The Eyeopener has been re-designed to appeal to an internet-savvy demographic. The featured stories in the Ryerson campus newspaper have been cut down to about 300 words from about 600 words in order to keep readers engaged.
Ryerson student Sarah Robinson enjoys the
weekly edition (Kimberly Ivany)
Ryerson student Sarah Robinson enjoys the"Anything we say about this generation is influenced by the internet," says Editor-in-Chief Amit Shilton, explaining how the internet affects readers' short attention spans. "Our writing is quick. It's easy to read. It's more entertaining."
But with this comes a price.
Shilton says the Eyeopener won only two awards this year, mainly because of the short stories.
He's not worried though.
"Is good journalism something that will get read, or something that will win awards?" he said. "I don't care for awards. To me, that means shit. I'd rather get people to care."
Short articles like this one only won the Eyeopenertwo awards this year (Kimberly Ivany)
New media Professor Clay Shirky agrees. He says in his essay "Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable" that "Society doesn't need newspapers. What we need is journalism."
Shirky says it's not about saving newspapers. It's about saving society by getting the news out there whatever way works the best.
Does that mean newspapers won't exist in 30 years? Both Shirky and Shilton say we can't know.
"There are so many questions we just won't be able to answer now," says Shilton about the online world of journalism. "I can't understand it yet, but it's the future."
Related links:
- The Eyeopener Online: Independent student weekly at Ryerson University
- Clay Shirky's "Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable": An essay on the relationship between the internet and journalism
Student Opinion: Stephanie Fereiro talks about the future of newspapers.
Summary: Ryerson campus newspaper The Eyeopener cuts down word counts to keep an internet-savvy demographic engaged.
-Kimb3rly
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