Daily Texan Named Nation’s Most Storied College Paper

By Kelsey McKinney in 40 Acres, Special on October 3, 2012 at 3:44 pm | No Comments

The Daily Texan is an institution almost as old as the University itself. Now in its 112th year, the student-run campus newspaper is one of the oldest and most famous in the nation. So it’s appropriate that it beat out the likes of Harvard, Northwestern, and Yale to be named the Most Storied College Newspaper in America by the online education website Online Colleges.

Online Colleges praises the Texan for its ability to court “controversy over the years, adding to its national reputation as one of the most colorful college newspapers in one of the Union’s most iconic states.”

The Daily Texan began publishing in 1900 and became a daily publication in 1913. The paper boasts winning more awards—national, regional, or state—than any other college newspaper.

Among those accolades: the Texan has graduated 10 Pulitzer Prize winners, in addition to famous figures like Lady Bird Johnson and Robert Rodriguez.

Despite its legendary history, however, the Texan is facing the same dilemma as most print media: it’s struggling to stay afloat in the digital age. To continue its legacy into the 21st century, the Texan is rewriting its role in campus life with a newly redesigned website and the use of multimedia components, such as video and social media—transforming the media outlet into far more than the print editions of UT past.

Top: Texas Exes archive. Bottom: courtesy Online Colleges.

Tags: Daily Texan, harvard, lady bird johnson, newspaper, Northwestern, Online Colleges, pulitzer prize, Robert Rodriguez, Yale