Student newspaper at Dartmouth College
The Dartmouth
is the daily student newspaper at
Dartmouth College
and America's oldest
college newspaper
. Originally named the
Dartmouth Gazette
, the first issue was published on August 27, 1799, under the motto "Here range the world?explore the dense and rare; and view all nature in your elbow chair."
First published by Moses Davis, the newspaper is now published by The Dartmouth, Inc., an independent,
nonprofit
corporation chartered in the state of
New Hampshire
. Many alumni of
The Dartmouth
have gone on to careers in
journalism
, and several have won
Pulitzer Prizes
.
About
The Dartmouth
[
edit
]
The newspaper, commonly known as
The D
, is the campus's only daily newspaper and is free for students.
The Dartmouth
publishes Monday through Friday from September to June, except during federal holidays and College vacations. During summer months, the paper publishes on Fridays. During the fall, winter and spring terms,
The Dartmouth
'
s editorial board publishes a house
editorial
, the "Verbum Ultimum", in the Friday edition of the paper. The editorial board is composed of the editor-in-chief, executive editors and opinion editors. The offices of
The Dartmouth
are located on the second floor of Robinson Hall, where over 200 student staff members contribute to the paper weekly either through the editorial or business staffs.
The Dartmouth
hires new staff at the start of every term.
The Dartmouth
is run entirely by
undergraduate
students, with the publisher serving as the head of the business side and the editor-in-chief serving as the head of the editorial section of the paper. Members of
The Dartmouth
'
s senior directorate serve year-long terms and each directorate selects the next year's leaders. Both business and editorial directorates transition to new leadership between the winter and spring terms.
On the editorial side, applicants can apply to write for any of the various content sections, which include news, opinion, arts, media, sports, and news magazine "The Mirror". They can also to work on the photography, graphics, design or
copyediting
staff. Students are asked to submit an application before interviewing with current staff. On the business side, students can apply for the advertising, strategy, communications and marketing, or product development sections. Applicants are asked to submit an application before interviewing with current staff.
The Dartmouth
publishes two weekly supplements, "Big Green Sports Weekly" on Mondays and "The Dartmouth Mirror" on Wednesdays.
Special editions are printed for such events as
Homecoming
weekend,
Winter Carnival
,
Green Key Weekend
and
Commencement
, and a special freshman issue is sent to the homes of all incoming students the summer before
matriculation
.
During the
New Hampshire primary
,
The Dartmouth
is known for its interviews with the presidential candidates.
[1]
[2]
The Dartmouth
maintains its own photo and poster store with pictures in current editions as well as copies of historical front pages, available for purchase.
History
[
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]
Early years
[
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]
The Dartmouth
was first published in
Hanover, New Hampshire
, on August 27, 1799, by Moses Davis "on College Plain"
[3]
under the name the
Dartmouth Gazette
. "Here range the world – explore the dense and rare; And view all nature in your elbow chair," Davis wrote in the first issue of the
Dartmouth Gazette
. In his first column, Davis stressed the necessity of avoiding "personal reflections" while maintaining "impartiality in view".
The first issue contained a request for subscribers throughout the local area to follow the news provided by the
Dartmouth Gazette
. The newspaper started with revenue from its subscribers. Davis wrote, "The
Dartmouth Gazette
shall be printed on paper of the present size and quality. The price will be One Dollar and fifty cents per ann. delivered at the Printing-Office. To give the paper a start, 25 cents is required on receipt of the 1st No. and 50 cents, if offered, will not be refused." The size of the first issue measures roughly 10 by 16 inches (250 by 410 mm). A copied image of the first issue hangs framed in the office suites of
The Dartmouth
.
The first articles of the
Dartmouth Gazette
focused on local news, but also printed two pages of foreign and national news. The
Gazette
'
s aim was to print news articles that were of practical use to readers, often covering information about local events, laws that would affect local residents, and imminently dangerous sicknesses.
[4]
The first issue of the
Dartmouth Gazette
contains a poem and short story signed by "Icarus", who was later found to be
Daniel Webster
.
[5]
Issues of the
Dartmouth Gazette
demonstrate that the newspaper provided a record of local events relating both to the town and to the college. For example, "the second issue has a long and rather tediously written discussion of New Hampshire school laws, and a report of Dartmouth's Commencement activities from Wednesday, August 28, 1799."
