Lee Clarion returns to print
Photo by Sydney Pressley.
For the first time in over three and a half years, the Lee Clarion has published a print edition. While some may think of print media as a relic of the past, others treasure its distinctive value within an increasingly digital society.
Dr. Joel Kailing, department chair of the Communication Arts department, attributes the return to the world of print to the success of the Lee Clarion’s online presence.
“Today, [the Lee Clarion] is well established as an important resource for the university, so the time is right,” Kailing said. “I am excited that our journalism students will be able to see their work quickly reach the world in digital form and also gain experience in print.”
Editor-in-Chief Tyler Puckett sees this as a pivotal moment for Student Media and the campus as a whole.
“We’ve been focusing on our digital efforts for the past several years, but we’re excited to have a tangible presence on campus again,” Puckett said. “We hope to use our print edition as a way to reach students through a different medium—with something they can actually hold.”
Among other stylistic changes, the print format has been designed to complement the clean and simplistic design of the Lee Clarion’s updated website.
“The format has also changed quite a bit so that the look and feel is similar to our online format,” Puckett said. “Readers will notice that instead of a traditional broadsheet style newspaper, it’s just a single sheet of paper that’s folded over a few times. This was an intentional choice to innovate toward a clean and contemporary aesthetic.”
Kim Lyon, faculty sponsor for the Lee Clarion, is also excited to experience the return to print. During her time as a student at Lee, Lyon was an editor for the paper.
“It was one of the goals I had for both myself and for this team when I came on board as faculty,” Lyon said. “I think it’s important that we have a print edition so that students are aware and in touch with the Clarion around campus.”
As a professor of journalism, Lyon sees this as an opportunity for students to keep learning outside of the classroom in ways that engage them with campus and other students.
“Much like how some people are kinetic learners, and some people are visual learners, and some people are auditory learners—I think the news kind of works the same way,” Lyon said. “So this gives some people the opportunity to get their hands on it, but also to be reminded that we are doing things every day online that can always be checked out.”
The Lee Clarion plans to produce three print issues this semester—one each month. Students and faculty can pick up their free copy of Volume 71 Issue 1 from the newsrack in the PCSU lobby.
