The Instructional Independence of Daily Student Newspapers

Abstract

Journalism educators have spent decades debating which form of student newspaper-the curriculum-based laboratory paper or one independent of university or departmental control-best serves the interests of students, educators and future employers. While Ingelhart created criteria to differentiate between the two publishing forms,l such qualitative concerns have never been quantified; no previous research has determined the extent to which the characteristics of instructional independence are found in daily student newspapers across the country. Through a survey of advisers and business managers at the 101 student dailies nationally, using six Ingelhart criteria relating to educational supervision and instruction, this study considers the extent to which these campus newspapers are instructionally dependent on or independent of a university, both individually and collectively. An independence/dependence scale results. Without such information and definition, debates over the relative advantages of the two forms of teaching are reduced to qualitative judgments lacking a quantitative context. Defining independence. It is difficult to create a clear delineation between curriculum-based laboratory student newspapers and those that call themselves independent. While it is popular in journalism departments to claim that one's own student newspaper is independent from university control, Ingelhart and others have argued that most are not.2 Ingelhart listed 26 characteristics he said must be present for a student newspaper to be truly independent.3 Financial separation Nine of these called for a financial separation from the university: 1. The publication must be incorporated, but not as a non-profit, educational corporation. 2. The publication cannot receive student fee funds. 3. The publication cannot receive college or university fund allocations, directly or indirectly. 4. The publication cannot use campus facilities or space. 5. The university cannot pay debts or delay bankruptcy of the publication. 6. The publication cannot be accorded preferential distribution or sales arrangements by the university. 7. The newspaper cannot qualify for a second-class educational mailing permit. 8. The newspaper cannot publish a page of university notices disguised as advertising since such a practice is really subsidization. 9. The newspaper cannot receive mail through the university mail system. Instructional process Seven of Ingelhart's criteria spoke to the instructional process: 10. The publication cannot have a university adviser. 11. The publication cannot have any relationship to any instructional program. 12. Membership on the staff of the publication cannot be limited to or specify student status. 13. The university cannot provide placement assistance to newspaper student staff on the basis of learning done on the staff of the publication, nor can it grant course credits for work on the staff not awarded in a similar manner for work on commercial publications. Nor can it require enrollment in university courses. 14. The university cannot specify required grade point averages for student eligibility to be on the staff. 15. The university cannot participate in the selection or dismissal of staff members-nor can it take disciplinary action against staff members. 16. No effort, overt or covert, can ever be made by any university person or agency to affect the content of the publication. Organizational concerns Ten had elements of both financial and instructional concerns: 17. The publication cannot enter into any publishing agreements with the university. 18. The university cannot supply technical assistance or advice. 19. No university or college staff person can be on the board of directors of the publications. 20. There can be no stipulations of any kind in the incorporation charter which in any way relate the publication to the university or college. …