Stop the Presses

In a disappointing end to months of debate, it is decided that the Daily Texan's on-site printing press is officially going up for sale. The decision came after the Texas Student Media Board of Operating Trustees voted that now was the best time to start the process of trying to find a buyer. The Accent is also printed there and will have to find another printing press. The printing for the Daily Texan and The Travesty will have to be outsourced as well, they will most likely use the Austin American-Statesman's press.

The director of Texas Student Media, Kathy Huting said that due to the state of the newspaper industry, it will be difficult to find a timely buyer. This is the nice way of saying that buying a printing press right now would be like insuring a terminally ill patient that's gasping for air. That is to say, it's the right thing to do, but no one will.

It is a loss to journalism students at the University, and a missed opportunity for those here at ACC that hope to transfer. UT has one of the best schools of journalism in the country. The fact that the board is not doing everything it can to preserve the long standing tradition of the best possible training in journalism is disappointing.

The Daily Texan, The Travesty, The Accent, and any other paper printed on that printing press will endure. We will all find new printing presses. However, this decision has sparked commentary on the broader issue of the condition of print journalism as a whole.

The closing of the printing press can be looked at as the beginnings of a move away from traditional printed papers. As in all things, media goes through phases. Any long-term choices that hinders the education of future journalists based on the current trend of online news could truly hurt the future of media.

Bloggers provide a great service. Some break stories quickly and make the news easier to access for readers online. The reality, however, is that the heart of real journalism is rooted in newspapers, and even if all students of journalism eventually end up working strictly online, they will be better, more thorough reporters, for having spent time with a traditional print paper. Blogs have a quick turnover that can eliminate in-depth reporting and extensive fact checking.

The desire for traditional journalism is not gone. As the state of the nation changes, and more and more history changing events take place, more Americans will take an interest in news, and the Americans effected most by current affairs tend to be the ones who don't wake up first thing in the morning and spend two hours cruising the web for headlines in their pajamas. They are the ones who wake up early, and work long hours, and maybe can't afford a computer.

Journalism is changing. I would have hoped that, for the sake of the students, the Texas Student Media Board would have held off on selling the press until the newspaper staff had a chance to figure out what they were going to do. It's not exactly a seller's market, they will have to take a bargain basement offer on the printing press that the Staff of the Daily Texan and other papers obviously wanted to keep using.

Americans still need tangible journalism that is based out of their communities, and small businesses still have a need for a place to advertise locally. All student press organizations and the colleges that support them should teach the skills needed for new media, but there should be a conscious decision to preserve traditional journalism training, complete with a real relationship with the printing press.

The kind of journalism that is researched, written, and tossed haphazardly online by one person, sitting alone in their house, in under half of an hour, pales in comparison to the skills learned working with a conventional staff. It is during traditional training that reporters develop a true need to serve their community, and a respect for the well crafted journalism that can save lives and change history.

It is looking more and more like this is the kind we need.