ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell Daily Sun is reducing its print schedule from five days a week to three days a week, beginning this fall, the news organization announced late Sunday night.
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The news organization said the decision was made for a variety of reasons, including the commitment to train writers and invest in comprehensive journalism.
Finances were also listed as a reason for the cutback. According to the email, The Cornell Daily Sun has been sustaining itself for about the past seven years by relying on its “rainy day fund” to cover costs.
“After this fiscal year, we will have little left to tide us over,” the email states. “We have reached a pivotal moment in The Cornell Daily Sun’s history. As we restructure our print production to reflect changing readership preferences and the future of journalism, we have the unique opportunity to revitalize The Sun.”
The email can be read in its entirety below:
Dear Sunnies,
As you might fondly remember, a sign hanging in our office proudly claims, “This is a daily, not a weekly.” This has never been more true than it is today, as we at The Sun have pushed to truly become a digital-first publication. Throughout the day and in between (and often during) classes, our writers and editors are continuously publishing relevant content online.
Our efforts are paying off. With this web-first mentality and the launch of the new website to which many of you were so generous to donate, more people are reading The Sun online. Among many achievements this semester, The Sun has featured comprehensive coverage of the College of Business and was the first to break the news of President Elizabeth Garrett’s death.
Our top priority is producing quality, around-the-clock journalism for our expanding online audience. More than just being a daily, The Sun is becoming a 24/7 publication that takes full advantage of the infinite opportunities available on a digital platform. Currently, our online readership far outstrips our print circulation.
So, starting in the fall semester, The Sun will print three days a week — on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. We will redirect the effort usually dedicated to producing Wednesday’s and Friday’s paper towards developing stronger and more engaging digital content. Our decision to reduce print is fueled by an ambitious editorial vision that includes dedicating more attention to training and mentoring writers, investigative and comprehensive reporting and dynamic and interactive multimedia.
There is no denying that financial circumstances also underlie our decision to eliminate two days of print. The Sun has operated at a loss for the past seven years and has routinely drawn from our ‘rainy day’ funds to sustain these deficits. After this fiscal year, we will have little left to tide us over. Eliminating the costs of two days of print production puts us in the best position to turn a profit, and we are working closely with advertisers to maintain, if not increase, our current level of advertising revenue.
We have reached a pivotal moment in The Cornell Daily Sun’s history. As we restructure our print production to reflect changing readership preferences and the future of journalism, we have the unique opportunity to revitalize The Sun. We see a chance here to be ahead of the curve — to boldly reshape, expand and strengthen our coverage.
In the midst of this exciting progress, we would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. OnTuesday, May 10 at 6 p.m. EST, we will host a ‘town hall’ conference call to answer any questions you may have. The number for the call is (641) 715-3580, and the access code is 174120. Please also never hesitate to email us at editor@cornellsun.com, find us onFacebook or stop by at 139 West State Street.
Sincerely,
Sofia Hu ’17, editor in chief
Louis Liu ’18, business manager
Phoebe Keller ’18, managing editor
Paulina Glass ’18, associate editor
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