll out the print, but only for “special occasions.”
The Spectator, the student newspaper at Mississippi University for Women, will all but abandon newsprint for the World Wide Web beginning in the fall. When the semester starts, the paper will begin publishing online only.
The reasons for the switch, according to related faculty and administrators: making students more employable; accepting the reality of an online-centric media universe; dropping associated print publishing costs; and reaching a wider audience.
According to Barry Smith, the professor in charge of the related web-production course: “The print edition has had only a couple of thousand issues available in the Columbus area once per week. This is not convenient or accessible for alumni and potential students in other cities or states (or countries) who may want to receive this content. An online Spectator will be available around the world, all-day, every day.”
What do you think? Is The Spectator simply accepting the inevitable? Or is it watching the print pitch go by a bit too soon?
