Journalism students save the day

Municipal meetings do not tend to attract a crowd; but Katherina Sourine, a University of Michigan senior, made the trek. As one of four city and government reporters for Ann Arbor’s sole daily newspaper, she had biked there to take notes on the city’s plans for developing a new park.

For a while now, The Michigan Daily, the university’s student newspaper has been the only local newspaper. After the Ann Arbor News shuttered its print edition in 2009, along with its online presence, a staff of about 300 student journalists have taken it upon themselves to provide the city with local coverage.

Students across the country have stepped in to fill a void which was created after more than 2000 newspapers either closed down or merged.

“if we weren’t covering it, no one would know what’s going on. It’s really hard to take time out of my day, especially when breaking news hits. But a lot of people rely on us to stay informed – not only students, but the people of Ann Arbor,” says Sourine.