By allowing the paper version of Cursor to cease, the editorial team will gain more time for genuine journalistic work, explains editor-in-chief Han Konings. “In recent years, all kinds of other channels have arisen alongside the newspaper, all requiring time and attention. And with our work now divided up in this way, we still have to produce a newspaper every two weeks.”

In the coming year, the editorial team will prepare for the transition. The frequency of the paper Cursor will therefore be reduced to once every three weeks. “This means we can give ourselves time to seriously set about developing a new and responsive website, one that is also easy to read on, say, a smartphone,” says Konings. Other matters requiring preparation are the provision of videos and ‘longreads’, a format that makes reading longer stories online an enjoyable experience.

Visibility and contact

Visibility and making contact with the community are high are on the list of priorities. “We are looking for a location that will give us good visibility and to which we can invite people,” says Konings. "Meanwhile we are investigating whether we can collaborate with Studium Generale and other TU/e organizations. We would like to operate closer to the heart of the community. This is why we have plans to enable students to gain journalistic experience by working with us.”

Reader survey

The reader survey conducted by Cursor at the start of this year, in which 500 students and 500 employees  participated, clearly showed that the site and Cursor's Facebook page are now the most-read news channels. The survey also revealed, with a vote of 60 percent, that it is mainly the university's employees who feel the paper version is still important. Among students, the groups who find print important and unimportant are neck and neck: 42 percent versus 43 percent.

“We are entirely confident that once the newspaper has disappeared, we will continue to be able to reach the reader. Even better than we do at present,” explains editor-in-chief Konings. “But enduring visibility and a new way of working are essential to this success. For this reason, we ask that members of the TU/e community give us their input.”   

The editorial staff will keep the community regularly informed of progress. We are also open to suggestions, and are keen to find TU/e staff members and students who would like to play a role in the process, for example by joining a sounding board group. You can register your interest via cursor@tue.nl.