| The Michigan Daily | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Type | Student newspaper |
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Founded | September 29, 1890; 135 years ago (1890-09-29) |
| School | University of Michigan |
| Editors in Chief | Edith Pendell, Zachary Ajluni |
| Managing Editors | Georgia McKay, Annabelle Ye |
| Business Manager | Cici Copenhaver |
| Managing News Editors | Christina Zhang, Aanya Panyadahundi |
| Editorial Page Editors | Elena Nicholson, Gabe Efros |
| Managing Sports Editors | Graham Barker, Lyra Sharma |
| Managing Arts Editors | Cora Rolfes, Campbell Johns |
| Managing Photo Editors | Bridgette Bol, Holly Burkhart |
| Managing Podcast Editors | Ava Chatlosh, Megan Gydesen |
| Managing Video Editors | Ahtziri Pasillas-Riquelme, Evan Krummel |
| Circulation | ~7,500 |
| Headquarters | Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| OCLC | 9651208 |
| ISSN | 0745-967X |
| Website | michigandaily.com |
The Michigan Daily, also known as "The Daily", is the independentstudent newspaper of theUniversity of Michigan published inAnn Arbor, Michigan. Established on September 29, 1890, the newspaper is financially and editorially independent from the university, with a staff of more than 500 students.
A print edition of the paper is published once a week during the fall and winter terms, traditionally on Wednesdays. In 2020, the paper received nearly 6 million website visits,[1] and serves over 50,000 university students and nearly 350,000 residents throughout Washtenaw County.[2]
The current co-editors in chief are Edith Pendell and Zachary Ajluni, who were elected by the staff in November 2025.[3]
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On April 12, 1955, when the success ofJonas Salk's polio vaccine was announced at the University of Michigan theDaily was the first newspaper to report it. In 1957, theDaily sent a staff member to Little Rock, Arkansas who, pretending to be a student, attended classes on the first day of integration.
Activist and politicianTom Hayden, a formerDaily editor-in-chief who helped foundStudents for a Democratic Society while editingThe Daily, came to personify the publication's editorial philosophy during the 1960s. The paper was the subject of national press coverage in 1967, when it urged the legalization ofmarijuana, and again during theGulf War in 1991, when it called for the reinstatement of the military draft.
The Daily was instrumental in the spread of the "Paul is dead"urban legend. An October 14, 1969Daily article byFred LaBour and John Gray, entitled "McCartney Dead; New Evidence Brought to Light", itemized various "clues", many of them of their own invention. Their "reporting" of McCartney's death is claimed by Beatleologist Andru J. Reeve to have been "the single most significant factor in the breadth of the rumor's spread."[4][5]
The first female editor-in-chief ofTheDaily wasHarriett Woods, who later served in Missouri State government, ran for the Senate twice in the 1980s nearly beatingJohn Danforth the first time, and led theNational Women's Political Caucus through its Year of the Woman in 1992.
In 2007, renovations to the historic building at 420 Maynard Street were completed, funded entirely by private donations from alumni. To dedicate the renovated building, a reunion of the staffs ofThe Michigan Daily, theMichiganensian yearbook, and theGargoyleHumor Magazine was held from October 26 to 28, 2007.
On January 28, 2014,TheDaily earned national recognition for breaking news that a Michigan football player had been separated from the university for sexual misconduct.
In 2017,Avery Friedman foundedThe Daily's podcast section.[6][7]
The newspaper is financially and editorially independent of the university's administration and other student groups, but shares a university building with other student publications on 420 Maynard Street, north of theMichigan Union.The Daily acts as the University of Michigan'sde factojournalism school, since the university does not have a journalism program or department.
The Daily publishes content every day. The newspaper is published weekly in broadsheet form during the fall and winter semesters and in tabloid form from May to August. Broadsheets contain a lengthySportsWednesday Sports section and occasionally an extended, themed issue calledThe B-Side from the Arts section. They also include a magazine, originally titledWeekend Magazine. In the fall of 2005, the magazine was renamedThe Statement, a reference to formerDaily editor-in-chiefTom Hayden'sPort Huron Statement.
The newspaper's editorial staff is led by theeditor-in-chief, or two co-editors-in-chief. It is divided into the following sections: news, opinion, sports, arts, photography, web, copy, video, Statement, Michigan in Color, audience engagement, design, podcast, culture, training and inclusion, Focal Point and games. The news section has ninebeats: Academics, Student Government, Administration, Business, Public Safety, Campus Life, City, Government, and Research.
Each year, the entire newspaper staff elects the main editorial leadership, which includes the editor-in-chief, who oversees all sections, and the Joshua Mitnick '92, '95 managing editor and digital managing editor, who report to the editor-in-chief. Each section is led by at least one managing editor and may also have least one senior or assistant editor. The editorial page editor, or editorial page editors, manage the opinion section.
The Management Desk, referred to as "MDesk", is the governing body ofThe Daily that makes decisions affecting the entire newspaper. MDesk members include the main editorial leadership and the managing and senior editors of each section.
The Daily has strict bylaws regarding journalistic integrity and ethics[8]. Opinion staffers cannot simultaneously be a member of news or photo staff[9]. The newspaper also restricts news writers from expressing political views and prohibits all staffers from serving in student government.
Many columnists and editors fromThe Daily have gone to hold prominent positions in government, journalism, and more, working for publications likeThe New York Times,The Washington Post,Associated Press,The Wall Street Journal,Time magazine, and theChicago Tribune.[10]
Alumni include playwrightArthur Miller,[11] 47th governor of New York and presidential candidateThomas Dewey, activistTom Hayden, investment bankerBruce Wasserstein,[10] journalist and physicianSanjay Gupta,[12] former chairman ofAmerican AirlinesGeorge A. Spater,[13] journalist and game show hostMike Wallace,[14] and former lieutenant governor of MissouriHarriett Woods.[15][16]
Notable journalists and writers include sevenPulitzer Prize winners:Eugene Robinson[17],Lisa Pollak,Ann Marie Lipinski,[18]Amy Harmon,Stanford Lipsey, andArthur Miller. They also include notable broadcast journalists likedu-Pont Columbia Award winnerDavid Schechter. Singer-Songwriter Avery Friedman wrote forThe Daily,[7] and launched their podcast department in 2017,[6] before releasing her debut album in 2025.[19][20][21]
Awards won byThe Daily include the 2023National Pacemaker Award in online media,[22] 22 awards from theSociety of Professional Journalists in 2020 and 2021,[23][24] and 14 awards from the Michigan College Press Association in 2018.[25]
