The Observer (Notre Dame)
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''The Observer'' is a
student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station Graduate student journal, produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related new ...
of the
University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
, Saint Mary's College and Holy Cross College. The ''Observer'' is distributed in print across the three campuses and is funded by both advertising revenue and a campus fee paid by students attending Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College. It is ordinarily published in print on weekdays when the university is in session by a staff of students from Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College and Holy Cross College. Since the outbreak of
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
the newspaper has moved to publishing three days per week. The newspaper was originally located on the third floor of LaFortune Student Center before moving to the basement of South Dining Hall in 1998. In 2025, the paper was relocated again to the ninth floor of Hesburgh Library when South Dining Hall underwent major renovations.


History

''The Observer'', established in 1966, is the oldest student-run publication at Notre Dame that still operates as a newspaper. According to its website, ''The Observer'' is an independent student-run publication and claims to not have any editorial oversight from the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, nor Holy Cross College. It has won some awards. On 21 August 2020, ''The Observer'' received press attention when the newspaper ran a front-page editorial entitled "Don't Make Us Write Obituaries".


Controversies


Allegations of editorial bias

In 1987, when some students believed that ''The Observer'' began to show a conservative bias, a liberal newspaper, ''Common Sense'' was published. It continued on until at least 2005. In 2003, when other students believed that the paper had a left-leaning bias, they started '' The Irish Rover'', a twice-monthly publication that features regular columns from alumni and faculty in addition to coverage of campus matters. As of 2005, ''The Observer'' and ''The Irish Rover'' were distributed on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. On October 15, 2020, ''The Observer'' ran a front page in which a talk by former
Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...
Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member of the ...
was placed above a story describing an on-campus event involving
Angela Davis Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American Marxist and feminist political activist, philosopher, academic, and author. She is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Feminist Studies and History of Consciousness at the University of ...
. After receiving a single comment on "social media criticizing the page layout for placing greater emphasis on the former speaker’s lecture rather than the legendary Black academic’s," editor-in-chief Maria Leontaras and managing editor Mariah Rush responded to the criticism in a column dated on October 16, the following day, stating that " ile Ryan’s former position and political stature warrant a top space in a typical newsroom, The Observer is working toward becoming a more socially aware outlet. This means highlighting stories, such as Davis’, that represent historically marginalized communities in our institutions."


"The Legging Problem"

On March 25, 2019, ''The Observer'' published a letter to the editor by Maryanne White titled "The Leggings Problem". According to the
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, White described that "while attending a Mass service at the Catholic university with her family, a group of women in front of her wore 'snug-fitting leggings' and 'short-waisted tops'." According to the ''
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette The ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' is the newspaper of record in the U.S. state of Arkansas, printed in Little Rock with a northwest edition published in Lowell. It is distributed for sale in all 75 of Arkansas's counties. By virtue of one ...
'', " udents held pro-leggings protests at the University of Notre Dame after a self-described 'Catholic mother of four sons' wrote heletter in the student newspaper saying that 'leggings are so naked, so form-fitting, so exposing.'"


Alumni

* George Dohrmann2000 Pulitzer Prize winner for beat reporting * Bryan Gruley – Pulitzer Prize Winner * Nikole Hannah-Jones – Pulitzer Prize winner * David Freddoso – ''
Washington Examiner The ''Washington Examiner'' is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative news magazine based in Washington, D.C., consisting of a website and a weekly printed magazine. It is owned by Philip Anschutz through MediaDC, a subsidiar ...
'' columnist and best-selling author of '' The Case Against Barack Obama'' * Ted Robinson – Sportscaster best known for Olympics coverage


References


External links

*
The Observer print edition - issuu.comThe Observer archives 1966-2016
{{University of Notre Dame Student newspapers published in Indiana Independent newspapers published in the United States University of Notre Dame Saint Mary's College (Indiana) Notre Dame, Indiana Newspapers established in 1966 1966 establishments in Indiana