The Courant transitions to digital format

After a long-lasting tradition of printing quarterly newspapers, The Courant has transitioned to a digital platform.  

The Courant’s first year was the first year of the merger between Commack North and Commack South. That was the 1988-89 school year. Each high school had their own newspaper called the Slate and the Varohi […] We have been publishing in print since then, said Courant adviser Christina Semple.  

Traditionally, the Courant publishes four print editions each school year, one issue per quarter. This year presentend many challenges since the staff was ready to send an issue to print just as schools were closed due to the global pandemic.

“Typically, we try to publish at least four issues a year. Now with everyone at home, we are working towards still telling our stories digitally,” said Semple.  

A primary reason for this transition has been timeliness. Due to the long process of publishing a print edition, the Courant has not been able to cover many stories over the years. 

“We’re looking to evolve this digital platform with more frequent updates. Now we will be able to update our content weekly, even daily if there’s a big news story, if we were able to do that,” said Semple.  

The Courant decided to transition to a digital platform several years ago and the process has been gradual.  

“Over the last couple of years, we’ve tried to think about how we can evolve with the digital world. Last year we started posting some highlights on our eSchoolView webpage. But now was the time to launch,” said Semple. 

The Courant also recognized that students now receive a lot of information digitally, so an online platform will allow more students access to read our articles.  

“Students are always getting information from their phones, so we want to make sure we can provide our local coverage to our students via the best way that they could receive that information, which is digitally,” said Semple.  

The efforts of The Courant to go digital mirror the actions of many traditionally print newspapers that have created websites alongside their print editions.  

“We are changing with the times, really. A lot of professional publications are going digital, it’s just the way the world is evolving,” said Semple.  

However, The Courant hopes to provide print editions at the end of each semester once school is back in session.   

“We’re looking to do two traditional best-of issue type publications and then have the website updated regularly throughout the year,” said Semple.  

The endofsemester print editions are expected to benefit both The Courant staff and students, while preserving tradition.  

“For now we are hoping that our readers can stay connected with us and that our journalists can continue to tell their stories,” said Semple. 🔳