The Chicago Maroon
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''The Chicago Maroon'', the independent student
newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
of the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
, is a biweekly publication founded in 1892. During the academic year, ''The Maroon'' publishes every other Wednesday. The paper consists of seven sections: news, opinion ("Viewpoints"), arts, sports, Grey City, podcasts, and games. In September, it publishes its annual Orientation Issue (O-Issue) for entering first-year students, including sections on the University and the city of Chicago.


About ''The Maroon''

Any student at the University of Chicago can contribute to the newspaper, and many go through training and complete a series of requirements to join ''The Maroon'' as a staff member. Although the requirements have changed over time, the process of joining staff has traditionally been called "hustling." The editorial board explained in 1903 that when the newspaper changed from a weekly to a daily, many more students were needed to produce the paper, so they "hustled" (meaning both "to sell or promote energetically and aggressively" and "to convey forcibly or hurriedly") new writers and editors from the student body. The executive board of ''The Maroon'' is composed of its editor(s)-in-chief and managing editor(s), which are elected in the winter by voting-eligible members of the newspaper's staff. There are roughly 20 editors that control the content and production of the different sections. Unsigned opinion articles are written by the ''Maroon''
Editorial Board The editorial board is a group of editors, writers, and other people who are charged with implementing a publication's approach to editorials and other opinion pieces. The editorials published normally represent the views or goals of the publicat ...
, which consists of editors of the paper. In addition to the editorial and journalistic staff, ''The Maroon'' also has a group of students running its business operations, led by a
chief financial officer A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, ...
. In turn, the ''Maroon'' Business Team is composed of the
development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped * Photographic development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting * Development hell, when a proje ...
,
marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...
, operations and
strategy Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "troop leadership; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the " a ...
teams. The ''Maroon'' Advisory Board consists of a handful of University of Chicago faculty members and administrators that meet quarterly to review the newspaper's finances. ''The Chicago Maroon'' is financially and editorially independent from the university. Over its history ''The Maroon'' served as publisher of other independent papers at the University of Chicago, including the ''Grey City Journal'', a weekly journal of arts and culture which featured some of the first cultural criticism by Thomas Frank, the ''Chicago Literary Review'', a quarterly showcase for poetry and short fiction, and ''The Fourth Estate'', the "Conservative Brother Publication of ''The Chicago Maroon''." Currently, ''The Maroon'' publishes every other Wednesday. It formerly printed ''Grey City,'' its twice-quarterly long-form supplement to the paper, but this is now a section fully integrated into the main paper.


History

''The Chicago Maroon'' has gone through many variations and formats, but considers 1892 to be the year of its establishment. It remains the only student organization at the University of Chicago that can trace its history to the first day the University of Chicago opened its doors to students.


''The University of Chicago Weekly''

A report on the history of ''The Maroon'' compiled for its centennial celebration begins, "When the U of C opened in October 1892, students were already on campus selling the ''U of C Weekly''," which was the parent publication of the ''Maroon'' in its current form. ''The Weekly'' was established by two graduate students, Emory Forster and Jack Durno, and served as a student-run news and literary publication, even though it was owned by a local businessman. Several publications were attempted in the first decade of the university's operation, but ''The Weekly'' was the only one that managed to stay afloat. The first of these abortive efforts was ''The Maroon'', a daily paper published from October 17, 1892, to April 19, 1893. The next attempt was a thrice-weekly newspaper, also called ''The Maroon'', which published from May 15, 1895, to March 20, 1896. The last was another daily, this time called ''The Daily Maroon'', whose founding was plagued with difficulties: Days after its first printing on May 7, 1900, the Faculty Board of Student Organizations suspended the publication because "the editors were duped into printing a supposed scandal." After another failed effort later that spring, ''The Daily Maroon'' died for a second and final time. According to one ''Weekly'' editor, "its contents filled the space of about 16 to 24 pages and included articles about the old University, the faculty members, future plans, athletics, various student activities, and so-called verse." Although it was the largest paper available to students, and the only one that was financially successful, its editors believed that the university – which was quickly developing into a premier institution – was in need of a stable daily newspaper.


''The Daily Maroon''

Herbert Fleming (A.B. 1902) and Byron Moon, ''The Weekly''s managing editor and owner/publisher respectively, proposed to university President
William Rainey Harper William Rainey Harper (July 24, 1856 – January 10, 1906) was an American academic leader, an accomplished semiticist, and Baptist clergyman. Harper helped to establish both the University of Chicago and Bradley University and served as the i ...
a merger between ''The Weekly'' and ''The Daily Maroon''. Harper accepted the proposal, with the condition that the paper would be financially autonomous from the university. Moon and Fleming, along with eight others, were appointed by the Board of Student Organizations to the Board of Control. Together, they persuaded the Alumni Association to front the necessary funds to start publishing, with the proposal that the paper should be owned by the entire student body. The 10 members of the Board of Control assumed all other financial responsibility for the paper's first year, with profits or losses being divided equally. ''The Weekly'' stopped printing the same day ''The Daily Maroon'' started, choosing to "close its career on October 1, 1902, to make room for its successors." During its first decade, ''The Daily Maroon'' focused on raising student enthusiasm for sports teams, and served as a bulletin board and calendar for social activities. Headlines consistently trumpeted the "Monsters of the Midway's" upcoming games, reviewed old ones, and printed new sports cheers and poems honoring the university. In 1906, when the university won the national college football championship, ''The Daily Maroon'' joined the festivities by printing the story in maroon and black. That year, the paper began printing in the morning, instead of afternoon, so students and faculty could read it during breakfast.


