Editor-in-chief Dylan Scott | Founded 1900 | |
Publisher | ||
The Minnesota Daily is the campus newspaper of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, published Monday and Thursday while school is in session, and published weekly on Wednesdays during summer sessions. Published since 1900, the paper is currently the largest student-run and student-written newspaper in the United States and the fourth-largest paper in the state of Minnesota, behind the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "The Daily" was named best daily college newspaper in the United States in 2009 and 2010 by the Society of Professional Journalists. The paper is independent from the University, but receives $500,000 worth of student service fees funding.
Contents
The Daily has a distribution of 12,150 copies per day (Monday and Thursday during the school year) and 10,000 copies per day (Wednesdays during summer) – available at over 200 locations on and near campus free of charge, as it is largely funded by advertising. A typical edition has about a dozen pages, with a special sports section every Monday and arts & entertainment section every Thursday. The Daily also provides readers with several special issues, including voters guides, housing guides, survival guides (published the first day of school), "Best of" inserts via the Grapevine Awards Fair (recognizing local businesses) and even parody issues – distributed during finals weeks.
The Minnesota Daily is entirely student-run and student-written, with an average staff of 130 students per semester. The newspaper dually operates as a training institution, providing students with real work experience in journalism, photography, editing, advertising sales, marketing, finance, graphic design, editorial & advertising production, human resources, information systems, public relations, survey research and web programming. In addition, many students gain leadership and delegation skills in the Daily's many management positions.
In May 2010, the Society of Professional Journalists named the Minnesota Daily the best all-around daily student newspaper in the country for the second year in a row.
History
Starting in 1877, the student newspaper/magazine at the University of Minnesota was called the Ariel. In 1899, another local newspaper called Football was started by Horace Bagley, Mike Luby and Clarence Miller. Unlike the Ariel, it was published daily. In response, the publishers of the Ariel decided to become a daily paper as well, giving birth to the Minnesota Daily.
There have been a number of notable individuals to work at the paper, including former NAACP leader Roy Wilkins, longtime CBS correspondent Harry Reasoner, radio personality Garrison Keillor, and musician Bob Dylan.
The Minnesota Daily was the first college newspaper to provide access to its coverage via the Internet in 1990. The Daily website publishes each day's stories in addition to exclusive web videos, photo slideshows, and additional features.
In 2001, the popular A&E section of the Daily was suddenly shut down by student managers of the paper, which generated much criticism among readers and Daily alumni. Garrison Keillor, who had written for the section while a student at the university, said the choice to shutter the section "is not a decision that journalists would have made, and it diminishes the prestige of the paper." The section was quickly relaunched.
Awards
The Minnesota Daily: Awards & Recognitions
Society of Professional Journalists:
Associated College Press:
2007 ACP Newspaper Pacemaker Finalists
2008 ACP Newspaper Pacemaker Finalists
2009 ACP Newspaper Pacemaker Winners
CNBAM: