Poster: "Evolving Voices: Auburn Student Journalism"

Description:

Foundation and Early Years (1859-1897)
Student-led journalism at Auburn University began in 1859. That
year, the Wirt and Webster Literary Societies joined together to
create the school’s first student newspaper, The Orange and Blue,
named after the school’s colors (Herscovici 2019). Its first issue
debuted on November 7, 1894, covering Auburn’s football team
losing 20–4 to Vanderbilt in the first game of the season.
In the spring of 1897, the senior class created the first Glomerata,
Auburn’s official yearbook. The students wanted to show what
campus life was like and designed the book as a way for their
classmates to remember their college days through images and
shared memories.

Establishing a Brand (1922-1940s)
In November 1922, the student newspaper went through a big
change. What started as a small paper with only a few editors
grew into a more professional publication with a larger team and
better funding.
On November 18, 1922, the paper debuted its new name: The
Plainsman, also called The Auburn Plainsman. The layout was
updated to look more like major newspapers at the time. It added
a sports section, advertisements, more photos, and new styles of
print (Herscovici 2019).
During this time, the paper also grew in size and content. It began
to include news from outside the campus and reflect a more
diverse student body. During World War II, The Plainsman became
an important source of information. It shared news from the war
and government updates. It was also during this time that women
became editors, as many male students left for the war (Herscovici 2019).
Navigating Purpose (November 18, 1960)
Around integration, student journalism at Auburn University began to change
its tone. Before the late 1950s, The Plainsman did not publish stories about
racial issues as they were seen as "unofficially taboo" (Ryan 2025). This
changed in 1960 when Bobby Boetther and James Clinkscales covered the
beating of Fonny Calhoun, a Black man (The Plainsman 1960-11-18, 1). Their
story was the first time the paper reported on this kind of issue.
Despite disagreement, The Plainsman began to cover difficult topics and
important news, instead of only sharing the views of its local community
(Willis and Brinson 2007, 72).
Controversy and Alternate Voices (May 28, 1970-Oct 1971)
The 1970s were a time of political tension, and Auburn student journalism
was part of it. On May 28, 1970, students gathered at Plainsman Park and burned copies of the
Glomerata because they felt it "showed too much" hippie
culture.
The next year, as students became more divided, new and
different voices appeared. One example was Praxis, an
independent and “underground” paper. It gave students a
place to share creative work and strong opinions on many
topics.
Even though new publications made an impact, they also
faced criticism. This led student journalism at Auburn to
explore other ways of sharing ideas for a short time.
The Digital Age and Modern Journalism (1997-present)
The 1990s brought big changes, moving from print to primarily digital formats. In 1992, the student-run
TV station, Eagle Eye TV, began covering news, sports, and entertainment.
In 1997, The Plainsman launched its own website. By February 2021, it became an online-only
publication after 127 years in print. After the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer people on campus, high printing
costs, and other changes led to printed copies being stopped (The Associated Press 2021).
As social media grew, student journalism began using platforms like Instagram to reach more people and
share news and updates.

n November 1922, the student newspaper went through a big
change. What started as a small paper with only a few editors
grew into a more professional publication with a larger team and
better funding.
On November 18, 1922, the paper debuted its new name: The
Plainsman, also called The Auburn Plainsman. The layout was
updated to look more like major newspapers at the time. It added
a sports section, advertisements, more photos, and new styles of
print (Herscovici 2019).
During this time, the paper also grew in size and content. It began
to include news from outside the campus and reflect a more
diverse student body. During World War II, The Plainsman became
an important source of information. It shared news from the war
and government updates. It was also during this time that women
became editors, as many male students left for the war (Herscovici 2019).

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