The Importance of the Print Newspaper
The Pace Chronicle’s most recent print edition.
Digital media has completely overpowered the idea of print newspapers but that doesn’t necessarily mean it has overpowered the content. Newspapers are still relevant in this day and age whether individuals think so or not.
The Pace Chronicle recently got approved for their spring semester budget, whichconsists of $14,324.97.
It’s easy to judge a book by its cover and have preconceived notions about why a newspaper would need such a high budget for.
Printing for the paper is relatively costly. In the past years, the Chronicle was a weekly paper for sixteen weeks and that has recently been changed to bi-weekly, making it eight weeks. It costs $1,695 to per week to print, $13,560 in total for a semester.
That’s still not all that is included in the budget. To keep up with the evolving digital world, the Chronicle has also dabbled in some digital components as well. The website the Chronicle has created has gotten more and more popular as time goes on. The growth has been rapid and it is responsible for an extra $764.97 that is included in the budget.
The cost of the website and print is what makes up the total $14,324.97 and it may seem like a gigantic request, but The Pace Chronicle is focused and geared towards academics and the Pace community as a whole. There are no selfish desires incorporated and everything the Chronicle does has set motives to benefit the students.
In the last 14 years, one-fifth of U.S. newspapers have been closed. That is one-fifth less of the U.S. population that is receiving a portion of information that is being released. Yes, information can be traveled by word of mouth but anyone who played the game “Telephone” when they were kids knows information can easily be distorted and switched up.
The paper is a reliable news outlet that speaks to—and most times—for the people. Without the Chronicle, the Pace’s media and access to free speech is hindered.
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Kenny Szeto • Nov 7, 2018 at 9:17 am
I don’t disagree with the importance of a free news media, and student opposition is not opposed to the existence of the Pace Chronicle. Student’s are opposed to the idea that the Chronicle needs to exist in paper format. A digital only, Chronicle could be just as effective at spreading news to Pace Students. It is an important qualifier that across the country access to internet and computers might not always be available, however that is not the case at Pace. In many of the places the paper copies are available, such as Mortola Library and Miller Hall there are computers in the building that students can use, plus all students have the option to check out laptops from the library to use anywhere on campus. In addition to that, a digital outlet allows for the chronicle to better print or post corrections. For example, The Pace Chronicle budget has not gotten approved yet. The size of the budget requires it go through both the Pace BAC and Senate. It has passed through BAC, but has not yet gotten approved by the Senate. Also in the article it states “It costs $1,695 to per week to print, $13,560 in total for a semester.” To what per week? To print? To write? To read? editing oversights such as these are why I feel like we don’t need to spend nearly $15,000 per semester to print the Chronicle, when a digital method of spreading the news on campus is not only equally accessible but more cost effective.