Daily Emerald

The Oregon Daily Emerald is an independent daily newspaper published at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. The paper, which has been published for more than 100 years has a long and distinguished history, has trained many now-prominent writers and journalists and has made important contributions to journalism case law.

Publishing

The Oregon Daily Emerald is published daily Monday through Friday during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc. The Emerald operates independently of the University with offices in Suite 300 of the Erb Memorial Union. The Emerald is private property.

History

Early Years

February 12, 1900: Volume 1, Number 1 of the Oregon Weekly was first published by the Eutaxian, Laurean and Philogian Societies of the University of Oregon.

October 1, 1900: The paper becomes a publication of the Associated Students of the University of Oregon, which it remains until 1952.

Fall 1909: The paper begins publishing twice a week, and the name is changed to the Oregon Emerald.

The Early 20th Century

1914: Thrice-weekly publication begins.

Fall 1920: The newspaper begins publishing five days a week and becomes the Oregon Daily Emerald.

1938: Emerald awarded the Pacemaker, the highest distinction possible for college newspapers.

1941: Helen Angell named first woman editor in Emerald's history.

WWII

1942-3: Newspaper sponsors two major defense drives: a scrap drive and a penny parade.

1943-4: Staff is made up almost entirely by women as a result of World War II. Marjorie Major Goodwin serves as the second woman editor in chief. The size of the paper is cut from an eight-page to a four-page tabloid. An army page is added, and a special section is sent to servicemen overseas.

1944-5: Anne Craven serves as third woman editor. Paper shortage causes budget problems, but daily publication is sustained. Special servicemen's edition mailed.

Post-War Era

1945-6: Returns to eight-page tabloid size after usual wartime size of four pages.

1946-7: Emerald exposé of Theta Nu Epsilon, an outlawed secret fraternity, is among the most talked-about stories of the year, according to the Oregana. Summer fire destroys supply of newsprint, but paper returns to normal size after a few under-sized issues during the beginning of the year.

1947-8: Staff moves offices from basement of the Journalism Building to a nearby quonset hut. A condensation of world news from the United Press is run often.

Fall 1947: Staff learns the 1946-5 Emerald was given the All-American Superior Award from the American Collegiate Press. The Emerald is one of 11 papers in the United States to receive the rating and is judged for the first time in the category of schools with enrollments of more than 5,000.

Turbulence and Change

1949-50: Monday issues of the Emerald are published for the first time. Staff members volunteer to accept salary cuts to maintain five times weekly publication schedule when faced with budgetary problem.

1952: Editor Larry Hobart becomes the first editor to endorse a presidential candidate, running a front-page editorial backing Adlai Stevenson. According to a campus survey, a majority of students were in favor of Dwight Eisenhower, and much debate ensued among students.

Sept. 23, 1952: Emerald publication responsibilities given to Publications Board.

1953-54: Emerald offices move from temporary hut near journalism school to another temporary hut near Deady Hall.

1954-55: Offices move to third floor of then-new journalism building, Allen Hall.

1959: Facets, a periodic magazine bonus, started by Editor Jerry Ramsey.

Dec. 1962-Feb. 1963: Student Senator wages campaign to remove Editor Ron Buel from office because of coverage of fraternity hazing, but the campaign fails.

Nov. 30, 1963: While covering the Oregon-Oregon State football game, Janet' O'Dell becomes the first woman in the history of Hayward field to be admitted to its press box to cover a game.

The Emerald and Oregon Shield Law: State v. Buchanan

On May 24, 1966 the Emerald ran a story, "Students Condone Marijuana Use," by author Annette Buchanan' which included seven unnamed sources discussing their drug use who were interviewed on the condition that their names would not be revealed. After reading Buchanan's story, local law enforcement officials convened a grand jury investigation into the illegal use of drugs.

June 1, 1966: Lane County D.A. subpoenas Buchanan, requesting names of sources. Buchanan refuses and is fined $300 for contempt of court. The case went through the court system until the Oregon Supreme Court dismissed Buchanan's claim that the Oregon Constitution protected her and in 1968 the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal.

Subsequently, Oregon legislatures initiated a journalistic shield law. The Oregon shield law provides extensive protection for all members of the news and information media. The statute provides absolute protection from compelled disclosure of both sources and all information obtained by journalists in the course of their work. It is not clear whether the journalist must have promised confidentiality for the source of information to be covered by the law. The only exceptions to the Oregon statute exist where: (1) there is probable cause to believe that the journalist has or is about to commit a crime or (2) where the defendant in a defamation suit has asserted a defense based on the content or source of the information.

Emerald Independence

The newspaper became independent on July 1, 1971, completing a process initiated by 1969-70 Editor in chief Paul Brainerd and 1970-71 editor Grattan Kerans, but it was not complete until June 29, 1971. On that date, University President Robert Clark and Kerans signed documents creating the Oregon Daily Emerald Board of Directors.

Brainerd has said he was spurred to examine the issue of independence after an incident at the University of Washington.

"Anti-war protests were occurring throughout the U.S. and on the UO campus," he said. As a result of coverage decisions, an editor at the University of Washington was removed from office by the school's administration. In the legal challenge to the case, administrators argued that they were legally responsible for the student newspaper.

Court precedents said student newspapers had free speech, Brainerd said, but the social atmosphere of the 1960s led to a change in the line drawn between student newspapers and the administration. The current administration was supportive of the change because they wanted to avoid situations such as that at the University of Washington, Brainerd said.

The new board adopted a resolution to establish the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Company Inc. on June 29, 1971. This step made the newspaper independent as of July 1 that year. A headline on an editorial that day declares, "We're on our own."

Another catalyst for the change was cited by then-Editor Art Bushnell in the July 1 issue of the paper. "The reasons for going independent are primarily economic," he says in the article.

