The Johns Hopkins News-Letter
Encyclopedia
The Johns Hopkins News-Letter is the independent student newspaper
of the Johns Hopkins University
in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. Published since 1896, it is one of the nation's oldest continuously published, weekly student-run college newspapers.
The News-Letter is published every Thursday in a full-color front and back page broadsheet
format, and has two sections: an A section and a B section. Its total circulation is approximately 5,200, including the local campuses of Johns Hopkins, area colleges and the greater Baltimore region.
Several times a year, The News-Letter distributes a magazine edition with 20- to 30-page tabloid-sized inserts, such as Best of Baltimore, Cover-Letter (introducing new students to the University), Housing Guide, Lacrosse Guide, and the Dining Guide.
The editorial
and business boards consist entirely of undergraduates. Members of the editorial staff are democratically elected to one-year terms, while members of the business board are hired by the editors-in-chief.
The News-Letter won an Associated Collegiate Press
Newspaper Pacemaker
award for four-year, non-daily college newspapers in 2007, and has won and been nominated for the Pacemaker in previous years.
The News-Letter is an affiliate of UWIRE, which distributes and promotes its content to their network.
prohibited the creation of any student publication without the board's written permission. Seven years later, James M. Thomson
1897 and Edgeworth Smith 1898 petitioned the Academic Council to allow publication of four trial issues of a fortnightly periodical to be called The Johns Hopkins News-Letter. Its aim, at a pricey 15 cents an issue, would be to report on local events and provide a forum for students who wished to publish opinion pieces. Eventually, and reluctantly, the board acquiesced, "provided that the plan be carried out in a manner satisfactory to the President."
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
of the Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. Published since 1896, it is one of the nation's oldest continuously published, weekly student-run college newspapers.
The News-Letter is published every Thursday in a full-color front and back page broadsheet
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
format, and has two sections: an A section and a B section. Its total circulation is approximately 5,200, including the local campuses of Johns Hopkins, area colleges and the greater Baltimore region.
Several times a year, The News-Letter distributes a magazine edition with 20- to 30-page tabloid-sized inserts, such as Best of Baltimore, Cover-Letter (introducing new students to the University), Housing Guide, Lacrosse Guide, and the Dining Guide.
The editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
and business boards consist entirely of undergraduates. Members of the editorial staff are democratically elected to one-year terms, while members of the business board are hired by the editors-in-chief.
The News-Letter won an Associated Collegiate Press
Associated Collegiate Press
The Associated Collegiate Press is the largest and oldest national membership organization for college student media in the United States. The ACP is a division of the National Scholastic Press Association...
Newspaper Pacemaker
National Pacemaker Awards
The National Pacemaker Awards are awards for excellence in American student journalism, given annually since 1927. The awards are generally considered to be the highest national honors in their field, and are unofficially known as the "Pulitzer Prizes of student journalism."The National Scholastic...
award for four-year, non-daily college newspapers in 2007, and has won and been nominated for the Pacemaker in previous years.
The News-Letter is an affiliate of UWIRE, which distributes and promotes its content to their network.
History
In 1889, when some believed the university would be better without a student newspaper of any kind, the board of trustees of Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
prohibited the creation of any student publication without the board's written permission. Seven years later, James M. Thomson
James M. Thomson
James McIlhany Thomson was an American newspaper publisher, best known for his long tenure as head of the New Orleans States-Item and his political role within the Democratic Party.-Early years:...
1897 and Edgeworth Smith 1898 petitioned the Academic Council to allow publication of four trial issues of a fortnightly periodical to be called The Johns Hopkins News-Letter. Its aim, at a pricey 15 cents an issue, would be to report on local events and provide a forum for students who wished to publish opinion pieces. Eventually, and reluctantly, the board acquiesced, "provided that the plan be carried out in a manner satisfactory to the President."
Notable News-Letter alumni
- Richard Ben CramerRichard Ben CramerRichard Ben Cramer is an American journalist and writer.-Biography:Cramer was raised in Rochester, New York and attended Johns Hopkins University earning a bachelor's degree in the Liberal Arts. He later went on to earn a masters degree in journalism at Columbia University...
, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for International ReportingPulitzer Prize for International ReportingThis Pulitzer Prize has been awarded since 1942 for a distinguished example of reporting on international affairs, including United Nations correspondence. In its first six years , it was called the Pulitzer Prize for Telegraphic Reporting - International...
in 1979 for reports from the Middle East, New York Times best-selling author - James M. ThomsonJames M. ThomsonJames McIlhany Thomson was an American newspaper publisher, best known for his long tenure as head of the New Orleans States-Item and his political role within the Democratic Party.-Early years:...
