Ink makes a comeback

| 22 Nov 2016 | 04:00

Staff of the Manhattan Globe, New York Institute of Technology’s student newspaper, and Larry Jaffee, The Globe’s faculty advisor, third from right, and James Simon, the dean of the university’s College of Arts and Sciences, right, at the publication’s official launch party Nov. 17. Photo: Victoria Edwards

BY VICTORIA EDWARDS

The staff of the New York Institute of Technology’s newly launched student newspaper, the Manhattan Globe, have one very important thing going for them — proximity to big stories: While at school, they are one block away from Trump International Hotel — ground zero for the ongoing protests that have transfixed the nation and student communities since the presidential election.

“I think the time is right for the Manhattan Globe thanks to President-elect Donald Trump,” said James Simon, the dean of the university’s College of Arts and Sciences. “But in the shadow of Trump International Hotel, you’re close to him. There are opportunities in New York City — for people who are ambitious to write about him. And you should try to take advantage of that.”

Simon, a former journalist and editor with The Associated Press who revived the paper when he became dean last year, spoke at The Globe’s kick-off Nov. 17, held in an eighth-floor classroom just off Broadway and 61st Street. A dozen student newspaper staff members attended the event along with the paper’s faculty advisor, Larry Jaffee, a professor of communication arts at the university. This is the first time the school has had an independent newspaper in seven years.

The Globe, for now a monthly, is the only college newspaper to launch in the country this year, all the more impressive at a time when college newspapers are folding or going fully digital, said Kelley Callaway, the president of the College Media Association.

The cost to print 1,000, 12-page copies comes to $500, which is relatively inexpensive. But Jaffee said university officials were willing to make an investment in the print paper regardless, because they saw it as an important resource for students.

“We thought the newspaper had a better chance of being read because of our audience — just NYIT Manhattan students,” said the Globe’s editor-in-chief, Nicole Periera.

The paper’s second issue — which rolled off the presses earlier this week — honed in on the presidential election and its aftermath. Periera said she was grateful that the paper had just launched because it gives NYIT students a voice that might not have otherwise.

“In spite of everything that is going on in the world it’s the most critical time for student press to be promoting values of diversity and togetherness,” she said. She added that this was especially important at NYIT, where 19 percent of students are international and the newspaper staff reflected that.

In the future, Jaffee, who has an extensive journalism background, said he would like to secure permanent office space for the newspaper. He’s also interested in focusing more on the paper’s digital edition. The staff would also prefer to publish with more frequency, the better to highlight news that’s happening nearby.