The growth of the Texan’s digital product in the two and a half years I spent at the paper was amazing to see. We went from having a neglected twitter to having lively accounts not just for the paper as a whole but for all of its sections. While the Texan’s website still has a long way to go, by the time my tenure in our basement offices were up, it was clear there was a new appreciation of the Texan’s digital presence. But going forward, if the student elections this spring have taught us anything, it’s that being the established, well-known candidate doesn’t mean crap if you don’t meet students where they are. The Texan is one of the largest student newspapers in the country and a Longhorn tradition that deserves to stick around. But unless the paper makes changes to meet students where they are – and make conscious efforts to figure out where, exactly, that is – the paper risks being the perpetual confused runner-up in the race for student’s attention.
Wright was editor-in-chief of The Daily Texan from 2013-14.