Auburn Plainsman, university’s student newspaper, prints final edition; goes online only Updated Feb 25, 2021; Facebook Share The Auburn Plainsman, the student newspaper at Auburn University, has printed its final weekly edition and will move to an online publication. “Going forward, the vast majority of our time and effort will be focused on producing content for our website, our podcasts, our videos, our newsletter and our social media accounts,” Jack West, editor-in-chief, said in a Thursday morning column. West said the newspaper reached a “breaking point” during the coronavirus pandemic. “The COVID-19 pandemic, along with its subsequent economic crisis, has put an immense amount of stress on, among many things, local news organizations. We have not been immune,” West said. “The lack of foot traffic, the overall cost of printing and the general trend of the journalism industry have consistently challenged us to justify our weekly schedule.”