Media Criticism

My final entry in this week’s showcase of student newspapers is The Daily Mississippian. This publication is the student organ of the University of Mississippi (commonly referred to as Ole Miss) and distributes five days per week. The paper’s website states that the print run is 15,000 with thousands of other readers coming to The Daily Mississippian on their website. This newspaper is one of the few in the nation that competes with daily newspapers and professional publications within the state for the attention of readers.

The Daily Mississippian sets the tone for a professional and well-run publication by keeping all operations in-house. There are 15 editorial staff members, 5 photographers and 20 writers that supply fresh news, sports updates and opinions for each edition. This publication maintains quality control by running its own printing and advertising departments. Students interested in the school’s Rebel Radio and Ole Miss Annual yearbook can find links and information through The Daily Mississippian.

I was interested to find out that The Daily Mississippian is connected intimately to the state’s professional press. The newspaper is a member of the state’s press association and competes with daily newspapers in annual contests to determine the best media in Mississippi. It is admirable that a student-run newspaper with high amounts of turnover on an annual basis can stay competitive for media readers in the region.

I would be remiss if I didn’t speak about the journalistic endeavors of writers and editors at The Daily Mississippian. The Newsblog available on the paper’s website features school news, investigative reporting and points of interest for Rebel students and alumni. There were several news stories as well as multimedia presentations that vividly capture life in Oxford, Mississippi.

The second part of my series on student newspapers and alternative media is The Rocky Mountain Collegian. This newspaper is a daily publication on the main campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. I was astounded by the illustrious history of The Rocky Mountain Collegian which was established in 1891. The students of Colorado State University changed The Collegian to a daily newspaper in the 1930s due to the challenging nature of the Great Depression. The Fort Collins community was at odds with The Collegian in the 1940s and 1950s due to the paper’s stance on racism and women’s rights.

The Collegian has impressed media observers, journalists and editors alike over the last two decades. The paper has been one of the best student papers since the 1990s with an avid readership beyond the 26,000 students at Colorado State. I enjoyed checking out The Collegian website and finding unique features that are comparable to the best dailies throughout the United States.

The student editors of this newspaper have initiated a podcast called “Tomorrow’s Top Stories” to add an immediacy to their paper’s stories. This podcast allows MP3 users to listen to tomorrow’s headlines before picking up the paper in the morning. The “Our View” section of The Collegian shows the collective wisdom of the editorial board on issues like CSUnity and other campus programs. I enjoyed reading the newspaper’s political blog that was last updated during the Iowa caucuses in January. The video coverage and posts featured on The Collegian blog is innovative in the context of student newspapers. The Easterner as presented yesterday may feature better stories but The Collegian shows the importance of using new technology to appeal to busy students.