Oregon Daily Emerald
Encyclopedia
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published at the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The paper, which has been published for more than 100 years, has trained many now-prominent writers and journalists and has made important contributions to journalism case law.
Publishing
The Oregon Daily Emerald is published daily Monday through Friday during the school year and Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the summer by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc. The Emerald operates independently of the University with offices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union.History
State v. Buchanan
On May 24, 1966 the Emerald ran a story, "Students Condone Marijuana Use," by author Annette Buchanan, which included seven unnamed sources discussing their drug use. The interviews were granted under the condition that the sources’ names would not be revealed. After reading Buchanan's story, local law enforcement officials convened a grand jury investigation into the illegal use of drugs.On June 1, 1966, the Lane County
Lane County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge *Siuslaw National Forest *Umpqua National Forest *Willamette National Forest -Government:...
District Attorney subpoenas Buchanan, requesting names of sources. Buchanan refused and was fined $300 for contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
. The case went through the court system until the Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
dismissed Buchanan's claim that the Oregon Constitution
Oregon Constitution
The Oregon Constitution is the governing document of the U.S. state of Oregon, originally enacted in 1857. As amended the current state constitution contains eighteen sections, beginning with a bill of rights. This contains most of the rights and privileges granted in the United States Bill of...
protected her. In 1968 the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
refused to grant certiorari
Procedures of the Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the only court specifically established by the Constitution of the United States, implemented in 1789.This article is concerned with the process and procedures used by the modern court...
.
Subsequently, the Oregon Legislative Assembly
Oregon Legislative Assembly
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the House of Representatives, with 60 members elected to...
passed a journalistic shield law
Shield law
A shield law or reporters' privilege is legislation designed to provide a news reporter with the right to refuse to testify as to information and/or sources of information obtained during the news gathering and dissemination process.-Definition:...
.(ORS 44.510 through 44.540 The Oregon Shield Law provides extensive protection for all members of the news and information media. The statute provides absolute protection from compelled disclosure of both sources and all information obtained by journalists in the course of their work. It is not clear whether the journalist must have promised confidentiality for the source of information to be covered by the law. The only exceptions to the Oregon statute exist where: (1) there is probable cause to believe that the journalist has or is about to commit a crime or (2) where the defendant in a defamation suit has asserted a defense based on the content or source of the information.
Emerald independence
The newspaper became independent on July 1, 1971, completing a process initiated by 1969-70 editor-in-chief Paul BrainerdPaul Brainerd
Paul Brainerd is a pioneer in the field of computer-aided editing, design and publishing. Born in Medford, Oregon, to Phil and VerNatta Brainerd, Paul Brainerd attended the University of Oregon where he was the editor for the school's paper, the Oregon Daily Emerald...
and 1970-71 editor Grattan Kerans
Grattan Kerans
Grattan Kerans is an American politician from Oregon. He was a member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly in the House of Representatives from 1974 through 1984, and in the Oregon State Senate from 1986 to 1993. He held the position of Speaker of the House during the 1983 legislative...
but not finished until June 29, 1971. On that date, University President Robert Clark and Kerans signed documents creating the Oregon Daily Emerald board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
.
Brainerd has said he was spurred to examine the issue of independence after an incident at the University of Washington.
"Anti-war protests were occurring throughout the U.S. and on the UO campus," he said. As a result of coverage decisions, an editor at the University of Washington was removed from office by the school's administration. In the legal challenge to the case, administrators argued that they were legally responsible for the student newspaper.
Court precedents said student newspapers had free speech, Brainerd said, but the social atmosphere of the 1960s led to a change in the line drawn between student newspapers and the administration. The current administration was supportive of the change because they wanted to avoid situations such as that at the University of Washington, Brainerd said.
The new board adopted a resolution to establish the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Company Inc. on June 29, 1971. This step made the newspaper independent as of July 1 that year. A headline on an editorial that day declares, "We're on our own."
Another catalyst for the change was cited by then-Editor Art Bushnell in the July 1 issue of the paper. "The reasons for going independent are primarily economic," he says in the article.
"In the past, the Emerald was unable to accumulate whatever profits might exist at the end of the fiscal year. Instead, those monies reverted back to the University. Now, we will be able to accumulate monies. We will have a growth potential that did not exist before."
The main result, according to the article, would be the ability to purchase and update equipment and the ability to avoid potential control of the newspaper by any group, "from the State Board of Higher Education to the University administration to student government."
