Letter from the editors: As classes move online, the Daily Trojan moves to weekly

The Daily Trojan’s top priority has always been to keep the USC community informed. In times of scandal, in times of prosperity and now, as our campus reels with uncertainty, we continue to churn out news.  

It goes without saying that coronavirus has greatly impacted USC. Within the span of a week, the University has gone from announcing a three-day trial period for remote instruction to confirming nearly all classes will be held online through mid-April in response to the virus. 

As students make plans to leave Los Angeles for the next month, the campus population will drop significantly. Because of this, the Daily Trojan has decided to move to a weekly print production schedule. Though we will continue to produce content online daily, the print edition of the paper will come out every Wednesday through April 8, including spring break. The daily edition will resume in conjunction with in-person classes.

Our decision to print weekly comes after lengthy discussions with our editorial staff. This is the first time in the Daily Trojan’s 108-year history that production will scale back to one edition per week. We did not make this decision lightly. 

Given the dwindling number of people on campus and the time demands of producing a daily paper, the weekly format is the best way to balance our desire to inform the community with the barriers that have come up as our staff scatters across the country and globe during this period of remote instruction. 

As the campus’ primary news outlet, it is our responsibility to provide timely and accurate information amid confusion, uncertainty and panic. In our best attempts to keep students, faculty and staff informed, we have added a new tab to our website where you can find all of our coronavirus-related coverage. On that page, you will also see a regularly updated sidebar from our new Twitter account dedicated to sharing information regarding coronavirus’ impact on USC as developments surface. 

As we make this transition to weekly printing, we want to emphasize that we take pride in being one of the few college publications left that publishes daily and our University’s only independent newspaper. The Daily Trojan’s role as a print newspaper is an integral part of our identity as a campus media outlet. Completely shifting online would not be beneficial to our readers, some of whom are staying or working on campus during spring break and during the period of online instruction. 

Before this year, the only other instance the Daily Trojan has strayed from its usual printing routine was in 1992 during the L.A. Riots. As those on campus retreated inside that week, the newspaper staff gathered in the newsroom to put together a paper, despite the publishing period having finished and finals week having begun. The day of publication, staffers stood at campus entrances to hand out issues to the community, serving as its central informer. 

In the same vein, the Daily Trojan believes that despite the chaos and unpredictability facing our University and despite the fact that many students will not be on campus, we must continue to serve as the messenger for our readers. That is something we will continue to be regardless of what the future holds.

Thank you for your support. 

Kate Sequeira, editor in chief

Raymond Rapada, managing editor

Lauren Mattice, digital managing editor

Nathan Ackerman, associate managing editor

Natalie Oganesyan, associate managing editor