College media outlets face the same problems as our real-world peers which are making money and staying relevant.
It’s easy to sit on College Green and view your successes, challenges and failures as "special." For college students, a university creates a bubble-like environment we believe to be unique. That feels especially true for student journalists. How can any other university have the same news, issues, problems and pride-points we have?
In fact, we share a lot with our peers — especially our challenges.
Across the country, college media outlets are in turmoil. Student newspapers, like their real-world counterparts, have lost revenue. Some have found ways to navigate the new digital-news era. Many are far behind. For all college media, finding the new business model is the key challenge. And a close second is figuring out how to attract and engage student audiences that are attached to their iPhones.
Ailing college media is bad for democracy. It depletes the ranks of well-trained, professional watchdogs. It’s bad for universities. Student journalists often provide the most in-depth coverage of campus news. It’s also bad for students—college media has long been the lab that produced the best journalists in the country.
Given the muddied landscape, where to go now is unclear. We decided to help create the path forward.
This weekend, college media innovators will gather for a national Future of Student Media Summit in Schoonover Center at Ohio University. The event is sponsored by the John S. and James. L. Knight Foundation, the world’s premier funder of journalism initiatives. At OU, the Scripps College, E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Division of Student Affairs and The Post have all supported the effort. You can read more about the event at futureofstudentmedia.com.
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At The Post, we have a clear path to finding financial sustainability and new audiences, but we still have much to learn. And many of our peers have yet to develop such a detailed plan. By coming together, we can address collective challenges and better position our organizations for success.
Because mobile is a predominant news source for college students, college media are poised to lead the way in developing new ways to connect with younger audiences. And our laboratory structure allows us to experiment in ways professional organizations are loath to try.
To watch our innovation in action this weekend, follow the hashtag #FutureStuMedia on Twitter.
We know we share challenges. But the summit will show we have ideas for common solutions to those challenges. Together, we will find ways to make college media innovate, survive and thrive long into the future.
Will Drabold is a senior studying journalism in the Honors Tutorial College and The Post’s Director of Editorial Initiatives. He has been coordinating the Future of Student Summit since April 2015.
@WillDrabold
dd195710@ohio.edu
