 | |
 Front page of theDaily Collegian on January 16, 2020 | |
| Type | Student newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| School | Pennsylvania State University |
| Owner | Collegian Inc. |
| Editor-in-chief | Amy Schafer |
| Managing editor | Alex Osman, Sam Woloson |
| General manager | Wayne Lowman |
| News editor | Mercedes Hamilton, Maddie Seelig |
| Opinion editor | Maddie Seelig |
| Sports editor | Avery Hill |
| Photo editor | Jackson Ranger |
| Staff writers | 130[1] |
| Founded | April 18, 1887; 138 years ago (1887-04-18)[2] |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | Willard Building |
| City | State College, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Country | United States |
| Circulation | 5,000 (as of Feb. 2020) |
| Website | psucollegian |
| Free online archives | collegian.psu.edu/pdf |
TheDaily Collegian is a student-produced news outlet, with a newspaper and website, that is published independently at thePennsylvania State University. The newspaper is printed once a week during the fall and spring semesters, and not at all during the summer semester. It is distributed for free atPenn State University Park, the university's main campus, and mailed to paid subscribers across the country.[3][4][5][6]
Collegian Inc., which publishes theDaily Collegian, is an independent, nonprofit corporation and has a board of directors that is composed of faculty, students, and professionals.[7] The mission statement of Collegian Inc. is "to publish a quality campus newspaper and to provide a rewarding educational experience for the student staff members."[8]
TheDaily Collegian has historically been considered one of the top student-run college newspapers in the United States receiving multiple notable journalism awards includingNational Pacemaker Awards, top rankings fromThe Princeton Review, andSigma Delta Chi Awards.[9][10][11]
TheDaily Collegian traces its founding back to theFree Lance, a monthly student magazine published by students and faculty ofPennsylvania State University, which began printing in April 1887. TheFree Lance struggled structurally and financially eventually disbanding in April 1904.[12] The next semester, in October 1904, theState Collegian emerged with much of the same leadership as the previous publication.[12][13] The name of the publication was changed to thePenn State Collegian in 1911, and the paper began publishing on a semi-weekly basis in September 1920. The success of semi-weekly printing lead the paper to began publishing daily in 1940, changing its name to theDaily Collegian.[14]
In 1996, theDaily Collegian began pursuing a larger digital presence, creatingThe Digital Collegian in 1996, the publications website that provides online access to articles digitally and print stories dating from 1988 to the present. Daily printing continued until 2017, when theDaily Collegian announced it would move away from printing five days a week and would instead print twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays.[15] The shift was made as a majority of the publication's readership was coming from its online publication.[16][17]
TheFree Lance was a monthly news magazine atPennsylvania State University, which was first published in April 1887. The first copies of the Free Lance were shipped toState College, Pennsylvania by theBellefonte Central train. The arrival of the first issue of the publication was celebrated by a large group of students who waited for the train and paraded down College Avenue inDowntown State College to purchase their copy.[13] The first issue of the news magazine was twelve pages long and was sold for fifteen cents a copy.[18][19]
Most of the articles inside of the Free Lance wereopinion pieces on national events penned by professors and alumni of the university. Much of the news coverage coming from the publication had already become public knowledge by the time each monthly edition was released. The Free Lance mostly took an approach to filling in holes in stories and giving opinion on events rather than reporting them first hand.[13]
In 1895, theFree Lance transitioned away from news and moved its focus to become aliterary magazine publishing essays, poems and short stories. This move lead the already cash strapped publication to collapse. In April 1901, as subscribers declined theFree Lance begged for support from the university, students, and alumni to continue its publication.[20] Throughout the next three years editors continued to asks for financial support and payment from delinquent subscribers. The requests were not met and the magazine concluded publication with its April 1904 edition, which did not appear on campus until May of that year.[21][20][18][22]