The final step toward independence according to the agreement signed by Keran and Robinson was taken October 26, 1971, when the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Company Inc. was incorporated under the provisions of the Oregon Nonprofit Corporation Act.
Soon after independence was finalized, the Emerald took further steps to separate itself from the University. In 1974, the offices moved from Allen Hall to its present offices in the EMU, and the corporation began paying rent for the space and financing all other services that had been provided by the University.
Students still pay a subscription fee through the incidental fee, but the paper is otherwise financially separated from the University.
Newsroom strike
On March 3, 2009, following a management dispute between student staffers and the paper's Board of DirectorsBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
, newsroom
Newsroom
A newsroom is the place where journalists—reporters, editors, and producers, along with other staffers—work to gather news to be published in a newspaper or magazine or broadcast on television, cable or radio...
members at the Oregon Daily Emerald decided to strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
, citing board actions as threatening to the independence of the Emerald. They issued four demands to the board at its scheduled executive session on March 3, and printed an editorial in the paper the following day that also contained the requests. The demands were as follows:
- Immediately rescind the offer to Steven A. Smith to serve as interim publisher April 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010.
- Conduct a nationwide search for a publisher, as originally voted at the February 10 board meeting.
- Stipulate in the chosen publisher's contract that he or she shall not be employed in any capacity by the University, including at the School of Journalism and Communication.
- Stipulate in the chosen publisher's contract that he or she shall not have immediate supervisory control over the editor; rather, the publisher and student editor shall remain equals in the organization, as the general manager and student editor currently are.
On March 4, 2009, Steven Smith announced his intention to "withdraw from the fray" following notification of the student strike. The Board of Directors later stated their intention to conduct a nationwide search. The Oregon Daily Emerald published a newspaper on the morning of March 5, 2009, without the contributions of the newsroom staff. A flurry of media coverage on the strike ensued throughout the day. Following statements of support for the strikers by the UO student government
Associated Students of the University of Oregon
The Associated Students of the University of Oregon is the student government at the University of Oregon . It is a non-profit organization funded by the university. Its purpose is to promote the social, cultural, educational and physical development of its members, and to advance both individual...
, community members and other student publications around the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Board of Directors and the newsroom staff agreed to engage in a mediation process the following week to fully resolve the situation. The newsroom staff agreed to end the strike and resume publishing the newspaper on March 9, 2009.
Notable editors
- Richard L. NeubergerRichard L. NeubergerRichard Lewis Neuberger was a U.S. journalist, author, and politician during the middle of the 20th century. A native of Oregon, he would write for The New York Times before and after a stint in the United States Army during World War II...
1932-33, journalist, author, and Senator - Paul BrainerdPaul BrainerdPaul Brainerd is a pioneer in the field of computer-aided editing, design and publishing. Born in Medford, Oregon, to Phil and VerNatta Brainerd, Paul Brainerd attended the University of Oregon where he was the editor for the school's paper, the Oregon Daily Emerald...
1969-70, Pagemaker and desktop publishingDesktop publishingDesktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
creator, AldusAldusAldus Corporation, named after the 15th-century Venetian printer Aldus Manutius, was the inventor of the groundbreaking PageMaker software, a program that is generally credited with creating the desktop publishing field. The company was founded by Jeremy Jaech, Mark Sundstrom, Mike Templeman,...
founder - Grattan KeransGrattan KeransGrattan Kerans is an American politician from Oregon. He was a member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly in the House of Representatives from 1974 through 1984, and in the Oregon State Senate from 1986 to 1993. He held the position of Speaker of the House during the 1983 legislative...
1970-71
Notable alumni
- Phil KnightPhil KnightPhilip Hampson "Phil" Knight is an American business magnate. He is the co-founder and Chairman of Nike, Inc. He resigned as the company's chief executive officer in 2004, while retaining the position of chairman of the board...
, NikeNike, Inc.Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
founder - Randy ShiltsRandy ShiltsRandy Shilts was a pioneering gay American journalist and author. He worked as a freelance reporter for both The Advocate and the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as for San Francisco Bay Area television stations....
, Author And the Band Played OnAnd the Band Played OnAnd the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic is a nonfiction book written by San Francisco Chronicle journalist Randy Shilts, published in 1987...
External links
- Oregon Daily Emerald (official website)