Before I started college, my friends asked me why I chose to pursue a degree in journalism. They believed what others have told me, that newspapers are dying, and suggested I pick a different course of study.

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But, as I learned throughout my classes and my experience as a reporter for The Plainsman at Auburn University, newspapers aren’t dying; they’re evolving.

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The advent of social media has introduced a 24-hour news hole for news outlets to fill. Because society consumes news rapidly, checking apps like Facebook and Twitter for updates, it created an online-first push for many newspapers. Some have embraced the digital-first method while others are starting to make the switch.

Readers want community news just as rapidly as they want national news. But not all major outlets can cover local news like community newspapers can. Traffic updates, city council meetings, high school football scores and photos from a recent school play are just some of the things digital readers look for on social media.

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They want to know what’s happening in their community as it’s happening. And community newspapers are just the place to look for that information.

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Reporters and community newspapers are starting to bring their stories where their readers are by posting photos or links to their stories on Facebook and Twitter for readers to share before it goes into print. The Opelika-Auburn News uses their Facebook page to engage with readers, sharing stories from their website or a reporter’s live stream of an event they’re covering.

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Many newspapers also offer a digital edition of their print product, allowing readers to catch up on what’s happening in their hometown if they’ve moved away, are on vacation, or if they prefer to read on their tablets or smartphones. Some digital editions are interactive and allow readers to share clips from their digital edition onto social media. This gives the newspaper a new audience and increases readership.

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During my interview with Troy Turner, editor of the Opelika-Auburn News, I learned it is the job of every reporter to document or “journal,” as Turner pointed out, what is happening in the community. A good community journalist writes about the good, the bad and the ugly to help locals know what is happening in their community.

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The Alabama Press Association has more than 24 daily newspapers and 99 non-daily newspapers as part of its active membership. Each newspaper serves a community or multiple communities. Each one needs covering, which is why there will always be a need for community journalism.

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While some may be similar, no two neighborhoods are exactly alike. There will always be a need for community journalists to cover the local events, be it high school sports or the town parade, city council meetings or the crime beat, because readers love local news.

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As a soon-to-be graduate with a degree in journalism, I’m excited for what the future brings. Because there will always be a need for community journalists, I know that I will always have a story to write and an event to cover. And there will always be a need for community journalists to report on what’s important: local, local, local.