Newspaper readership has fallen steadily for the past decade. Major publications, such as the Washington Post and New York Times, have adapted their media offerings by shifting focus to the online publication of media. This is a direct response to younger generations consuming less physical media and much more online media. Today, people between the ages of 18 and 34 years consume at least 90% of their news media in digital form. The trend towards the digitization of news media may have even greater impacts on local newspapers than on national newspapers.

The University’s newspaper, the Yellow Jacket, has been heavily impacted by this trend. Once an exclusively physical newspaper, the Yellow Jacket has fallen sharply in revenue generation in the past decade. Ten years ago, the newspaper’s ad revenue was ten times higher than it is today, down from $2,500 per semester. The staff has been slashed by more than 60% during this time period. Exacerbating declining revenue has been student activity fee decreases, the results of budget cuts to all university departments.

In response to these trends, the Yellow Jacket will be transitioning to an unpaid volunteer staff and digital-only form of publication. Professor R B, the former newspaper advisor, is confident that the transition marks an adaptive response to the changing demands of students for news media consumption. “Journalism is changing with social media,” Professor R B states, “The newspapers that will survive and prosper will follow their audience online. I’m glad the YJ is making the move.”

The transition to a digital-only format has been received largely positively from students. B, a junior business major, states “This is a good idea. I like the idea of seeing something about State on my phone”. While the transition is a direct response to decrease costs, the exclusive focus on a digital platform could prove highly successful for the Yellow Jacket.