Lack of money, interest forcing many high school newspapers to fold

The Chicago Tribune reports:

In 1991, nearly 100 percent of Chicago public high schools surveyed in a study by Roosevelt University's College of Communication had newspapers. By 2006, the number had dropped to 60 percent, according to Linda Jones, associate professor of journalism at Roosevelt.

More recent data and studies tracking similar trends in suburban Chicago and across Illinois are not available, but some journalism advisers and school administrators say it's clear high school newspapers and organized journalism programs have continued to shut down, especially as educators are expected to prepare students for standardized tests that are tied to school funding.

And there's a marked difference today in the way students view student papers and lend their time to publishing them, they say.

At Morgan Park High School,English teacher Keith Majeske used to have to hide stacks of newspapers in the school's main office so students wouldn't grab them before they were ready for distribution. Today, stacks go untouched for days — unless it's an issue with prom pictures or Valentine's Day personal ads.

The struggles of print journalism.