The Hilltop (newspaper)

Last updated

The Hilltop
The Hilltop logo.JPG
The Hilltop 2009-01-20.jpg
The newspaper on January 20, 2009, on the first inauguration of Barack Obama
Type Student Newspaper
FormatPrint/Online Publication
Owner(s) Howard University
FoundedJanuary 22, 1924
Language English
HeadquartersHoward University
Website http://www.thehilltoponline.com

The Hilltop is the student newspaper of Howard University, [1] [2] [3] a historically black college located in Washington, D.C. Co-founded in 1924 by Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston and Louis Eugene King, The Hilltop is the first and only daily newspaper at a historically black college or university (HBCU) in the United States. [4]

Contents

Inner workings

The newspaper is a color tabloid with a print circulation of 7,000. [5] Student activities fees collected from the student body partially support the newspaper, however, the bulk of the paper's operating budget comes from advertising revenue. The Hilltop boasts a full paid staff which consists of majors ranging from print journalism to biology.

The editor in chief is responsible for the daily operations of running the paper and overseeing the staff. The editor in chief is responsive to "The Hilltop Policy Board", which consists of the editor in chief, Business Manager, elected student body leaders and several administrators (including the Dean of the School of Communications and the Journalism Department Chair) – each holding one equal vote. The board meets several times a year, most importantly to vote on an operating budget and student activities fee allotment for the newspaper and to select the successors to the editor in chief and Business Manager. The board has no jurisdiction to censor the newspaper in any way.

The Business Manager is responsible for overseeing the financial operations of the newspaper and reports to the editor in chief. However, like the editor in chief, The Business Manager is elected by and can only be dismissed by The Hilltop Policy Board.

The rest of the staff is hired and may be dismissed by the editor in chief.

History

The Hilltop was co-founded by acclaimed author and Howard alumna Zora Neale Hurston. Hurston never actually wrote for the newspaper, but provided guidance for student journalists.

The first issue of The Hilltop was published January 22, 1924. The front page of the first issue covered a timeless and sensitive Howard issue: registration follies. The paper was brief, chronicling events that took place the semester before, and touching on a few upcoming campus events.

By 1929, the newspaper was published bi-monthly. A year later, in 1930, The Hilltop became a weekly newspaper and remained so for 71 years.

Within that time, the paper progressed steadily as a forum for African-American writers to hone their journalistic skills.

Much of early 20th century media relentlessly portrayed Black Americans in a negative light. Although The Hilltop was not a professional paper, stories were often published to combat those stereotypes and to instill pride in Howard students.

The Hilltop remained on the forefront of social issues ranging from the need for a campus bookstore to the Vietnam War.

During the second semester of the 1990–1991 school year, under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Kevin Chappell, The Hilltop began publishing twice a week, although it would return to once a week the following school year. In 2002, the paper added a second section and introduced The Hilltop online. In 2005, The Hilltop becomes the first HBCU newspaper to be published daily.

Timeline

This timeline is not fully inclusive

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zora Neale Hurston</span> American author, anthropologist, filmmaker (1891–1960)

Zora Neale Hurston was an American author, anthropologist, and documentary filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-20th-century American South and published research on hoodoo and Caribbean Vodou. The most popular of her four novels is Their Eyes Were Watching God, published in 1937. She also wrote more than 50 short stories, plays, and essays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eatonville, Florida</span> Town in Florida, United States

Eatonville is a town in Orange County, Florida, United States, six miles north of Orlando. It is part of Greater Orlando. Incorporated on August 15, 1887, it was one of the first self-governing all-black municipalities in the United States. The Eatonville Historic District and Moseley House Museum are in Eatonville. Author Zora Neale Hurston grew up in Eatonville and the area features in many of her stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard University</span> Historically black university in Washington, D.C.

Howard University is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C., located in the Shaw neighborhood. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

<i>The Tartan</i> (Carnegie Mellon University)

The Tartan is the original student newspaper of Carnegie Mellon University. Publishing since 1906, it is one of Carnegie Mellon's largest and oldest student organizations. It currently has over 170 student members, who contribute on a weekly basis. It is funded by advertisements and the university's student activities fee.

The South End is the official student newspaper of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, published in print and online. It was founded in 1967, and its publication is funded partly from university funds and partly from advertising revenues. It is distributed free of charge.

<i>The Brown Daily Herald</i> Student newspaper of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island

The Brown Daily Herald is the student newspaper of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

The Ontarion is an independent English-language student newspaper published at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. It publishes each month with over 10,000 copies distributed on and off campus during the fall and winter semester and, until the summer of 2017, it published bi-weekly during the summer semester. It has since ceased summer publication, while it continues regular publications throughout the traditional school year.

