Texas A&M President Sets End Date for ‘The Battalion’ Print Publication

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – A few hours later The Battalion, the student newspaper of Texas A&M University, published an article detailing the request of Texas A&M President, Mr. Katherine Banks, to cease printing immediately, the university has backtracked and will allow print publication of the newspaper to continue until the end of the semester. At this point, the old newspaper will transition to digital format. In a press release Friday afternoon, Texas A&M said Banks’ conversations with student leaders led her to make the decision.

Battalion staffers said student leaders and the paper’s academic advisor were first notified of the decision to cease publication immediately on Thursday afternoon without any clear explanation of why the decision was made. socket. According to The Battalionthe costs of the printed editions and the staff of the newspaper are covered by the printed advertising in the weekly.

The battalion Editor-in-chief Myranda Campanella said when they received notification to end publication with immediate effect, they were caught off guard. She was informed of the decision on Thursday. After a meeting with Banks on Friday morning, she said the reversal was good news, but they hope the paper will continue beyond the semester.

“Over the past 24 hours, it’s been really nerve-wracking to hear about the miscommunication or lack of communication that’s happening from high-level leadership at A&M,” she said. “Taking that away is simply unimaginable not only for current students, but also for prospective students. It’s just a huge part of the training that a student journalist needs to become familiar with this profession.

Banks said she strongly believes that The Battalion, along with KAMU-TV and radio, should be housed in a proposed performing and fine arts center, as well as a new journalism degree program. The idea was first presented in the University’s MGT board report last year, which suggested major structural changes at several Texas A&M colleges.

“I strongly believe in a strong journalism program, which is why I’m bringing the degree back and look forward to being the number one choice for students pursuing a journalism degree,” Banks said. “With the return of the degree and the return of The Battalion to an academic department – ​​combined with our new facilities and an innovative examination of the future of journalism at A&M – I believe we will elevate the profession and help rebuild trust in the media. ”

Banks and Texas A&M highlighted the need for student media at Texas A&M to focus on the digital future of journalism. The university intends to cover the cost of any lost print advertising revenue the newspaper may face.

“In many ways, we are at the start of a new and exciting era of journalism that will bring together new professors, industry professionals and students to create new kinds of digital content. We want to give our student journalists the necessary preparation to succeed in a rapidly changing industry,” Banks said. “Although it’s a tough decision, I think it’s the best way forward.”

Campanella said she saw disagreement from their staff and readers with the reasoning Banks gave them as to why they were changing.

“There’s a quote in our article where Dr Banks told us it’s not his decision, it’s the decision of the public and I mean our Twitter followers today can probably report to the public that don’t want it either,” she said.

The Battalion has been published in print on a daily, weekly or monthly basis since 1893, with the exception of a short period during World War I, and published online since 1997.

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