A sex columnist is a writer of a newspaper or magazine column about sex. Sex advice columns may take the form of essays or, more frequently, answers to questions posed by readers. Sex advice columns can usually be found in alt weekly newspapers, women's magazines, health or fitness magazines, and student newspapers. While some are written by sexologists, many are penned by people lacking credentials in human sexuality and relationships, yet willing to divulge their opinions or personal bedroom antics.
The television series Sex and the City protagonist Carrie Bradshaw was a sex columnist, which author Candace Bushnell modeled after herself in her original non-fiction book based on a column of the same name. The show, which first aired in 1998, is credited with the increase of sex columnists found in college campus newspapers and blogs, [1] such as at Ivy League colleges and many other schools. [2] One such columnist, Meghan Bainum, [3] at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, placed in the 42nd annual William Randolph Hearst Foundation Journalism Awards Program (2001–2002) for her column. [4]
Anka Radakovich was the first of a new breed of sex columnists for whom "every detail of the writer's psyche is splayed across the page ... confessional journalism at its most intimate". Radakovich had written for the old Details magazine when it was a chronicle of downtown fashion and night life. After James Truman became editor-in-chief and transformed Details into a men's magazine, he offered Radakovich a column in September 1990. She became the first modern-day magazine sex columnist working for a mainstream men's publication. [5]
The popularity of sex columns waned after the 2000s, but they remain popular at some newspapers, such as The Student Life at the Claremont Colleges. [6]
Selected university newspaper columnists, past and present
Jeffrey Carl Simpson, OC, is a Canadian journalist. Simpson was The Globe and Mail's national affairs columnist for almost three decades. He has won all three of Canada's leading literary prizes—the Governor General's Award for non-fiction book writing, the National Magazine Award for political writing, and the National Newspaper Award for column writing. He has also won the Hyman Solomon Award for excellence in public policy journalism and the Donner Prize for the best public policy book by a Canadian. In January 2000, he became an Officer of the Order of Canada.
The Daily Californian is an independent, student-run newspaper that serves the University of California, Berkeley, campus and its surrounding community. It formerly published a print edition four days a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday during the academic year, and twice a week during the summer. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in California, however, The Daily Californian has been publishing a print newspaper once a week on Thursdays.
The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications is a constituent school of Northwestern University that offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It frequently ranks as the top school of journalism in the United States. Medill alumni include over 40 Pulitzer Prize laureates, numerous national correspondents for major networks, many well-known reporters, columnists and media executives.
The Yale Daily News is an independent student newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven, Connecticut since January 28, 1878. It is the oldest college daily newspaper in the United States. The Yale Daily News has consistently been ranked among the top college daily newspapers in the country.
The S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, commonly known as the Newhouse School, is the communications and journalism school of Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. It has undergraduate programs in advertising; broadcast and digital journalism; esports communications and management; magazine, news, and digital journalism; public relations; television, radio and film; visual communications; and music business. Its master's programs includes advanced media management; advertising; audio arts; broadcast and digital journalism; Goldring arts journalism and communications; magazine, news and digital journalism; media studies; multimedia, photography and design; public diplomacy and global communications; public relations; and television, radio and film. The school was named after publishing magnate Samuel Irving Newhouse Sr., founder of Advance Publications, who provided the founding gift in 1964.
The Daily of the University of Washington, usually referred to in Seattle simply as The Daily, is the student newspaper of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is staffed entirely by University of Washington students, excluding the publisher, advertising adviser, accounting staff, and delivery staff.
The Stanford Daily is the student-run, independent daily newspaper serving Stanford University. The Daily is distributed throughout campus and the surrounding community of Palo Alto, California, United States. It has published since the university was founded in 1892.
The Michigan Daily, also known as 'The Daily,' is the independent student newspaper of the University of Michigan published in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Established on September 29, 1890, the newspaper is financially as well as editorially independent from the university. The Daily is managed by two editors-in-chief and a business manager who oversee a staff of over 500 undergraduate students.
The Daily Princetonian, originally known as The Princetonian and nicknamed the 'Prince', is the independent daily student newspaper of Princeton University. The newspaper is owned by The Daily Princetonian Publishing Co. and boasts a circulation of 2,000 in print and around 30,000 daily online hits as of 2021. Managed by approximately 200 undergraduate students, the newspaper covers a range of sections, including news, sports, and opinions.
The Daily Orange, commonly referred to as The D.O., is an independent student newspaper published in Syracuse, New York. It is free and published once a week during the Syracuse University academic year.
The Cornell Daily Sun is an independent newspaper published twice a week in Ithaca, New York, by students at Cornell University and hired employees. Founded in 1880, The Sun is the oldest continuously independent college daily in the United States.
The Columbia Daily Spectator is the student newspaper of Columbia University. Founded in 1877, it is the second oldest continuously operating college news daily in the nation after The Harvard Crimson, and has been legally independent from the university since 1962. It is published at 120th Street and Claremont Avenue in New York City. During the academic term, it is published online Sunday through Thursday and printed twice monthly. In addition to serving as a campus newspaper, the Spectator also reports the latest news of the surrounding Morningside Heights community. The paper is delivered to over 150 locations throughout the Morningside Heights neighborhood.
The Cavalier Daily is an independent, student-run daily news organization at the University of Virginia. Founded in 1890, under the name College Topics, The Cavalier Daily is Virginia's oldest collegiate daily and the oldest daily newspaper in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Eileen McNamara is an American journalist. She is the author of Eunice, The Kennedy Who Changed the World, published by Simon and Schuster. She is an emerita professor in the Journalism Program at Brandeis University and formerly a columnist with the Boston Globe, where she won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1997.
John Patrick Leo was an American writer and journalist. He was noted for authoring columns in the National Catholic Reporter and U.S. News & World Report, as well as for his reporting with The New York Times and Time magazine. He later became editor-in-chief of "Minding the Campus", a web site focusing on America's colleges and universities. After retiring from journalism, he joined the Manhattan Institute as a senior fellow in 2007.
Michelle Goldberg is an American journalist and author, and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times. She has been a senior correspondent for The American Prospect, a columnist for The Daily Beast and Slate, and a senior writer for The Nation. Her books are Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism (2006); The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World (2009); and The Goddess Pose: The Audacious Life of Indra Devi, the Woman Who Helped Bring Yoga to the West (2015).
The Diamondback is an independent student newspaper associated with the University of Maryland, College Park. It began in 1910 as The Triangle and became known as The Diamondback in 1921. Now a weekly online journal, The Diamondback was published as a daily print newspaper on weekdays until 2013. It is published by Maryland Media, Inc., a non-profit organization. The newspaper receives no university funding and derives its revenue from advertising.
Frank Anthony Bruni is an American journalist and long-time writer for The New York Times. In June 2011, he was named an op-ed columnist for the newspaper. His columns appear twice weekly and he also writes a weekly newsletter. In April 2021, Times Opinion Editor Kathleen Kingsbury announced that Bruni would be stepping down from his role as a columnist and joining Duke University in June 2021 as Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy. Since joining Duke, he has continued to write his Times newsletter and remains a contributing opinion writer for the newspaper.
The Spectrum is a student newspaper published in Buffalo, New York. It is a digital newspaper published weekly at the University at Buffalo. The Spectrum is financially independent and supports itself with online advertising. Any undergraduate at the school is eligible to register for the newspaper and its corresponding English courses, regardless of intended major.
Anka Radakovich is an American author and columnist, self-described as the first modern sex columnist through her column in Details magazine, which ran from 1990 to 1999.
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