PSU’s Daily Collegian will no longer be daily, at least in print
A shift in the way its readers consume news will lead to a change in The Daily Collegian, the independent student newspaper on Penn State University’s main campus.
Effective this spring, the 130-year-old publication is ending its current five-daya-week printing schedule and instead will do so twice weekly, Sam Ruland, the publication’s editor in chief, said in Monday’s edition.
The paper will be printed only on Mondays and Thursdays.
“However, please note that it is only the press racks that will see a change in our news coverage — we still are The Daily Collegian and in many ways we are more than that, as we work throughout the day and night to serve our audience better in an increasingly digital world,” she wrote.
Ms. Ruland said the shift “will give us the opportunity to focus our attention on where the majority of our readership comes from: online.”
She said the paper intends to investigate and employ all forms of storytelling “to make our digital presence more dominant, incorporating more photos, videos and graphics into our everyday coverage and expanding our socialmedia presence.”
She said the print edition will not be neglected and will focus on more in-depth pieces, rather than simply day-to-day coverage.
Ms. Ruland said the paper’s mission will be to continue offering quality media products and a rewarding educational experience for The Collegian’s student staff members.
“People no longer desire ink-stained fingers from flipping through the pages of a newspaper like my fellow journalists and I do,” she wrote. “But I do know that they enjoy using their phones and browsing the internet, so we have dedicated ourselves to improving all of our journalism practices.”
She quoted Carol White, Collegian Inc. board president, who described the change as necessary.
“Part of our mission is to provide students with an experience that best prepares them for life beyond Penn State,” she said. “In journalism and the business of journalism, that environment has to have a digital focus. We’re confident our decision and approach will best serve Collegian, Inc., our readers and customers and, most importantly, our students.”