Format Tabloid | ||
Type Weekly student newspaper Headquarters 92 Bedford Street
Portland, Maine 04101 Website | ||
The Free Press is the official campus newspaper of the University of Southern Maine. It publishes a print edition weekly during the academic year, equaling roughly 22 editions a year. The newspaper has a circulation of 3,000 and publishes daily on their website.
Contents
History and Organization
In 2012, the Free Press began a partnership with the Bangor Daily News to provide training, web hosting and development services for paper, as well as a content-sharing agreement aimed at promoting the best in student journalism in Maine.
Controversies
In 2001, the Free Press gained access to the campus police log despite opposition from the local police department.
In April 2002, the USM Student Senate sought to dissolve the Student Communications Board, which had been created as a buffer between the university and the paper to ensure funding to the organization. A referendum was held on whether to dissolve the board and it lost with 16% of the vote.
Awards
In 2000, the newspaper was ranked third in their region for "Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper Newspaper", while writer Steve Peoples was ranked for "General News Reporting" for his story, "Students' Voting Rights in Jeopardy". In 2002, several students involved with the newspaper won recognition by the Society of Professional Journalists for their region, including the top awards for Spot News Photography and General News Photography.