Student Newspapers Scurry to Make Ends Meet

“After 112 years as The Daily Emerald, they saw the tidal wave of change,” he said. “They re-branded themselves from a daily student newspaper into a multiplatform student media company.”

It was not financial worries alone that prompted Ryan Frank, its publisher, to announce the decision in 2012 to print two instead of five days a week, and to develop a more robust online, mobile and social media presence.

In an open letter to campus, Mr. Frank pointed to Pew Research Center studies showing overall print newspaper readership declines among 18- to 24-year-olds. He also said that focusing on digital journalism would help the staff gain relevant experience for their job searches. “This is about delivering on our mission to serve our community and prepare our student staff for the professional world,” he said. —NYTimes.com.