Clarion ends print edition, but continues online
The Clarion, the award-winning Citrus College student publication that began printing in 1947, recently entered a new era when it moved entirely online.
The transition comes as news consumption habits are changing, with more people getting their news from the internet.
"As the profession changes, the Clarion needs to change too, and our consistent online readership lets me know that we can complete this evolution successfully," said Patrick Schmiedt, Citrus College journalism instructor and staff advisor to the Clarion.
Publishing online isn't new to the Clarion. For the past 20 years, the newspaper has maintained both a print and electronic presence, with its website receiving around 50,000 annual views over the past few years.
To prepare for the digital transition, the Clarion took a number of steps, including redesigning the website, launching a weekly newsletter and creating an official TikTok account.
According to Schmiedt, a benefit of moving entirely online is that Clarion staff will have more time to devote to stories, photos, graphics, videos and social media. From a curriculum standpoint, courses such as COMM 230 Design for Media can be reimagined to further prioritize these skills.
"Every profession needs people who can communicate clearly and concisely," Schmiedt said. "The critical thinking skills this work develops help students in all fields work through the loads of information they're bombarded with each day to figure out what's most important and most deserving of their time. Clarion students just take that extra step to share that work with an audience."
The Clarion's final print issue, which featured a commemorative section, hit newsstands on June 13. Along with all other issues from the 2022-2023 academic year, it has been added to a digital archive, which contains every article going back to 1964.
To read the latest Clarion stories, visit www.ccclarion.com. To view the archive, visit https://tiny.cc/clarion.
This article originally appeared in the October 2023 edition of the Citrus View.