[4]
It is also clear that mischief consistent with undergraduate students was not eliminated from the
Dartmouth Gazette
entirely by the editing process.
Becoming
The Dartmouth
[
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]
The
Dartmouth Gazette
changed its name to
The Dartmouth Daily
and then
The Dartmouth
as the newspaper was published more regularly. It also started to create a greater emphasis on news of Dartmouth College, rather than news of a national import.
The name of the newspaper was changed "to be a faithful expression of the mind of the students, ? to be, what its title imports,
The Dartmouth
, possessing such a local character and stamp of individuality as will render it acceptable to all who claim this Institution as their Alma Mater."
[6]
This changing focus on local and College news contrasts with the greater national and local focus of the newspaper in the first decades of the 1800s. Financially,
The Dartmouth
was self-sustaining through a subscription revenue model.
The Dartmouth
'
s
printing press
changed several times during the 19th century. In 1840, the editors noted, "We hope our convenience, which demanded a change of printers, will not compel us to do it at the expense of our
typography
."
[7]
The April 1840 issue of
The Dartmouth
stated bluntly, "[T]his month has not been prolific in College news." In this context,
The Dartmouth
'
s original local and national news focus becomes clear.
The Dartmouth
printed many editorials in its pages, which "tackled a variety of topics, mostly of an academic nature.
The Dartmouth
also contained a College News section with one or two-line items on professorial appointments, alumni news, and an editors note regarding correspondence."
[4]
By 1842,
The Dartmouth
regularly ran to 40 pages and was printed eight times a year. Under the principle of "write for your readers," the writing in
The Dartmouth
was "to be geared to the popular reader instead of the academic."
[6]
Christopher R. Johnson '94 completed a detailed thesis history of
The Dartmouth
, after receiving a grant from the
Hewlett Foundation
for
The Dartmouth's
Historical Archives Project. According to Johnson, "From the editors' note at the end of each issue comes something as typically mock vainglorious as this segment: '...[A]s a consequence,
The Dartmouth
is making an illumination. Be careful you are not dazzled by its luminous pages.'"
[4]
The Dartmouth
went through a substantial developmental phase in 1875 under the watchful eye of Samuel Merrill of the Class of 1876. Starting in September 1875,
The Dartmouth
began publishing regularly every Thursday morning. Merrill doubled the size of the newspaper and increased subscription terms to $2 a year. Also in 1875, advertisements appeared in
The Dartmouth
for the first time. At this time,
The Dartmouth
was the only college paper published weekly in
New England
, and was one of the three largest college weeklies in the world.
[4]
Incorporation
[
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]
The newspaper's organization prior to 1913 was a simple business partnership between the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The
masthead
section would state that the newspaper was published by the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, using the last names of these two students.
[8]
As such,
The Dartmouth
was financially independent from the college. Although this system worked, it was recognized that some formal organization would be needed, making the newspaper an independent corporate organization that would be able to withstand an assault by the college.
On September 18, 1913, a news story announced that
The Dartmouth
had become a corporation chartered in
Maine
over the summer break. "Instead of a mere union of editors putting forth a newspaper by common consent, there is a legal corporation for the purpose, a legal entity which exists in the eyes of the law apart from the particular individuals who form its personnel at a given time. The paper has changed from individualistic to corporate control," the issue read.
[9]
The newspaper's board of management (currently called the Directorate, the group of editors and business directors) spent many hours preparing and executing the incorporation of the paper.
[10]
The newspaper was chartered in Maine because the college could have a powerful hold on New Hampshire politicians if necessary, since it was a major employer and influence in the state. By incorporating the newspaper in Maine, the newspaper could escape some of the college's political power in case of a lawsuit.
[10]
In 1939, the college's political influence was no longer deemed problematic, and The Dartmouth, Inc. was transferred from Maine to New Hampshire.
[11]
Vox Clamantis Fund
[
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]
The Dartmouth
maintains the Vox Clamantis Fund, created in 1999 to help enable reporters, editors, directors and staff to supplement their "on-the-job" training by meeting and working with journalists and business journalism professionals. The fund consists mostly of donations alumni and community members make through
The Dartmouth
'
s webpage. Since its founding it has donated nearly $140,000.
In the past, the fund has awarded leave-term stipends for unpaid internships at news organizations including
Hearst Newspapers
,
The New York Times
, CongressNow,
Conde Nast
and
The Atlantic Monthly
, providing stipend recipients with front-row access to the world of journalism.