''The Maroon''

During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, printing a daily newspaper became infeasible because of both staff writers leaving the university to fight and decreased financial support during hard times. ''The Daily Maroon'' was changed to a weekly format, called ''The Maroon'', in 1942. The inaugural issue began with an editorial by Phil Rieff, the editor-in-chief: "And so we go to Press. Smaller. Fewer. The ''Maroon'' is not what it used to be. But that is nothing to be sad about. We are sad because the ''Maroon'' is not what it should be. We had intended to publish twice a week. We had hopes of making the ''Maroon'' a significant organ of University opinion. We had even had gone so far as to contact certain faculty men and arrange for vital articles on contemporary issues. If we could serve the University, as a stimulus, a guide, an organ of critical thought during these critical times... That was our aim." During these years, ''The Maroon'' was composed mainly of women, men too young to serve in the forces, and older men who were exempt from military service. The most notable change in the paper's appearance after the war was that it did not return to a daily, but printed Tuesdays and Fridays, which it continues to do. Its prewar structure, based on downtown Chicago newspapers, was not restored, and classes became the top priority for most staff members. ''The Maroon'' also revised its distribution during that time. When it first appeared in 1902, it cost two cents an issue to defray the costs of printing. The price gradually increased to 5 cents by the 1940s. On June 27, 1947, ''The Maroon'' was distributed free of charge "in order to assure the widest possible distribution." Increased ad revenue and financial support from the administration helped offset the losses from becoming non-subscription-based. In 1957, the paper also moved to Ida Noyes Hall, its current location, from Lexington Hall, which is no longer standing. When
David Broder David Salzer Broder (September 11, 1929 – March 9, 2011) was an American journalist, writing for ''The Washington Post'' for over 40 years. He was also an author, television news show pundit, and university lecturer. For more than half a cen ...
was elected editor-in-chief in 1948, he put ''The Maroon'' on the path to recovery by publishing a daily bulletin on days the newspaper didn't print and increased circulation from 3,000 to 22,000. ''The Maroon'' became more political over the following decades, prompting the dean of students to force the removal of editor-in-chief Alan Kimmel in 1951 and hold a university-wide election for the position. The newspaper continued to be highly political in the 1960s, and was even considered militant. During a campus sit-in after the firing of a radical sociology professor, Marlene Dixon, in 1968, ''The Maroon'' published daily and editors met with University President Edward Levi in his house while his office was being occupied by students. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, ''The Maroon'' focused printing a neutral newspaper with political sister publications. ''Grey City Journal'', which was subsequently the newspaper's quarterly magazine, espoused liberal politics, opinion, and criticism. After gaining significant criticism, editor
John Scalzi John Michael Scalzi II (born May 10, 1969) is an American science fiction author and former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his ''Old Man's War'' series, three novels of which have been n ...
decided to create a conservative brother publication, ''The Fourth Estate'', to balance the paper ideologically. With these weekly sections, the paper grew to its largest size, but because the publications did not bring in their own ad revenue, ''The Maroon'' dropped them in the 1990s. During the 21st century, ''The Maroon'' has gone through several redesigns in print and online to improve the layout and create a more modern appeal.


Awards

In 2007 and 2009, ''The Maroon'' won a National Pacemaker Award, the Associated Collegiate Press' highest honor. Staff writers at ''The Maroon'' win a number of awards annually from the Illinois College Press Association.


