Since the world first learned of COVID-19, information has been moving and changing at an unbelievable rate.

In this last week alone, thousands of colleges, universities and private and public K-12 schools have announced the suspension of in-person classes. Thousands of events have also been canceled, and, for now, social distancing is the new normal. This is just the beginning.

The only thing that seems likely is this pandemic will not disappear before Ball State’s spring 2020 semester comes to a close. 

As the editor-in-chief of a newspaper created on campus by undergraduate students, this situation has led to dozens of conversations about how we keep our staff safe while continuing to provide thorough, factual, responsible, well-reported information.

The Daily News has continued to publish through everything from minor challenges, such as class cancellations due to sub-zero temperatures and ice, to major world conflicts, including both world wars.

Suspending our coverage of the Ball State and Muncie communities would not only be a disservice to our readers, but a disservice to our staff who rely on The Daily News to apply the skills they learn in the classroom in a real-world situation.

So, our paid staff will continue to work diligently in a sanitized and safe workspace as long as we are able, while other staff members work just as hard remotely to continue providing thorough, quality coverage of Ball State and Muncie.

We will continue to monitor the situation and reevaluate as needed, but for now and the foreseeable future, you can count on finding the print edition of The Daily News on stands each Thursday as well as daily online content on ballstatedailynews.com and ballstatedaily.com.

Thank you for your loyal readership. 

Brooke Kemp, Daily News editor-in-chief

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