''The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc.'' is the independent student media organization of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. The DP, Inc. publishes ''The Daily Pennsylvanian'' newspaper, ''34th Street'' magazine, and ''Under the Button'' satirical publication'','' as well as four newsletters: Daybreak, The Toast, Quaker Nation, and Penn, Unbuttoned. The Daily Pennsylvanian is published in print once per week when the university is in session, by a staff of more than 400 students. Content is also published online on a daily basis. ''

34th Street Magazine ''The Daily Pennsylvanian, Inc.'' is the independent student media organization of the University of Pennsylvania. The DP, Inc. publishes ''The Daily Pennsylvanian'' newspaper, ''34th Street'' magazine, and ''Under the Button'' satirical pu ...

'', an arts and culture magazine, which is published once a month in print, and '' Under the Button'', a satirical publication, also regularly publish content online. The organization operates three principal websites: thedp.com, 34st.com, and underthebutton.com. It has received various collegiate journalism awards.

History

''The Daily Pennsylvanian'' was founded in 1885 as a successor to the ''University Magazine'', a publication by the Philomathean Society. The newspaper has been published daily since 1894, except for a hiatus from May 1943 to November 1945 on account of

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 ...

. The ''DP'' broke away from the university in 1962 to become an independent publication, incorporating in 1984 to solidify its financial and

editorial independence An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK), is an article or any other written document, often unsigned, written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper or magazine, that expresses the publication's opinion about ...

from the university. Also in 1962 the previously all-male daily began to accept female students. Among the early few women were Mary Selman Hadar, formerly an editor at ''

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 ...

''; Clara Bargellini, a retired professor of Mexican art at the

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...

; and Susan Nagler Perloff, a retired Philadelphia freelance writer. Today the newspaper's budget is funded primarily through the sale of advertising by professional and student staff.

Description

The ''DP'' is sometimes called Penn's "unofficial journalism department," because the university has no journalism department (though it does have the Annenberg School for Communication), and because many of its staff members go on to pursue careers in the print, broadcast, and digital media. ''DP'' alumni can be found at a number of major daily newspapers and national magazines, including ''

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 ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'', the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'', ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', ''

Politico ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

'', and ''

Business Week ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'' (and before that ''Business Week'' and ''The Business Week''), is an American monthly business magazine published 12 times a year. The magazine debuted in New York City in Septembe ...

''.

Awards

In 2008, the DP was awarded the

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, lette ...

' National Mark of Excellence Award. In the same year, the paper won the Spring 2008 Columbia Gold Crown, awarded to eight college newspapers nationwide. It received first place in the Associated Collegiate Press's Kansas City Convention Best of Show Competition in 2008. The DP won the

Pacemaker A pacemaker, also known as an artificial cardiac pacemaker, is an implanted medical device that generates electrical pulses delivered by electrodes to one or more of the chambers of the heart. Each pulse causes the targeted chamber(s) to co ...

, awarded by the Associated Collegiate Press and the

Newspaper Association of America A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written 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 politics, business, sports, ar ...

Foundation in 1990, 1997, 1998, 2000-2004, 2007, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2024. It was ranked as the "most read" college newspaper by ''

The Princeton Review The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981, and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4, ...

'' in 1990, 1997, 1998, and 2001. In 2006, College Publisher awarded the ''DP'' first place in the category of Best Online Sports Coverage and, in 2008, it was awarded an online Gold Crown for thedp.com.

Notable former staff members

* George Wharton Pepper 1887 (''DP'' Editor-in-Chief), U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania *Josiah Penniman 1890 (DP Editor-in-Chief), Provost of the University of Pennsylvania * Owen Roberts 1895 (DP Editor-in-Chief), associate justice,

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

* Josiah McCracken 1900 (DP Associate Editor), physician; silver and bronze medalist,

1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 14 May to 28 October 1900. No opening or closin ...

*Wilson Hobson Jr. '24 (DP Editorial Board), bronze medalist,

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932, in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held du ...

* John Haines Ware III '30 (DP staff), U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania *

Charles Addams Charles Samuel Addams (January 7, 1912 – September 29, 1988) was an American cartoonist known for his darkly humorous and macabre characters. Some of his recurring characters became known as the Addams Family, and were subsequently populari ...

'33 (DP staff), cartoonist * Robert Elegant '46, journalist known for his coverage of the Korean and Vietnam Wars *

Leonard Lauder Leonard Alan Lauder (March 19, 1933 – June 14, 2025) was an American billionaire, philanthropist, and art collector. Together, he and his brother, Ronald Lauder, were the sole heirs to The Estée Lauder Companies cosmetics fortune, founded by ...

'54 (DP staff), chairman and CEO, Estée Lauder Companies *Frank Dolson, '54,

Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

sports writer * Gaeton Fonzi, '57, reporter and editor for Philadelphia Magazine * Michael Stuart Brown '62 (DP Editor-in-Chief), geneticist and physician; 1985

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine () is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, acco ...

* Claudia Cohen '62 (DP Exec. Editor), gossip columnist, socialite, and television reporter *Richard Fisher '63 (DP Exec. Editor), New York real estate developer * Dan Rottenberg '64 (DP sports editor), journalist, editor and author of 10 books * Lee Eisenberg (author), '68 (DP reporter), editor, ''Esquire'' magazine * Arnold Eisen '73 (DP reporter), chancellor, Jewish Theological Seminary * Maurice Obstfeld '73 (DP Editor-in-Chief), chief economist, International Monetary Fund * Benjamin Ginsberg '74 (DP Editor-in-Chief), partner,

Patton Boggs Squire Patton Boggs is an international law firm with over 40 offices in 20 countries. It was formed in 2014 by the merger of multinational law firm Squire Sanders with Washington, D.C.–based Patton Boggs. It is one of the largest law firms in ...

