This is an essential time to stay informed and a crucial moment for many. 

As coronavirus outbreaks have spread around the world, and eventually arrived in Kentucky, there has been a considerable amount of change in WKU’s day-to-day life. Those changes also impact us at the Herald. 

As a student newspaper, we are committed to keeping this campus and community informed and safe, and we have temporarily changed some of our procedures to best deliver that information. 

How to keep up with the College Heights Herald

We have decided to suspend our print publication until in-person classes resume and to focus all of our energy into sharing important news through our digital formats. 

We will still continue the type of reporting you would see any other day from the Herald, meaning our opinion, life, sports, photo and news section will continue to produce content. 

However, given the global, national and local concern related to the coronavirus, and the historic changes this campus is undergoing, a large amount of our coverage will be focused on the virus and making sure this campus is fully informed on protection methods and any policy changes. 

You can find coverage specifically on the coronavirus at wkuherald.com/coronavirus. 

We will also be changing the format of our newsletters. So far this semester, we have offered four different newsletters, five days a week. Due to the recent changes, we have decided to suspend our Life on Top, TopperExtra and Your Week on the Hill newsletters. Instead, our College Heights Herald newsletter will be emailed daily and will include the top headlines in news, coronavirus coverage, life, sports and opinion. 

As always, our social media accounts will be delivering all this information as well. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

We also want to hear from you. If you have a story, feel free to reach out to us on social media or by email. Let us know how we can continue to best serve you. 

Why we are making this change

Many of our staff members do not live in Bowling Green, and for their own safety, we have encouraged them to stay in a place they feel safe. Our entire staff will be working remotely to keep you up-to-date on the important information happening while many of you are away. 

There are also many questions nationally about why and how the media is covering the coronavirus. Some believe the media may be sensationalizing the virus and inciting more chaos.

Now an official global pandemic, the coronavirus is something worth reporting on. While college students may not be an at-risk population, those living in the Bowling Green community may be. 

I have always viewed journalism and the work we do here at the Herald as vital because it keeps people informed, it keeps people safe in emergencies like this and it keeps those in higher power in check. 

So, yes. We will continue to report on things like WKU’s historic decision to suspend in-person classes, or to call back students studying abroad in European countries. These stories matter because it impacts so many in this community. 

Stay safe, stay healthy, Hilltoppers. We’ll see you in April. 

Editor-in-Chief Rebekah Alvey can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @bekah_alvey.