The semester after publication ceased on theFree Lance, its former editor and much of the former periodical's staff founded theState Collegian, a weekly newspaper. The newspaper was established independent of the university's control and produced its first issue in October 1904. In its first edition theState Collegiain editor William B. Hoke penned an editorial outlining the decline of theFree Lance and how the new paper would be different. Hoke outlined a mission to have a paper that contained news and events from around the community citing the failure of its predecessor to its shift away from news based content.[20][22][13]
The paper was published once a week on Thursdays, added photos and began printing inbroadsheet form rather than ontabloid-size paper. The paper was printed by Nittany Printing and Publishing Co., publishers of theState College Times, now theCentre Daily Times, where theState Collegian shared a downtown office with the State College paper.[20][22]
In 1911, theState Collegian made the decision to change its masthead and publication name toPenn State Collegian to be more definite and expressive of its location and mission to report on the university and student issues.[20]
In 1914, a subscriptions to thePenn State Collegian cost $1.50 per year.[23] Printing of the publication was interrupted because of materials shortages caused byWorld War I during the fall semester of 1918.[22] The publication began printing its paper semi-weekly, publishing Tuesday and Friday editions In the fall semester of 1920. Reporters covered all aspects of daily life as well as global events.[20]
In 1930, theState Collegian moved its offices to "Journalism Alley," on the third floor ofOld Main.[22]
After the publishers of thePenn State Collegian approved a move to begin printing the newspaper daily themasthead of the paper was changed tothe Daily Collegian. The publication began publishing five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday. During this transition the publishing offices of the paper were moved to the basement of the Carnegie Library, now known as theCarnegie Building. The first issue of the newly daily paper was published on September 5, 1940. More than a year after making the switch to daily print, Japan bombedPearl Harbor and the U.S. enteredWorld War II. TheDaily Collegian cut production days due towartime rationing and shortages of materials printing weekly instead of daily from 1944 until the beginning of 1947.[24][25][22]
In 1956, theDaily Collegian became a member of theAssociated Press, submitting their stories to thewire service for publication at other member papers.[22]
In 1961, theCollegian moved to 20 Sackett Building.[22]
In 1972, theCollegian moved its office location to 126 Carnegie. In 1979, theDaily Collegian earned the Associated Collegiate Press' Five Marks of Distinction for the second consecutive rating period. The same year, the paper started production onThe Weekly Collegian.[22]
In a move to the digital era theCollegian launched its first website, The Digital Collegian, in the summer of 1996. This allowed the paper to deliver news articles online and improve access to digitized articles from its historical print issues.[26]
Beginning with the Fall 2006 semester, the Digital Collegian was renamed the Daily Collegian Online and debuted a new home page layout.[27] A Web department was formed with the purpose of creating online updates for breaking news and posting stories on days when classes were not in session.[28]
Along with this launch came a project to digitize and make publicly accessible all issues of theFree Lance,State Collegian,Penn State Collegian and theDaily Collegian through 1922. At the time, Collegian Inc. owned some of the last remaining paper copies of theFree Lance but the copies had yet to be scanned tomicrofilm to preserve them. Penn State's Libraries Special Collections/University Archives, Preservation and Digitization Department, and News and Microforms Library met with Collegian Inc. in spring of 2003 to discuss digitizing the last remaining copies. At the time only researchers, alumni, and students had access to historical print issues through bound issue books located at the University Archives. The proposed project set out to scan all issues April 1887-August 2, 1940, in total 16,000 page images, in a year or less. In spring of 2004, one year from the universities initial meeting with Collegian Inc., the 1887-1940 segment was completed and made publicly accessible online.
After the success of the initial project Collegian, Inc. granted permission to digitize all issues through 1988. The second scanning project was completed over four years, making in total 132,736 total pages publicly available in 2008. Penn State's Library provided all funding for conversion, software/hardware, on-going maintenance and upgrades. The project came in at a cost of $178,541.
