175th Anniversary of Oberlin College and the City of Oberlin: 1833 - 2008

Oberlin Review

The Oberlin Review is among the nation’s longest publishing student newspapers. It also is one of the oldest student-run newspapers published by an Ohio college or university. The Miami Student at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, claims to be the oldest in Ohio, having begun publishing its twice-weekly paper in 1826. The Review joined the ranks of student-run newspapers years after Miami and Dartmouth College, which launched its student press, The Dartmouth, in 1799, arguably the nation’s oldest independent student-run college newspaper.

The Oberlin Review states it is the newspaper of record at Oberlin College. Founded in 1874, the press has rolled continuously for the last 130 years publishing “all information as accurately as possible.”

Because Oberlin has no journalism program, the Review is the training ground for aspiring journalists, and many former Review writers have worked for major newspapers, both nationally and internationally. Students who enjoy journalism in general and are majoring in the humanities (English, political science, history, creative writing, theater, art, among others subjects) often find ways to participate in the production of the paper. Some 1,100 Oberlin graduates currently work in journalism around the world. Prominent former Oberlin Review editors and staffers include Michael Duffy, '80, assistant managing editor of Time magazine; Beth Fouhy '83, national political reporter for the Associated Press; and Adam Moss, '79, editor-in-chief of New York magazine.

The Review staff includes student editors who oversee layout, art and graphic design, editorial, photography, sports, opinion and commentary, as well as an advertising manager, a business manager, production manager, an online editor and a distribution manager. The students meet in the basement of Burton Hall to produce the newspaper. It is printed by the Gazette Publishing Company in Bellevue, Ohio.

Headlines over the years have included pertinent issues of the day, ranging from changes in residential housing or academic course offerings to the hiring of the first woman president, student initiatives that led to changes in meals, campus security, town-gown relations, or more recently, reducing the College’s carbon footprint.

The Review has tackled broader national and world issues including wars, poverty, famine, United States foreign policy, voting and civil rights issues, the September 11, 2001, attacks on America, the devastation to New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina, among other issues.

At present, the Review reaches an estimated 3,500 readers. The newspaper publishes every Friday during the fall and spring semesters, except for holidays and examination periods. The tabloid-sized newspaper is available for free to the student body, faculty, staff, and residents. The newspaper also is available by subscription for $35 a year.

The widespread use of the Internet prompted staffers to make the publication available online. The staff launched the Oberlin Review online in 1996, available in HTML and as a PDF. Once printed, readers can download the publication by clicking the PDF icon on the Review web site.

Sources: The Oberlin Review online, Oberlin Alumni Magazine, Oberlin Online, and College Archives