"In the past, the Emerald was unable to accumulate whatever profits might exist at the end of the fiscal year. Instead, those monies reverted back to the University. Now, we will be able to accumulate monies. We will have a growth potential that did not exist before."

The main result, according to the article, would be the ability to purchase and update equipment and the ability to avoid potential control of the newspaper by any group, "from the State Board of Higher Education to the University administration to student government."

The final step toward independence according to the agreement signed by Keran and Robinson was taken Oct. 26, 1971, when the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Company Inc. was incorporated under the provisions of the Oregon Nonprofit Corporation Act.

Soon after independence was finalized, the Emerald took further steps to separate itself from the University. In 1974, the offices moved from Allen Hall to its present offices in the EMU, and the corporation began paying rent for the space and financing all other services that had been provided by the University.

Feb. 5, 1971: University administration dizzolves Publications Board.

April 8, 1971: Publications Board is abolished and replaced by a semi-autonomous organization called the Oregon Daily Emerald Board of Directors, whose purpose was to temporarily publish the paper until an independent corporation could be formed.

June 29, 1971: Board of Directors adopts resolution to establish the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Company Inc.

Oct. 26, 1971: Corporation is incorporated under the provisions of the Oregon Nonprofit Corporation Act.

Nov. 2, 1971: First meeting of the corporation's Board of Directors held in Erb Memorial Union.

Nov. 1974: Staffers move the offices from Allen Hall to its current home in Suite 300 of the EMU.

Late 1980s: The Emerald gets rid of its 8" floppy disk drive system in which the disks had to be cleared each day. It is replaced with a PC-based front-end system.

Fall 1996: Emerald celebrates 25 years of independence with first alumni reunion.

Fall 1997: Emerald awarded Pacemaker for the second time.

Fall 1998: Emerald celebrates its 100th year of publication with an alumni reunion.

Students still pay a subscription fee through the incidental fee, but the paper is otherwise financially separated from the University.

List of Editors

1. W. C. Nicholas 1909-10
2. Leith F. Abbott 1919-20
3. Harry A. Smith 1920-21
4. Floyd Maxwell 1921-22
5. Kenneth Youel 1922-23
6. Arthur S. Rudd 1923-24
7. Don Woodward 1924-25
8. Edward M. Miller 1925-26
9. Sol Abramson 1926-27
10. Ray Nash 1927-28
11. Arden X. Pangborn 1928-29
12. Arthur L. Schoeni 1929-30
13. Vinton Hall 1930-31
14. Willis Duniway 1931-32
15. Richard Neuberger 1932-33
16. Sterling Green 1933-34
17. Douglas W. Polivka 1934-removed
18. William E. Phipps replacement-1935
19. Robert Lucas 1935-36
20. Fred Colvig 1936-37
21. LeRoy Mattingly 1937-38
22. Paul Deutschmann 1938-39
23. Bud Jermain 1939-40
24. Lyle M. Nelson 1940-41
25. Helen Angell 1941-42
26. 1942-43
27. Marjorie Major Goodwin 1943-44
28. Anne Craven 1944-45
29. Lorna Larson 1951-52
30. Larry Hobart 1952-53
31. Al Karr 1953-54
32. Gordon Rice 1954-55
33. Bill Mainwaring 1956-57
34. Charles Mitchelmore and Allen Johnson 1957-58
35. Phil Hager 1958-59
36. Don Jepsen 1959-60
37. Kernan R. Turner 1960-61
38. Dan Pfaff 1961-62
39. Ron Buel 1962-63
40. Everette Dennis 1963=64
41. Cathy Neville 1964-65
42. Chuck Beggs 1965-66
43. Phil Semas 1966-67
44. Mike Fancher 1967-68
45. Ron Eachus 1968-69
46. Paul Brainerd 1969-70
47. Grattan Kerans 1970-71
48. Art Bushnell 1971-72
49. Bill Bucy1972-73
50. Torrie McAllister-Miller 1973-74
51. Drex Heikes 1974-75
52. Jim Gregory 1975-76
53. Greg Wasson 1976-77
54. Wally Benson 1977-78
55. Tom Wolfe 1978-79
56. Kathleen Monje 1979-80
57. Ken Sands 1980-81
58. Sally Hodgkinson 1981-82
59. Harry Esteve 1982-83
60. Debbie Howlett 1983-84
61. Michele Matassa 1984-85
62. Julie Shippen 1985-86
63. Michelle Brence 1986-87
64. Stanley Nelson 1987-88
65. Aaron Knox 1988-89
66. Thomas Prowell 1989-90
67. Alice Wheeler 1990-91
68. Christopher Blair 1991-92
69. Pat Malach 1992-93
70. Jake Berg 1993-94
71. Kaly Soto 1994-95
72. David Thorn 1995-96
73. Steven Asbury 1996-97
74. Sarah Kickler 1997-98
75. Mike Hines (Summer)
76. Ryan Frank 1998-99
77. Tim Pyle (Summer)
78. Laura Cadiz 1999-2000
79. Jack Clifford 2000-01
80. Andrew Adams (Summer)
81. Jessica Blanchard 2001-02
82. Michael J. Kleckner 2002-03
83. Brad Schmidt 2003-04
84. Jared Paben (Summer)
85. Jen Sudick 2004-05
86. Shadra Beesley (Summer)
87. Parker Howell 2005-06
88. Ryan Knutson 2006-2007 announced

Famous Alumni

1. Steve Smith, editor of the Spokesman-Review
2. Paul Brainerd, Pagemaker and desktop publishing creator, Aldus founder
3. Phil Knight, Nike founder
4. Richard Lewis Neuberger, a U.S. journalist, author, and Senator

External links

• Oregon Daily Emerald
• University of Oregon