The Vox Fund has also allowed
The Dartmouth
to bring renowned journalists to Hanover to work alongside staff through the Editor-in-Residence program. Former Editors-in-Residence include long-time
Philadelphia Inquirer
reporter
George Anastasia
'69, former correspondent for NBC News
Robert Hager
'60, and
New York Times
reporter
Jacques Steinberg
'88.
The fund also sponsors reunions for alumni of
The Dartmouth
during each of the college's "big weekends". These events bring together staffers from throughout
The Dartmouth
'
s history, and allow staffers a chance to meet some of their predecessors.
Notable alumni
[
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]
Journalism
[
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]
- Geeta Anand
,
Pulitzer Prize
-winning journalist and author
- George Anastasia
, journalist and author focusing on organized crime
- Anne Bagamery,
International Herald Tribune
senior editor
- David Boldt,
Pulitzer Prize
-winning journalist and former editor of
The Philadelphia Inquirer
- Tim Burger, journalist
- Thomas Braden
, journalist and author of
Eight is Enough
- Francis Brown, former editor of
The New York Times Book Review
[12]
- Vincent Canby
, former chief film critic for
The New York Times
- Susan Dentzer
, editor-in-chief of
Health Affairs
- Dan Fagin
,
Pulitzer Prize
winning environmental journalist and
New York University
journalism professor
- Thomas Gerber, former editor of
The Concord Monitor
[13]
- Paul Gigot
,
Pulitzer Prize
-winning conservative political commentator and editor of
The Wall Street Journal
'
s editorial pages
- Jamie Heller, reporter and editor for
The Wall Street Journal
- David Herszenhorn, reporter for
The Washington Post
- Ralph Nading Hill
, writer and preservationist
- Richard Hovey
, author of
Dartmouth College
's
"Alma Mater"
- Jim Newton, journalist and author
- Mort Kondracke
, political commentator and journalist
- Eric Konigsberg, author, journalist and writer for
The New Yorker
- Bill Leonard
, television executive and former president of
CBS News
- Peter Prichard, journalist, former editor-in-chief of
USA Today
and current chairman of the
Newseum
- David Rosenbaum
, journalist for
The New York Times
- David Scherman
, photojournalist and editor
- David Shipler
, journalist and
Pulitzer Prize
-winning author of
Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Land
- Jacques Steinberg
, reporter for
The New York Times
- Jake Tapper
, journalist and current
CNN
anchor
- Howard Weinberg, documentary filmmaker, television journalist and professor at
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
- Christopher Wren, former foreign correspondent for
The New York Times
and editor at
Newsweek
and the
International Herald Tribune
- Felicia Schwartz,
Financial Times
reporter and former reporter for
The Wall Street Journal
Other media
[
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]
Business
[
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]
References
[
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]
- ^
O'Leary, Conlan (August 14, 2007).
"Obama stresses healthcare at Jesse's"
.
The Dartmouth
. Retrieved
January 18,
2017
.
- ^
Santo, JR (February 28, 2007).
"Biden campaign sets sights on Iraq"
.
The Dartmouth
. Retrieved
January 18,
2017
.
- ^
Tuesday, August 27, 1799, Vol 1, No 1 issue, printed below the masthead and motto.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Johnson, Christopher R. "The Dartmouth, America's Oldest College Newspaper: 1799-1999", thesis history of
The Dartmouth
. Chapter 1: "Origins of
The Dartmouth
"
- ^
Volume 1, No. 1 issue of the
Dartmouth Gazette
. Page 2.
- ^
a
b
1839 Volume, November Issue,
The Dartmouth
- ^
1840 Volume, No. 3,
The Dartmouth
- ^
Bound volumes of
The Dartmouth
from this period, some of which are stored in
The Dartmouth
'
s office suites in Robinson Hall.
- ^
September 18, 1913, issue of
The Dartmouth
- ^
a
b
Johnson, Christopher R. "
The Dartmouth
, America's Oldest College Newspaper: 1799-1999", thesis history of
The Dartmouth
. Chapter 3: "Incorporation"
- ^
"Filed Documents: THE DARTMOUTH, INC"
. New Hampshire Secretary of State: Corporation Division. Archived from
the original
on March 3, 2016
. Retrieved
January 18,
2017
.
- ^
[1]
Obituary: Francis Brown
- ^
[2]
Obituary: Thomas W. Gerber
External links
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]