You forgot it was Friday until a member of  the Hi’s Eye staff comes to your homeroom and hands you a copy of the newspaper. Excitement bubbles in your chest in anticipation of the stories you will read, and you immediately feel superior to all your classmates. You get first dibs at reading all the new stories from the week. Your jealous classmates look over your shoulder, reading and asking, “Can I see it after you?”

Now imagine that Hi’s Eye is just an online newspaper, and their stories are published on their website every Friday during homeroom. Would you still be rushing to visit the website so you can read the articles? Or would you forget all about the newspaper and instead send a snap to your friend or like their Instagram post?

An online version of Hi’s Eye would pale in comparison to the classic newspaper that has captured students’ attention since 1935. The print newspaper allows readers to truly absorb and understand the information in the stories. According to politico.com in 2016, “reading retention suffers on a Kindle compared to a book, and it doesn’t allow for the deep immersion of its paper cousin.” 

The print newspaper also provides more accurate and well-written information compared to its online version. The demand for constant online news forces journalists to produce articles quickly- which means that they are sometimes inaccurate. The print newspaper allows journalists to take time writing and perfecting articles to be 100% accurate. 

The best part of Hi’s Eye’s print newspaper is that there are no flashing and irritating ads to distract you. Online news has ads in the margin that you somehow always accidentally click on. Suddenly, you’re on a car dealerships’ website buying a new Honda Accord – a problem you can avoid from a printed newspaper. 

Hi’s Eye has been operating for 85 years, and for it to stop producing print editions would be a travesty for the historic periodical, and more importantly, would deprive the student body and local community of a genuine homegrown news source.

Next Friday, open Hi’s Eye with your hands, navigate the pages with your fingers, retain nonpartisan information, and exercise your school spirit. Also, don’t forget to put your phone aside for a few minutes. You don’t need technology for this process.