<i>The Maneater</i>

The Maneater is the official, editorially independent student news publication of the University of Missouri. The Maneater editorial and advertising staffs are composed entirely of students, with the exception of a professional business adviser. Financially, The Maneater is a non-profit publication funded by advertisers. The newspaper is distributed free of charge, and all aspects of its website remain accessible at no cost to readers. The editorial department of The Maneater remains independent from any student governments and organizations, as well as the Missouri School of Journalism and university itself.

<i>The Carillon</i> (Regina)

The Carillon is the student published newspaper at the University of Regina in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It began publication in 1962 and has a reputation for producing notable journalists. Like many university newspapers, it has had a colourful, precarious existence. Among its many alumni are Canadian broadcaster Norm Bolen and novelist Ken Mitchell.

<i>The Hoya</i> Student newspaper of Georgetown University

The Hoya, founded in 1920, is the oldest and largest student newspaper of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., serving as the university’s newspaper of record. The Hoya is a student-run paper that prints every Friday and publishes online daily throughout the year, with a print circulation of 4,000 during the academic year. The newspaper has four main editorial sections: News, Opinion, Science, Sports and The Guide, a weekly arts and lifestyle magazine. It also publishes several annual special issues including a New Student Guide, a basketball preview and a semesterly fashion issue.

The Badger Herald is a newspaper serving the University of Wisconsin–Madison community, founded in 1969. The paper is published Monday through Friday during the academic year and once during the summer. Available at newsstands across campus and downtown Madison, Wisconsin and published on the web, it has a print circulation of 6,000.

The Daily Nexus is a campus newspaper at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).

The State News is the student newspaper of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. It is supported by a combination of advertising revenue and a $7.50 refundable tax that students pay at each semester's matriculation. Though The State News is supported by a student tax, the faculty and administration do not interfere in the paper's content. The State News is governed by a Board of Directors, which comprises journalism professionals, faculty and students. In 2010, the Princeton Review ranked The State News as the #8 best college newspaper in the country. And in 2015, the Society of Professional Journalists named TSN as the nation's best daily college newspaper for 2014.

<i>The Daily Tar Heel</i> Student newspaper of UNC-Chapel Hill

The Daily Tar Heel (DTH) is the independent student newspaper of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It was founded on February 23, 1893, and became a daily newspaper in 1929. The paper places a focus on university news and sports, but it also includes heavy coverage of Orange County and North Carolina. In 2016, the paper moved from five days a week in print to four, cutting the Tuesday edition. In 2017, the paper began to print on only Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. In 2021, the paper began to print only on Wednesdays. All editorial content is overseen by student editors and a volunteer student staff of about 230 people. It's located at 109 E. Franklin St. in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it is the largest news organization in Orange County.

<i>The Eastern Echo</i>

The Eastern Echo is the independent student newspaper of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The paper is funded through advertising revenue. The paper is published on Mondays during the fall and winter semesters. Although EMU funds a Student Media Director, that official has no editorial influence over the content of the Eastern Echo.

<i>The Pitt News</i> Newspaper for the University of Pittsburgh

The Pitt News is an independent, student-written and student-managed newspaper for the main campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The Pitt News has been active in some form since 1910 and is published online Monday through Friday, and in print on Wednesdays, during the regular academic year and Wednesdays during the summer.

<i>Indiana Daily Student</i> American newspaper

The Indiana Daily Student (IDS) is an independent, student-run newspaper that has been published for the community of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, since 1867. The IDS is free and distributed throughout the campus and city.

<i>The Diamondback</i> University of Maryland student newspaper

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. The Diamondback was initially published as a daily print newspaper on weekdays until becoming a weekly online journal in 2013. It is published by Maryland Media, Inc., a non-profit organization. The newspaper receives no university funding and derives its revenue from advertising.

<i>UWM Post</i>

The UWM Post is a student newspaper independently run by the students of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Published weekly in print from 1915 to 2012, it became independently operated in 1956. The newspaper published a new issue every Monday during the fall and spring semesters and was distributed both on campus and in the Greater Milwaukee metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valerie Boyd</span> American writer and academic (1963–2022)

Valerie Boyd was an American writer and academic. She was best known for her biography of Zora Neale Hurston entitled Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston. She was an associate professor and the Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia, where she taught narrative nonfiction writing, as well as arts and literary journalism.

References

  1. ↑ Grablick, Colleen (October 15, 2019). "Howard's Student Newspaper Is The Latest Local College Outlet Facing Financial Crisis". DCist . Archived from the original on October 16, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  2. ↑ "The Student Press Law Center is concerned about censorship at Howard University's The Hilltop". Student Press Law Center. November 3, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  3. ↑ Taylor, Angeline J. (April 1, 2008). "Economy strikes campus newspapers". Tallahassee Democrat . p. 4. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Following Footsteps: Zora Neale Hurston - Campus". November 24, 2007. Archived from the original on November 24, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  5. ↑ "About Us". The Hilltop Online. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  6. ↑ FitzGerald, Drew (March 6, 2009). "College newspapers face weak ad revenue". USA Today. Retrieved March 7, 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.