, publisher of the New Orleans States-Item, later to become the present-day Times-Picayune - Russell BakerRussell BakerRussell Wayne Baker is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning writer known for his satirical commentary and self-critical prose, as well as for his autobiography, Growing Up.-His career:...
, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and former host of Masterpiece Theater - Alger HissAlger HissAlger Hiss was an American lawyer, government official, author, and lecturer. He was involved in the establishment of the United Nations both as a U.S. State Department and U.N. official...
, U.S. State Department official accused of being a Soviet spy - Murray KemptonMurray KemptonJames Murray Kempton was an influential, Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist.-Biography:Kempton was born in Baltimore on December 16, 1917. His mother was Sally Ambler and his father was James Branson Kempton, a stock broker...
, noted American journalist - Sidney Offit, curator of the George Polk Award
- Helmut SonnenfeldtHelmut SonnenfeldtHelmut Sonnenfeldt is an American foreign policy expert.Born in 1926 in Berlin, Germany to Drs. Walther and Gertrud Sonnenfeldt, he spent his childhood in Gardelegen, Germany, where his parents had a family medical practice. In 1938, Sonnenfeldt was sent to Anna Essinger's Bunce Court School in...
, chairman of the Atlantic CouncilAtlantic CouncilThe Atlantic Council is a Washington, D.C. think tank and public policy group whose mission is to "promote constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting the international challenges of the 21st...
of the United States and a former aide to Henry KissingerHenry KissingerHeinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and... - Russ Smith, founder of the Baltimore City PaperBaltimore City PaperBaltimore City Paper is a free alternative weekly newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland, founded in 1977 by Russ Smith and Alan Hirsch. Current owner Times-Shamrock Communications purchased the paper in 1987...
and New York PressNew York PressNew York Press was a free alternative weekly in New York City, that was published from 1988 to 2011. During its lifetime, it was the main competitor to the Village Voice... - Sujata MasseySujata MasseySujata Massey is a mystery writer born 1964 in Sussex, England who emigrated with her family to the United States at the age of 5.She is best known for her series featuring Rei Shimura, a Californian born to a Japanese father and an American mother. Many of her novels are set in Japan and in...
, mystery writer - Caleb DeschanelCaleb DeschanelJoseph Caleb Deschanel, A.S.C. is an American film cinematographer and film/television director.-Early life:Deschanel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a French father and an American mother, who raised him in her Quaker religion. He went to Severn School for high school...
, cinematographerCinematographerA cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
and father of Zooey DeschanelZooey DeschanelZooey Claire Deschanel is an American actress, musician, and singer-songwriter. In 1999, Deschanel made her film debut in Mumford, followed by her breakout role as young protagonist William Miller's troubled older sister Anita in Cameron Crowe's 2000 semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous...
and Emily Deschanel - J.D. Considine, music critic and former Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
writer - James RosenJames RosenJames Rosen was a United States federal judge.Born in Brooklyn, New York, Rosen received an LL.B. from Newark Law School in 1930. He was in private practice in Union City, New Jersey from 1931 to 1959...
, Washington D.C. correspondent for Fox News - Mark HertsgaardMark HertsgaardMark Hertsgaard is an American journalist. His best-known work is On Bended Knee: The Press and the Reagan Presidency , which described the way the Reagan White House "deployed raw power and conventional wisdom to intimidate Washington's television newsrooms".In the 1990s, Hertsgaard's attention...
, independent journalist and environmental correspondent for The NationThe NationThe Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation... - Bruce DrakeBruce DrakeBruce Drake was a college men's basketball coach. The Gentry, Texas native was head coach at the University of Oklahoma between 1938 and 1955, compiling a 200-181 record. He also coached the Air Force team to a 34-14 record in 1956Prior to coaching, he was also a star for Hugh McDermott's Oklahoma...
, former Vice President of National Public Radio - Felix Posen, philanthropist and promoter of Humanistic JudaismHumanistic JudaismHumanistic Judaism is a movement in Judaism that offers a nontheistic alternative in contemporary Jewish life. It defines Judaism as the cultural and historical experience of the Jewish people and encourages humanistic and secular Jews to celebrate their Jewish identity by participating in Jewish...