A re-evaluation of the Cord’s content

With media companies slashing jobs and cutting budgets drastically, the newspaper industry’s predicted doomsday seems more real than ever.

It appears that the “death of the newspaper” could happen any day.

In the United States three print newspapers have been forced to shut down in the past year. Some college papers have resorted to running advertorials (ads that are designed to resemble articles) over their entire front cover as a means to generate additional income.

It’s a scary time.

As the Internet becomes a primary source of information, newspapers are struggling to adapt to this media shift and the Cord is no exception to this.

Though we may not be in such a dire situation at Student Publications, the Cord is aiming to stay ahead of the curve and modify our print publication to ensure that your campus newspaper remains relevant in a world filled with BlackBerrys and RSS feeds.

After assessing the content we produce by soliciting feedback from current and former WLUSP volunteers as well as our readers, we have decided to make a significant shift in the section structure of the Cord.

New sections are being added and others are being refocused to better fulfill the mandate for which they were originally created.

The Cord will make more of an effort to extend news coverage beyond the confines of campus with new Local and National sections that will cover community and national stories relevant to students living in Waterloo.

Likewise, Cord Arts (formerly Arts & Entertainment) will expand its focus by covering all aspects of the arts, including those that have been overlooked in the past, such as fine arts and media-related news.

The new Life section will capitalize on the potential of student journalism to entertain and engage the student body through humour, experimental journalism and exploration of student life.

We will analyze particular issues in a more cohesive manner with a bi-weekly In Depth section, which will allow readers to look critically at issues through investigative reports.

Page two, which has become the Editors’ Page, will serve as your information hub to guide you through the Cord’s print and online content.

Though we will continue to find ways to adapt to the changing media industry the central premise of the Cord will never be lost; we exist to provide readers with factual, engaging articles that prokoke thought in the Laurier community.

Please submit feedback to these changes by e-mailing me at lcarlson@cordweekly.com