2008 Woodie Awards
The News goes independent
Amara Grautski
Issue date: 7/2/08 Section: News
After 82 years as the university's on-campus newspaper, the Northeastern News will change its name to the Huntington News and become independent of the university in September
Although the newspaper's content and distribution will remain the same, the Huntington News will be located off-campus at 295 Huntington Ave., next to Symphony Market.
The News has been operating primarily as an independent newspaper for nearly a decade, supporting itself through advertising revenue. However, the publication was a student organization and used university office space.
The move to cut ties with the university was set in motion about a year ago by then editor-in-chief Ricky Thompson and former managing editor Derek Hawkins. The pair said they first seriously discussed becoming independent last summer, when The News was relocated to a smaller space in the Curry Student Center, which is approximately a third of the size of the original space. However, both said they weren't the first to consider the idea.
"As long as I've been around The News … there was always a talk of going independent that came up at different points for one reason or another," Thompson said. "It was the perennial discussion that no one really acted upon."
Thompson said talk escalated when fear of prior review arose recently, during a time of speculation about the university's humor publication Times New Roman (TNR) staff's decision to pull its December 2007 issue and reprint it with modifications.
Although Hawkins said the TNR reprint was a catalyst, The News was already financially self-sufficient through advertising, so it seemed like a good opportunity to go independent.
Journalism professor Walter Robinson said The News is in an unusual situation where it is accountable to the people it reports on. And although Robinson said in today's age of media conglomerates, newspapers may occasionally have to report on the companies by which they are owned, this situation is different because The News solely covers Northeastern.
Although the newspaper's content and distribution will remain the same, the Huntington News will be located off-campus at 295 Huntington Ave., next to Symphony Market.
The News has been operating primarily as an independent newspaper for nearly a decade, supporting itself through advertising revenue. However, the publication was a student organization and used university office space.
The move to cut ties with the university was set in motion about a year ago by then editor-in-chief Ricky Thompson and former managing editor Derek Hawkins. The pair said they first seriously discussed becoming independent last summer, when The News was relocated to a smaller space in the Curry Student Center, which is approximately a third of the size of the original space. However, both said they weren't the first to consider the idea.
"As long as I've been around The News … there was always a talk of going independent that came up at different points for one reason or another," Thompson said. "It was the perennial discussion that no one really acted upon."
Thompson said talk escalated when fear of prior review arose recently, during a time of speculation about the university's humor publication Times New Roman (TNR) staff's decision to pull its December 2007 issue and reprint it with modifications.
Although Hawkins said the TNR reprint was a catalyst, The News was already financially self-sufficient through advertising, so it seemed like a good opportunity to go independent.
Journalism professor Walter Robinson said The News is in an unusual situation where it is accountable to the people it reports on. And although Robinson said in today's age of media conglomerates, newspapers may occasionally have to report on the companies by which they are owned, this situation is different because The News solely covers Northeastern.
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 9
Poor schmucks
posted 7/02/08 @ 1:26 PM EST
Not gonna last long without copy editors, guys. "Editor-and-chief Kate Augusto"? Don't have an editor-in-chief, eh? Good luck, you're gonna need it.
Art Buckwald
posted 7/03/08 @ 8:42 PM EST
Why would they need permission of the university to use
the name "Northeastern."
here is a thought: name it the Northeastern News and if the unversity
questions it tell them it is named after the Northestern section of the United States. (Continued…)
2007 alum
posted 7/06/08 @ 11:00 PM EST
Congratulations and good luck!
1926 Alum
posted 7/07/08 @ 12:44 AM EST
I'm pretty sure the whole independent thing was entirely the former Deputy Managing Editor's idea. Going twice a week was also entirely his doing. The other two gentlemen given credit are fools incapable of making such changes. (Continued…)
Lindsay Niegelberg
posted 7/11/08 @ 10:45 AM EST
Awesome. Congratulations. From when I started at the News in 2001 to when I graduated in 06 we talked about doing this but it was never financially feasible. (Continued…)
The Angry Lemon
posted 7/15/08 @ 10:52 AM EST
Ed Klotzbier: "This is a home run for the northeastern community."
Joe Falinski
posted 7/16/08 @ 1:05 PM EST
I wonder if this means they will bash Greek life even more. Interesting.
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