The University Libraries allowedGoogle to crawl its database starting in 2007, making historical content searchable. With this came multiple lawsuits as formerly inaccessible articles on arrest and disciplinary reports became easily accessible to the public.[26]
In July 2010, in what was called a highly unusual move, twoCentre County, Pennsylvania judges, Judge Bradley P. Lunsford and Judge Thomas King Kistler, ordered theDaily Collegian and theCentre Daily Times to delete archived news stories about five defendants in criminal cases after a lawyer sought to have the records expunged.[29] The orders were obtained by State College lawyer Joe Amendola, who was quoted inThe Philadelphia Inquirer, saying, “What's the sense in having your record expunged if anyone can Google you and it comes up?”[30] The five defendants had either pled guilty to criminal charges ranging from aggravated indecent assault to possession of marijuana, or completed pretrial diversion programs that resulted in no finding of guilt.[30] Amendola said that an earlier client was having trouble finding employment despite having her criminal record expunged. Prospective employers Googled her name and found a 1992 Collegian article detailing her crime.[31]
The expungement orders were eventually revised to remove any reference to theCentre Daily Times and theDaily Collegian on July 8, 2010. Judge Thomas Kistler toldThe Philadelphia Inquirer, "It was never anybody's intention to restrict [the papers].” Kistler Acknowledged the strong protections given the news media by the First Amendment, saying, "I can't tell them what to do."[32] Kistler claimed court officials had not noticed that the newspapers were on the list of expungement orders sought by lawyer Amendola. "It was a breakdown under the rush of the system," Kistler said.[32][33]
A riot broke out in downtownState College, Pennsylvania on October 25, 2008, after no. 3Penn State Football defeated no. 10Ohio State Football 13-6.[34]Daily Collegian photographer, Michael Felletter, was on assignment documenting the riot when he was arrested by police officers after he allegedly did not comply with orders to leave the area.[35][36] Felletter was charged with failure to disperse, a second-degree misdemeanor, anddisorderly conduct, a third-degree misdemeanor.[37]
Police alleged Felletter's presence had caused the crowd to become more exuberant, excited, and destructive.[35] Felletter alleged that officers expressed no problem with him being there and that he was only asked to leave the scene of the riot once by an officer Argiro. Felletter denied police charges that he refused to leave the scene when asked. He alleged the same officer Argiro threatened him with pepper spray and arrest, and when he continued to take pictures of Argiro over his shoulder as he was leaving the scene.[38]
Felletter was representedpro bono on behalf of theAmerican Civil Liberties Union.[39] Centre County District Attorney, Michael Madeira, claimed that the case centered around Felletter's refusal to obey a police order and not around the First Amendment or the photographer's journalistic activity.[40] TheMagisterial District Judge Carmine Prestia dismissed Felletter's disorderly conduct charge saying the crowd's actions were not Felletter's fault. The judge also dismissed all of the counts of failure to disperse but one, saying a sole charge was sufficient claiming the press is not above the law.[41]
Felletter lawyer argued coverage of the riot was valuable to both citizens and the government and that these charges violated thesecond amendment. Felletter lawyer cited the State College Police use of Felletter's photographs in facilitating the identification of others involved in the riot who were ultimately prosecuted.[42] Centre County Judge David E. Grine dismissed the remaining charge, failure to disperse, against the photographer citing "unclear" evidence. Grine ruled it is uncertain whether Felletter's compliance with police orders to "move along" was adequate when he moved from the street to sidewalk. Additionally, Grine blamed the rioters for their behavior—not Felletter, according to the ruling.[43] After initially requesting an appeal, Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller filed a motion to drop the appeal.[44]
The book,The Collegian Chronicles: A History of Penn State from the Pages of The Daily Collegian (1887-2006) was published by the Collegian Alumni Interest Group and edited by Marv Krasnansky in 2006.[45] It includes a detailed history of Penn State life told by more than 90 former Collegian members, including editors, reporters and business managers.[45]
TheDaily Collegian is the subject of a documentary film calledThe Paper. The film was directed by Aaron Matthews, who used the student newspaper as a case study for the problems that face all newspapers today—flagging circulation, minority coverage, and access to sources.[46] The film made official selection at multiple festivals, including the 2007 Philadelphia Film Festival.[46]
The film was co-produced by Aaron Matthews and theIndependent Television Service and had major funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Distribution for the film was carried out by Icarus Films.[47]
Released and distributed in 2007, the documentary was filmed from 2004-2005 and followed the newspaper while Editor-in-Chief James Young ran the staff.
