The future of journalism, and consequently The Little Hawk, can be summed up in one big question mark. Daily news has turned into a constant stream of information, and print journalism is having an identity crisis of sorts. Our beloved newspaper (or whatever you might call us nowadays) is no exception. We’ve faced the future head on with our iPhone app and website, and our commitment to keeping up is evident in the iPads that all of our student journalists have been carrying around for the last month. We’re determined to be pioneers, but this doesn’t mean that crumpling up our print history and throwing it away is the right way to forge ahead.

We certainly recognize the value of instant media, being able to “tweet” updates directly from the City-West volleyball game or furnish a web site with ongoing versions of a story as it develops. Yet, we also believe that there are certain benefits unique to a print edition that cannot be replaced with digital media. For one thing, many websites don’t have room for the creative design that we prize so highly. Especially in the features section, we strive to structure the page so that the design works with the story and helps to communicate the message. Page design is an art form that we do not wish to lose.

Beyond this, we believe that a print edition enables us, as editors, to highlight and emphasize the stories that we feel are the most important and deserving of attention. There is a limited number of stories that can be included in each issue. Thus, the stories that “make the cut,” as it were, are the ones that we, as editors stand behind, and they are the ones that we are offering to you, our readers, in the hope that they will educate you about the issues most pertinent to your lives as students.

So, with these thoughts in mind, what are we left with? We feel that, rather than using our website to accent the print edition, the two must head in entirely different directions. Our website, Twitter, Facebook and any other forms of digital media will follow in the vein of the digital era, employing technology to follow events in real time. Our print edition, on the other hand, will gradually stray towards becoming an in-depth news magazine. This process has already begun, with the addition of The Little Hawk Features Magazine, in place of what used to be Section B. This new format allows for cutting-edge designs that a newspaper simply cannot accommodate. Publishing a story about teenage depression in The Little Hawk Features Magazine, along with a design that accents and contributes to the story, calls attention to this important issue in a way entirely different from placing the same story in the midst of the limitless bank of stories that is the internet.

We are not denying the power or the opportunity that is digital media. We intend to pursue all that this technology can offer with full force. We do, however, firmly believe that there are aspects of the print publication that cannot be replaced despite all of the perks of the digital era. So, we are committed, for the time being, to remaining present with both present and future, whatever that means for our paper. We are part of a changing world, and as such must remain fluid, ready to adjust along with the times. Who knows, tomorrow you may find yourself reading The Little Hawk from a holograph rising from your desk. Either way, however our presence is manifested, one thing is clear: we aren’t going anywhere.