In March, for the first time since World War II, we made the decision to pause print production of The Daily Pennsylvanian and 34th Street Magazine. Weeks ago, the University announced a hybrid model for the fall semester. We, at the DP, have taken this time to determine the best course of action for our print product.
We will be printing the DP this semester, with 34th Street Magazine as an insert, once a week on Thursdays.
This print edition will not feature breaking news. Instead, it will be almost entirely made up of enterprise reporting, and is designed to re-introduce a strong enterprise backbone at the DP and Street. These will be longer, more ambitious stories designed to address the questions we will have to wrestle with in the coming months. While we are reintroducing print this fall, our main focus is on our digital presence, and delivering quick, accurate, and thorough news in the safest manner possible at a time when the Penn community needs it most.
In today’s digital era, we must recognize that print will soon become obsolete. This is why we are also in the process of creating a plan to completely phase out print production. Our print product is iconic, and has been a staple on Penn’s campus for over 100 years, but times are changing and we must adapt.
To our readers: Thank you for engaging with our content and challenging us. At such a pivotal point in history, we as journalists are tasked with reporting on the biggest story of our lifetimes. I am committed to continuing to work with my team to report responsibly and ethically on these complex issues. We are in the middle of rethinking what our presence ought to be on campus, as a digital-first media organization. This is an incredible challenge, but one we are grateful to have the opportunity to lead.
ISABELLA SIMONETTI is a rising College senior from New York, N.Y. studying English. Her email address is simonetti@thedp.com. She is the president of the 136th Board of The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc.
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