Cinematography for the film was done by Wayne De La Roche and the music was composed by Tim Nackashi.[46]
TheBirmingham Weekly called it "An insightful new documentary", and theBoston Globe reported that, "What we see at theCollegian is a resonant microcosm: This paper's crucible is every paper's."[47]
On November 29, 2018, after 30 years of being based in the James Building, a university-owned property in downtownState College, Pennsylvania, theDaily Collegian announced a plan to move into the new Donald P. Bellisario Media Center, which was planned to open in the fall of 2020 at the site of the Willard Building.[48]
Penn State had announced plans earlier in the year their plan to demolish the 100-year James Building located at 121-123 S. Burrowes St. and replace it with a $52.8 million building that, "Will serve as a hub for the Invent Penn State entrepreneurial and innovation initiative,".[49]
The spaceThe Collegian is slated to move to will be in a closed, 852-square-foot corner of its third floor. The private "Collegian Suite," will face a large open newsroom with designated desk space for the newspaper. However, some other student news organizations have been invited to utilize said newsroom as well.[50]
In fall 2019, the James Building was demolished andThe Collegian moved its office to Midtown Square, another university-owned property in downtown State College. The media center is scheduled for completion in fall 2020 and ready for student and faculty and students to begin working there in spring 2021.[51]
On January 24, 2020 Penn State announced it was monitoring anoutbreak of COVID-19 as it began to spread inside of the United States. In February, Penn State restricted travel toChina,Italy, andJapan, and required students returning fromCDC level 3 threat countries to be quarantined.[52] During Spring Break, on March 11, 2020, as theCOVID-19 pandemic was becoming a threat in the United States, Penn State canceled all in-person classes at its 20 campuses until at least April 3 which was later extended to the remainder of their spring and summer semesters.[53][54][55] Students and faculty were asked to stay home, and away from campus because of the outbreak. The Print Edition of The Daily Collegian, printed bi-weekly, was suspended and all news coverage was posted digitally.[56]
In 1993, the paper criticized the Society for Professional Journalists after it offered a $250 reward for information on the persons who stole half a conservative campus newspaper's run, burning part of it. TheCollegian said the thieves were engaging in constitutionally protected speech.[57]
| Name | Class Year | Former Position | Notability | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John W. Heston | 1881 | Writer | American academic who served as the second president ofWashington State University, third president ofSouth Dakota State University, and fourth president ofDakota State University | [59][13] |
| Paul Levine | 1969 | Editor-in-chief | American author of crime fiction, including legal thrillers | [60][61] |
| Vance Packard | 1936 | Writer | American journalist, social critic, and author, includingThe Hidden Persuaders andThe Naked Society | [62][63][61] |
| Tom Verducci | 1982 | Writer | Americansportswriter who writes forSports Illustrated, its online magazineSI.com, and is a reporter and commentator forFox Major League Baseball andMLB Network | [64][65][66] |
† Resigned
| National Pacemaker Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Category | Result |
| 2019 | Online Pacemaker | Finalist |
| 2017 | Online Pacemaker | Winner |
| 2016 | Online Pacemaker | Finalist |
| 2014 | Online Pacemaker | Finalist |
| 2013 | Online Pacemaker | Winner |
| 2013 | Newspaper Pacemaker | Winner |
| 2012 | Newspaper Pacemaker | Winner |
| 2012 | Newspaper Pacemaker | Finalist |
| 2010 | Online Pacemaker | Finalist |
| 2010 | Newspaper Pacemaker | Finalist |
| 2008 | Online Pacemaker | Winner |
| 2006 | Newspaper Pacemaker | Finalist |
| 2001 | Newspaper Pacemaker | Finalist |
| 2000 | Newspaper Pacemaker | Finalist |
| 1999 | Newspaper Pacemaker | Finalist |
| 1985 | Newspaper Pacemaker | Winner |
| Sources:[134][135][136][137][138][139][140][141][142][143][144][145][146][2] | ||
| Associated Collegiate Press Survey | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Rating | |
| 1968 | First Class | |
| 1967 | First Class | |
| 1945 | Superior | |
| Sources:[147][148][149] | ||
| CMA College Newspaper of the Year | |
|---|---|
| Year | Result |
| 2011-2012 | Winner |
| Sources:[150] | |
| Princeton Review Best College Newspaper Ranking | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Ranking | |
| 2019 | 12th | |
| 2017 | 4th | |
| 2015 | 3rd | |
| 2014 | 3rd | |
| 2013 | 6th | |
| 2012 | 1st | |
| 2011 | 6th | |
| 2010 | 6th | |
| Sources:[151][152][153][154][155][156][157] | ||
| Sigma Delta Chi Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Category | Result |
| 1982 | Best Campus Paper | 1st |
| 1968 | News writing | 1st |
| 1968 | Sports Writing | 2nd |
| 1968 | Editorial Writing | 3rd |
| 1966 | Sports Writing | 1st |
| 1966 | News Writing | 2nd |
| 1959 | Sports Writing | 1st |
| Sources:[158][159][160][161] | ||
| College Newspaper Business Advertising Managers Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Category | Recipient | Place |
| 1987 | Advertising Sales Manager of the Year | Dave Profozich | Winner |
| 1987 | Classified Section | Staff | First |
| 1987 | Office Administration Materials | Staff | First |
| 1980 | Trendsetter Award | Staff | Winner |
| Sources:[162][163] | |||
| College Newspaper Business Advertising Managers Awards | |
|---|---|
| Year | Place |
| 1919 | 1st |
| 1920 | 3rd |
| Sources:[164] | |
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