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Tuesday, April 30
The Indiana Daily Student

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It’s no secret to those of us in the School of journalism that finding a job in print media when we graduate is no easy task.\nCirculation numbers are shrinking, and newspapers are cutting back as more and more people turn to the Internet to get their news. Some go so far as to say newspapers are dying.\nAnd why not go to the Internet first? Whereas the newspaper can be outdated by the time it hits newsstands, Web sites can update instantaneously. But I don’t think that means newspapers are dying; the time has come for a medium that has gone largely unchanged since its creation – during the colonial era – to evolve and embrace new technology. And to offer content above and beyond what is available in print.\nWhat that has meant for us at the Indiana Daily Student this past semester is making a conscious effort to include more video and audio with our stories. \nOur reporters did a great job covering the search for missing Purdue student Wade Steffey the past few months. But if you didn’t read the stories on idsnews.com, you missed out on exclusive video interviews with Steffey’s parents and a video report shot on Purdue’s campus the day he was found.\nOver the summer, we plan to expand our video coverage by posting at least one major video report per issue.\nBut just because we’re adding more multimedia content doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten about the written word either. This semester we have added hyperlinks to many of our stories. So let’s say this weekend you’re looking at one of our many Little 500 stories – clicking on a word in the story might take you to another Web site with even more in-depth information on the rich history of the race.\nWe have also tried to provide more background on major campus events by adding blogs such as our baseball blog, Inside Pitch, and our Little 500 blog, Blogging Away. In addition, the managing editors’ blog, Deadline, provides periodic updates on how controversial decisions are made behind the scenes at the IDS.\nIn the next few weeks we plan on adding two opinion blogs by our columnists, one focusing on local issues and another debating the 2008 presidential election.\nOne of the greatest advantages of the Internet is how it allows instant communication between the reader and author far beyond what a letter to the editor page could ever accomplish.\nOur most ambitious plan for the summer is the launch of a new page of our Web site dedicated to the Orienter magazine we publish every summer. This magazine has done a great job of informing incoming students about what to expect from IU over the years. But we plan to take our Web content to the next level with the addition of a message board and blogs from incoming freshmen detailing their thoughts and questions as they prepare for life at IU.\nIf all goes according to plan, this should launch in conjunction with an IDS MySpace page, so that when you’re staying in touch with friends all over the country this summer, you still stay in touch with the news at IU by adding us as a friend.\nNo, newspapers are not dying. In fact, they’re alive and kicking harder than ever online, so thank you for continuing to pick up the paper every day. But afterward, make sure to log on to idsnews.com to get the rest of the story, and if you any comments or questions about our Web content, feel free to e-mail me at wfreiber@indiana.edu.

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