Notable alumni

The University of Chicago has produced a number of notable journalists and writers, many of whom were ''Chicago Maroon'' staffers. *
David Auburn David Auburn (born November 30, 1969) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and theatre director. He is best known for his 2000 play ''Proof'', which won the 2001 Tony Award for Best Play and Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He also wrote the scree ...
(A.B. 1991) Pulitzer prize and Tony award-winning playwright of ''
Proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a co ...
'' * David Axelrod (A.B. 1977) Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama and Obama's chief strategist * Jim Barnett (A.B. 1949) Professional wrestling promoter * David Brooks (A.B. 1983) Op-Ed Columnist for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''; senior editor of ''
The Weekly Standard ''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis, and commentary that was published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' was described as a ...
''; regular commentator on '' The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer'' *
David S. Broder David Salzer Broder (September 11, 1929 – March 9, 2011) was an American journalist, writing for ''The Washington Post'' for over 40 years. He was also an author, television news show pundit, and university lecturer. For more than half a ce ...
(A.B. 1947, A.M. 1951) Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, wrote a syndicated column for ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
''. * Daniel Hertzberg (A.B. 1968) Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and Managing Editor for ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' *
Ana Marie Cox Ana Marie Cox (born September 23, 1972) is a liberal American author, blogger, political columnist, and critic. The founding editor of the political blog '' Wonkette'', she was also the Senior Political Correspondent for MTV News, and conducted t ...
(A.B. 1994) Editor of
Wonkette ''Wonkette'' is an American online magazine of topical and political gossip, established in 2004 by Gawker Media and founding editor Ana Marie Cox. The editor since 2012 is Rebecca Schoenkopf, formerly of '' OC Weekly''. ''Wonkette'' covers U. ...
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* Thomas Frank (A.M. 1989, Ph.D. 1994) Editor-in-chief of '' The Baffler''; author of ''The Conquest of Cool'' (1997) and ''What's the Matter with Kansas?'' (2004) *
Seymour Hersh Seymour Myron Hersh (born April 8, 1937) is an American investigative journalist and political writer. He gained recognition in 1969 for exposing the My Lai massacre and its cover-up during the Vietnam War, for which he received the 1970 Pulitzer ...
(A.B. 1958) Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalist and frequent writer for ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' *
Nathan Hare Nathaniel Hare (April 9, 1933 – June 10, 2024) was an American sociologist, activist, academic, and psychologist. In 1968 he was the first person hired to coordinate a Black studies program in the United States. He established the program at S ...
(A.M. 1957, Ph.D. 1962) Author, activist, and sociologist; founding publisher of ''The Black Scholar'', later cited as, "the most important journal devoted to black issues since the ''Crisis''," by ''The New York Times'' * Sarah Langs (A.B. 2015) Researcher and podcaster for MLB.com, formerly of
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
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NBC Sports Chicago NBC Sports Chicago (formerly Comcast SportsNet Chicago) was an American regional sports network that broadcast regional coverage of professional sports teams in the Chicago Chicago metropolitan area, metropolitan area, as well as college sports ...
* Erin McKean (A.B. 1993)
Lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary, dictionaries. * The ...
Principal Editor of '' The New Oxford American Dictionary'', second edition., novelist, and founder of Wordnik.com * John G. Morris (A.B. 1937) Internationally known Picture Editor for ''
Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
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Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine that ran until 2016 and was last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th centur ...
'', '' Magnum'', ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', and ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. * Greg Palast (A.B. 1974, M.B.A. 1976) Progressive investigative journalist * Andrew Patner (X' 1980) Music and arts critic for the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
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* John Podhoretz (A.B. 1982) Conservative commentator for ''
National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief is Rich L ...
'', ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
'', ''
The Weekly Standard ''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis, and commentary that was published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' was described as a ...
'', inter alia; son of Norman Podhoretz * David Satter Moscow correspondent for the ''London Financial Times'', Author of ''Age of Delirium: the Decline and Fall of the Soviet Union'' and ''Darkness at Dawn: the Rise of the Russian Criminal State'' * Joshua Cooper Ramo (A.B. 1992) Foreign Editor of ''
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'' magazine, Author ''No Visible Horizon'', ''Beijing Consensus'', Managing Director Kissinger Associates *
John Scalzi John Michael Scalzi II (born May 10, 1969) is an American science fiction author and former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his ''Old Man's War'' series, three novels of which have been n ...
(A.B. 1991) Hugo award-winning writer, blogger and novelist ('' Old Man's War'') *
Nate Silver Nathaniel Read Silver (born January 13, 1978) is an American statistician, political analyst, author, sports gambler, and poker player who Sabermetrics, analyzes baseball, basketball and Psephology, elections. He is the founder of ''FiveThirty ...
(A.B. 2000) Author-editor of
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*
Robert B. Silvers Robert Benjamin Silvers (December 31, 1929 – March 20, 2017) was an American editor who served as editor of ''The New York Review of Books'' from 1963 to 2017. Raised on Long Island, New York, Silvers graduated from the University of Chicag ...
(A.B. 1947) Co-founding Editor of ''
The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of ...
'' * Brent Staples (A.M. 1976, Ph.D. 1982) Editorial writer for ''The New York Times'' (1990–present); winner of the Anisfield Wolff Book Award for his memoir ''Parallel Time: Growing Up in Black and White'' (1994) *
John Paul Stevens John Paul Stevens (April 20, 1920 – July 16, 2019) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1975 to 2010. At the time of his retirement, he was the second-oldes ...
(A.B. 1941) Third longest serving Justice on the Supreme Court, from 1975 to 2010 * Ray Suarez (A.M. 1993) Senior Correspondent on
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news program '' The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer'' * Kinsey Wilson (A.B. 1979) Founder of Newspack, Former President of
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, Former Executive Editor of ''
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(A.B. 1998) Author


References


External links


''The Chicago Maroon'' web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chicago Maroon University of Chicago Student newspapers published in Illinois
Maroon Maroon ( , ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word , meaning chestnut. ''Marron'' is also one of the French translations for "brown". Terms describing interchangeable shades, with overlapping RGB ranges, inc ...
Newspapers established in 1892 1892 establishments in Illinois