Yes, the future of journalism is uncertain.

A field once dominated by print is now moving away from this most tangible medium. The clear leader in the realm of news dissemination is the Internet, which is rapidly replacing both newspapers and television as the chosen media outlet for obtaining news.

The future for online journalists and those literate in multimedia is expanding, while the niche for print journalists is shrinking. Not only are Internet news sources the most used by those under the age of 36, they are also the most trusted. Online readers of The New York Times nearly double print readers.

The Times is embracing this new reality.

“I really don’t know whether we’ll be printing the [New York] Times in five years, and you know what? I don’t care either,” Arthur Sulzberger, owner, chairman and publisher of the New York Times, said. “The Internet is a wonderful place to be.”

That’s not to say that the importance of print journalism skills is diminishing. Reporters still need to be thorough, fair and accurate. However, preparing students for the online world with only the skills of print journalism is not fully equipping them for the workforce.

Similarly, only teaching students how to blog will not create well-rounded journalists.

Luckily, the importance of being skilled in print and online is reflected in the curriculum of our university, which offers training in both mediums. Hilltop Views, too, cannot prepare students to work in today’s journalism climate without an online edition.

This is why we are proud to announce that we will be launching an online edition in October.

Hilltop Views will now offer student journalists the opportunity to gain experience in all areas of the evolving journalism workplace as well as offer the community a new way to obtain information about campus, local and national news.

Our Web site will offer what is found in the pages of our print edition, which will continue to appear in boxes across campus each Wednesday, while also hosting unique content such as videos, podcasts, slideshows, columns, blogs and much more.

Online readers will have the option of receiving weekly e-mail newsletters about what to expect in both our print and online editions as well as updates about breaking news.

We at Hilltop Views are excited about our new endeavor and hope that the campus community will gain as much from this new resource as the staff will from producing it.