Click here for a PDF of this open letter.

February 27, 2013

As alumni of The Daily Texan, we read last Tuesday’s editorial (“Keep The Daily Texan daily,” Feb. 19, 2013) with considerable consternation. Those of us who fondly recall our time toiling in the paper’s basement offices are well aware that times are tough. For years we have followed the Texan’s declining circulation, its shrinking advertising base, the unfortunate decision to sell the press, the scaled-back publishing schedule — much as a child follows the decline of an aging parent.

Nonetheless, ceasing daily print publication of the Texan strikes us as a reactionary, short-sighted and ill-advised response to the current crisis — one that not only fails to consider The Daily Texan’s historical value on campus, but, worse, the resources it has accrued over the years.

No doubt, rapid changes in the news industry have greatly undermined the financial viability of traditional print publications. Many of us are aware of this fact because, thanks to the Texan, we have grown into news-industry leaders. Many more of us know of the industry’s troubles more intimately — they sign some of our unemployment checks. But the Texan has also served as a foundation for many successful careers in far more lucrative fields. Herein lies the Board’s current myopia.

Short of the most passive gestures (See: http://www.utexas.edu/tsm/alumni/), Texas Student Media has made no clear or sustained attempt at outreach to The Daily Texan’s vast alumni base — neither for guidance nor, most glaringly, for purposes of development. In an era of great experimentation in the capabilities of philanthropic funding models for news media, Texas Student Media has not even bothered tapping a donor base captive to its sepia memories of Daily Texans past.

Therefore, we urge the TSM Board to refrain from further reducing The Daily Texan’s print schedule without first consulting us — Texan alumni. This is not a matter of self-interest on our part; this is a simple matter of availing yourselves of untapped resources. Some of us may be eager to donate. Some of us already have on our own initiative. Others may have experience managing philanthropic campaigns. Still others may have experience managing professional news media. But you would never know, because you have never asked.

Far be it for us to foolishly stand athwart history yelling “Stop!” There may indeed come a time when print becomes an unfeasible and unwanted medium. It is our contention that such a day has not yet come. As Daily Texan alumni, we stand ready and willing to assist in righting the ship. We hope Texas Student Media will avoid rash decisions, and will instead solicit our help.

This open letter and its 343 signatures ran as a full-page ad in The Daily Texan. A PDF of that ad can be found here.