Student newspapers ought to be good training grounds for aspiring writers, but the role they play on campus can be tricky. In today’s Martin Center article, Maria Servold (who teaches at Hillsdale College and is an editor at NR), looks at the complexities.
She writes,
Recent conflicts between student newspapers and the colleges and universities they are associated with demonstrate the tensions that often arise when a publication designed as a training ground is misunderstood by both its staff and school administrators. Ideally, student-run newspapers should be editorially independent but operate in a responsible way, knowing they do so at the pleasure of the college or university funding or housing them.
One problem, particularly at private colleges, is that student papers are regarded as just clubs that can be required to bend to school policies and beliefs, thus undercutting the inclination of budding journalists to write what they want.
Servold also discusses a recent controversy involving the student paper at Indiana University. The paper was costing the school a substantial amount, so the administration instituted a plan to take control of it.
She continues, “Colleges that respect student news outlets and let them function independently will earn the respect of students, who in turn will respect the institution paying their bills, while still focusing on publishing accurate, important news about campus life.”