* Buzz Bissinger '76 (DP Editorial Page Editor), author, '' Friday Night Lights''; 1987

Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting Pulitzer may refer to: *Joseph Pulitzer, a 19th century media magnate *Pulitzer Prize, an annual U.S. journalism, literary, and music award *Pulitzer (surname) * Pulitzer, Inc., a U.S. newspaper chain *Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-pro ...

* David A. Gross '76, (DP staff) U.S. ambassador * Erik Larson '76, (DP staff) author, ''

The Devil in the White City ''The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America'' is a 2003 historical non-fiction book by Erik Larson presented in a novelistic style. Set in Chicago during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, it ...

'' *Steve Stecklow '76 (DP reporter/columnist), global investigative reporter, ''

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

''; 2019 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting 2007

Pulitzer Prize for Public Service The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service is one of the fourteen American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for journalism. It recognizes a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journali ...

* Lisa Scottoline '77 (DP Photo Editor), author of

legal thriller The legal thriller genre is a type of crime fiction genre that focuses on the proceedings of the Criminal investigation, investigation, with particular reference to the impacts on courtroom proceedings and the lives of characters. The genre came ...

s *Dave Lieber '79 (DP columnist), columnist, ''The Dallas Morning News'' *Richard Stevenson '81 (DP Exec. Editor), Washington editor, ''The New York Times'' * Ken Rosenthal '84 (DP Sports Writer), sportswriter, reporter, and sportscaster for ''

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...

'' *

Frank Luntz Frank Ian Luntz (born February 23, 1962) is an American political and communications consultant and pollster, best known for developing talking points and other messaging for Republican causes. His work has included assistance with messaging ...

'84, opinion columnist * Stefan Fatsis '85, former ''Wall Street Journal'' reporter; author, '' Word Freak'' * Jean Chatzky '86, financial editor, TODAY Show * Jeffrey Goldberg '87 (DP Exec. Editor), Editor-in-Chief, ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

''; 2003 National Magazine Award * Gene Sperling '87 (DP columnist), former director,

United States National Economic Council The National Economic Council (NEC) is the principal forum used by the president of the United States for the consideration of domestic and international economic policy matters with senior policymaking and Cabinet officials, and forms part of ...

Alan Schwarz Alan Schwarz (born July 3, 1968) is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer and author, formerly at ''The New York Times'', best known for writing more than 100 articles that exposed the National Football League's cover-up of concussions and brought the ...

'90, reporter for ''

'' * Cenk Uygur '92 (DP columnist), host of '' TheYoungTurks'' * Harold Ford Jr. '92 (DP columnist), U.S. Representative from Tennessee * Helen Gym '93 (34th Street Editor), Philadelphia City Council * Matt Selman '93 (34th Street Editor-in-Chief), producer, ''The Simpsons'' * Stephen Glass '94 (DP Exec. Editor), disgraced former '' New Republic'' writer *

Josh Tyrangiel Josh Tyrangiel is an American journalist. He was previously the deputy managing editor of ''TIME'' magazine and an editor at ''Bloomberg Businessweek''.Stephanie Clifford (November 17, 2009"Josh Tyrangiel Named Editor of BusinessWeek"/ref> In Ju ...

'94 (34th Street Editor), editor, ''Bloomberg Businessweek'' * Gab Marcotti' 95, sports journalist,

ESPN FC ESPN FC (formerly ESPN SoccerNet) is a website and a U.S. television studio program covering soccer that is broadcast daily over the streaming service ESPN+. ESPN FC's origin was a website owned by ESPN Inc. Originally established in 1995 as Soc ...

Charles Ornstein Charles Ornstein is an American journalist. He is currently a managing editor at ProPublica, overseeing the organization's local initiatives. His past reporting has focused on health care issues, including medical quality, the United States Departm ...

'96 (DP Exec. Editor), senior reporter,

ProPublica ProPublica (), legally Pro Publica, Inc., is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization based in New York City. ProPublica's investigations are conducted by its staff of full-time reporters, and the resulting stories are distributed to ne ...

; 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service * Josh Heald '00 (34th Street Editor-in-Chief), writer and producer, Hot Tub Time Machine and

Cobra Kai ''Cobra Kai'' is an American Martial arts film, martial arts comedy drama television series created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, and distributed by Sony Pictures Television. It serves as a sequel to the first three ''The K ...

* Binyamin Appelbaum '01 (DP Exec. Editor), editor, ''The New York Times'' * Ashley Parker '05 (DP and 34th Street features editor and writer), reporter, ''

References

External links

Digitized archive of the ''Daily Pennsylvanian''
c/o Van Pelt Library,

Home Page of ''The Daily Pennsylvanian''

Home Page of ''34th Street Magazine'' (affiliate of ''The Daily Pennsylvanian'')

College Papers Grow Up (''Newsweek'' article)

Photography Department Blog (maintained by current and past Photo Editors)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daily Pennsylvanian, The Newspapers published in Philadelphia Newspapers established in 1885 University of Pennsylvania Student newspapers published in Pennsylvania 1885 establishments in Pennsylvania Daily newspapers published in Pennsylvania