The journalism industry has changed. The past decade has seen countless publications go under and many esteemed publications have taken major blows. Maryland senator Benjamin Cardin even introduced legislation in May 2009 to allow newspapers to operate under non-profit status in a bid to save more publications from going out of print. The industry is, without a doubt, reeling, and print publications are making dramatic changes to survive.

To meet consumer expectations, the media now delivers the news in a more concise and interactive way. To meet the needs of the Sherwood community, The Warrior is making changes to the print and online editions, which reflect our commitment to the news and to our readers.

Beginning with this issue, the print edition will feature shorter, more engaging stories, more photos and increased use of “info-graphics.” We are working to make articles more concise to more effectively provide you with the pertinent information. We will continue to provide in-depth coverage, such as the AYP article on the front page, as well as an increased number of shorter articles that cover a wide variety of topics. We will also bring different facets of a story together, for example the skiing story on page nine and page 24’s coverage of the cost of high school sports.

We will also work to make The Warrior more attractive and reader-friendly. Photos will play a larger role in each of our sections (see the shots of the fall play “Children of Eden” in the Entertainment section). Graphics will be used to grab your attention and make the pages more visually interesting. “Info-graphics” will be abundant (see the AYP story on page three).

While we won “Third Place, Best in Show” at Towson University’s High School Journalism Day and “All-American” honors from the National Scholastic Press Association, we realize there is always room for improvement. We took a look at what we could do to strengthen your relationship with The Warrior and improve our competitive edge in both the print and online editions.

As part of our efforts to engage the Sherwood community, we have dramatically upgraded The Warrior Online (www.thewarrioronline.com). We have strengthened the connection between print and online by incorporating info-boxes in the print edition that direct you to The Warrior Online for additional content. Our online staff has been hard at work on the much improved website, constantly updating it with new information, polls, blogs and online publications. We will also pursue increased use of video clips to supplement our online content, such as the “fifth period flashmob.”

The weekly sports beats and the game results page, which offer scores, photos and recaps, help you stay in tune with the Warriors. Reviews for local concerts, movies, restaurants and plays will be online with increasing frequency. The Warrior Online strives to be your primary news source.

The Warrior Online fosters the connection between the readers and The Warrior staff, as it is your forum to provide us the feedback we need to better meet your expectations. The easiest way to do this is to use the comment feature that appears at the bottom of every article, or you can email us at [email protected]. And, if you give us your email, we will let you know when content has been added.

Though print journalism is on the decline, we are taking efforts to keep it alive here at Sherwood. We are also challenging ourselves to explore new media and branch out in different types of coverage.

Sherwood High School needs its news, and for 34 years, The Warrior had been here to provide it. We do not intend on leaving.