Today We Mourn the Death of Print Journalism?

RIP Mustang Daily
1916 - 2013

Today I received news via Facebook from my former journalism school comrades; our Mustang Daily newspaper is no more: http://mustangdaily.net/coming-soon-mustang-news/

"Mustang Daily embodied a now-dead form of journalism," wrote J.J. Jenkins, a business administration senior and Mustang Daily editor in chief, about the paper's degradation to a twice-weekly print piece.

The paper began on April 26, 1916, just 15 years after Cal Poly opened its doors. Until its final day (yesterday), the paper published five days a week, and was the only daily in the United States produced entirely by students (from the writing and ad design to the actual printing).

For those of us learning the craft of journalism, we couldn't have had a more comprehensive lab than a real life newsroom experience. The Daily enjoyed a solid readership within the university and also within the greater San Luis Obispo community. Dissemination was guaranteed without prior restraint.

Sure, we made plenty of mistakes. We had occasional spelling and syntax errors. We also had the uber controversial story or opinion which set off a deluge of passionate letters. For a dying breed, we certainly received plenty of lively engagement from the student body and general public.

I have to admit my heart hurt when I read the news our daily student newspaper is no more. As I reflected on my experience on the Daily staff, I realized why it meant so much to me. Among all the wonderful things I found working at the Daily (deadlines, adrenaline rushes, joy, comradery, acceptance), I ultimately found my craft; my voice. Eureka.

They can scrap the paper, or even burn down the graphic arts building for that matter. Our experience at the Daily, which helped shape many of its former staff into the people they are today, will be with us always.

I responded to the Facebook post with a couple of comments:

"I would be remiss by not acknowledging our time at the Daily as symbolic of our unique generation; the bridge between past and future at the dawn of the digital age."

"BTW, anyone else find it a sobering sign of the times that a business admin sr. is editor in chief? The parallel being how corporations have systematically hijacked media and destroyed information for profit. Just an observation ..." 

As we lay to rest nearly 100 years of first amendment daily tradition, it is important to acknowledge all that has changed and all that hasn't. Journalism school lesson numero uno: always question authority ...