Across the nation, there has been a lot of talk about newspapers struggling financially while adapting to a new medium – online news reporting.
Some newspapers have had to shut down entirely and others have had to cut back their workforce in order to survive. In the case of the Gannett Corporation, which is the largest owner of the United States’ daily published papers, they have forced their workers to schedule unpaid weekly vacations. Locally, the Asheville Citizen-Times newspaper has also endured economical problems, as they have had to shut down their Asheville print shop and combine with a sister print shop in Greenville, S.C.
While the outlook for the print journalism industry as a whole is questionable though, the Western Carolinian’s future is promising.
With currently 30 members on staff, with journalism experience both at the college and community level, the Western Carolinian is prepared to brace and welcome the future changes that journalism holds. We are in the process of changing our website, www.westerncarolinian.com, to be able to better publish breaking news, offer podcasts, videos and more features for our online readers.
Changing the way our news is covered online, however, does not mean we will be giving up our print edition. The online features will simply serve as a supplement to our newspaper and will not replace the commitment we have to our readers that like to enjoy looking at a paper in the morning with their coffee, who do not have Internet access, or simply like the look and feel of reading a newspaper.
The Western Carolinian, in our 75th year, is a strong product and we will always strive to be at our best.
