Turn Left
Encyclopedia
Turn Left was an independent student-run publication at Cornell University
from 2000 to 2007. Calling itself "Cornell's Liberal Voice," Turn Left focused on political and humanitarian issues that it believed were underreported by other media outlets. It also participated in campus dialogs through debates and other events in collaboration with other student organizations.
In a controversial decision, Turn Left was renamed The Cornell Progressive in February 2007.
for the presidency over more liberal candidates such as independent Ralph Nader
. The publication itself did not endorse a candidate. TL notably avoided a hard line on such hot-button issues as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
.
Turn Left attracted much notice among Cornellians in the spring of 2005 for its scathing attack on the Cornell Daily Sun in response to what it considered poor reporting of major issues on campus, such as the 2005 Student Assembly elections scandal, and a dearth of quality opinion writing. TL also raised its profile with its efforts to expand coverage of local and campus issues, as well as its sometimes biting satire and extensive coverage of international events. Turn Left was the only publication at Cornell that consistently covered the genocide in the Darfur region
of Sudan
.
In 2005, Turn Left exposed a scandal involving alleged improprieties in the conduct of the leadership of The Cornell Democrats and the Cornell Student Assembly, both led at the time by Tim Lim '06. Lim later removed himself from the presidency of the Democrats in a cloud of controversy, and Cornell students launched a campaign to discredit the allegedly fraudulent March 2005 Student Assembly elections - both events influenced in large part by TL reporting and opinion.
In the Spring of 2007, co-editors Shai Akabas '09 and Ethan Felder '09 launched a successful but controversial campaign to change the name of the publication to The Cornell Progressive. The executive board voted 6-2 to amend the organization's constitution in March 2007.
In 2005, Turn Left began to bill itself as "Cornell's premier political newspaper," signaling its editors' belief that it eclipsed the once monolithic Cornell Review in terms of influence and quality.
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
from 2000 to 2007. Calling itself "Cornell's Liberal Voice," Turn Left focused on political and humanitarian issues that it believed were underreported by other media outlets. It also participated in campus dialogs through debates and other events in collaboration with other student organizations.
In a controversial decision, Turn Left was renamed The Cornell Progressive in February 2007.
History
Founded in 2000 by three engineering students to counter the domination of the independent campus press by the conservative Cornell Review, Turn Left became an influential source for political discussion and debate at Cornell. During the 2004 election, the Turn Left staff generally backed moderate Democrat John KerryJohn Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
for the presidency over more liberal candidates such as independent Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
. The publication itself did not endorse a candidate. TL notably avoided a hard line on such hot-button issues as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
.
Turn Left attracted much notice among Cornellians in the spring of 2005 for its scathing attack on the Cornell Daily Sun in response to what it considered poor reporting of major issues on campus, such as the 2005 Student Assembly elections scandal, and a dearth of quality opinion writing. TL also raised its profile with its efforts to expand coverage of local and campus issues, as well as its sometimes biting satire and extensive coverage of international events. Turn Left was the only publication at Cornell that consistently covered the genocide in the Darfur region
Darfur conflict
The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
of Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
.
In 2005, Turn Left exposed a scandal involving alleged improprieties in the conduct of the leadership of The Cornell Democrats and the Cornell Student Assembly, both led at the time by Tim Lim '06. Lim later removed himself from the presidency of the Democrats in a cloud of controversy, and Cornell students launched a campaign to discredit the allegedly fraudulent March 2005 Student Assembly elections - both events influenced in large part by TL reporting and opinion.
In the Spring of 2007, co-editors Shai Akabas '09 and Ethan Felder '09 launched a successful but controversial campaign to change the name of the publication to The Cornell Progressive. The executive board voted 6-2 to amend the organization's constitution in March 2007.
In 2005, Turn Left began to bill itself as "Cornell's premier political newspaper," signaling its editors' belief that it eclipsed the once monolithic Cornell Review in terms of influence and quality.
Milestones
- Turn Left premiered in a bounded magazineMagazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
format in time for Election 2000. All subsequent issues were in newsprintNewsprintNewsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper most commonly used to print newspapers, and other publications and advertising material. It usually has an off-white cast and distinctive feel. It is designed for use in printing presses that employ a long web of paper rather than individual sheets of...
.
- From 2005 to 2007, The Center for American ProgressCenter for American ProgressThe Center for American Progress is a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Its website states that the organization is "dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through progressive ideas and action." It has its headquarters in Washington D.C.Its President and Chief...
's campus outreach division, Campus ProgressCampus ProgressCampus Progress, launched in February 2005, is an American non-profit organization that promotes progressive political and social policy through support for student activists and journalists on college campuses in the United States...
, provided Turn Left with a substantial grant. Turn Left was also funded in part by Cornell's Student Assembly and ad revenue.