When students published the first newspaper at this university 85 years ago, they wrote about their desire to provide a forum for expression. The staff of the Ball State Daily News spends hours every day working to continue this legacy by filling that same need for expression today.
Through the leadership and dedication of students, advisers and journalism faculty members, the Daily News has evolved from a weekly, 400-circulation newspaper to a daily, 14,000-circulation newspaper.
EVOLVING NEWSPAPER
The legacy that led to the Daily News began March 30, 1922, when the newspaper, originally called the Easterner, published its first issue.
Paul Pogue, student editor in chief in 1998, compiled a history of the Daily News shortly after its 75th anniversary.
"I think the thing that struck me most is how little things have changed as far as the internal aspect of how a newspaper works," Pogue said.
The descriptions Pogue found about the Easterner revealed a similar culture and dedication to the craft, he said.
"What all these people had in common is that they had made the [newspaper] the most important thing in their lives," Pogue said. "Working at the [newspaper] is like an exclusive club that anyone can join. There is a certain sense of pride and accomplishment, and you never really forget it."
Mark Popovich, a journalism professor and editor in chief in 1963, said he noticed several major changes at the Daily News since when be worked there. The biggest of those being the transition from publishing two days a week to five days a week starting in 1968, he said.
Another change occurred as businesses began to see the Daily News as a valuable way to market to the students, and as the advertising increased, the newspaper became more financially independent, Popovich said.
One negative change Popovich has seen is the decrease in students who want to be reporters, he said. High school students now come to Ball State wanting to be involved more with technology, specifically the Internet and TV and not print journalism, he said.
Although the Daily News has evolved over the years, Department of Journalism chairperson Marilyn Weaver said the paper continues to meet the needs of its student readers.
"I'm really proud that the Daily News has been able to keep up with the technology and delivery of information," she said.
The success of the Daily News is in some ways a reflection of the journalism program at Ball State, Weaver said.
"We were teaching graphics and design before a lot of other universities," she said. "We were teaching convergence before a lot of other universities."
LOUIE'S LEADERSHIP
Former editors and advisers of the Daily News credit the strong commitment to journalism at Ball State to Louis Ingelhart, the founder of the journalism department and former adviser of the Daily News, who died in January.
"Louie Ingelhart was the shining light for student free press," Pogue said. "Without a doubt he was our patron saint."
Former Daily News adviser David Knott said Ingelhart's first two loves were student publications and journalism education.
"He was so dedicated to a free student press and fought to make it not only a good newspaper but a respected newspaper on campus," Knott said.
Weaver said Ingelhart always made sure the administration and faculty knew how important the Daily News was.
"I give him all the credit for setting the stage for this to be such a strong newspaper," Weaver said.
Gene Policinski, executive director of the First Amendment Center and former student editor of the Daily News, said a legacy like that of the Daily News has does not just happen it takes leadership.
"I think the Daily News is actually the perfect legacy for Lou because it's a student-run paper with a faculty adviser, but not a faculty publisher" Policinski said. "It's up the students to make it good or bad."
FREE FORUM
The Ball State newspaper has always been a free forum for expression. In recent years, however, colleges around the country have been facing censorship challenges from university administration.
Policinski, who writes the column "Inside the First Amendment," said it is impossible for universities to suppress student press because students will find other ways to express themselves, such as the Internet.
"Student views are going to come out," he said. "The day when the university might own the only printing press on campus are long gone."
Popovich said universities need to accept the role of the student press.
"If college students are given the freedom and responsibility to produce a college publication, they will become better journalists who are not afraid to express their creativity in a positive way," he said. "They are given a platform to test their skills, even if it means them making errors."
The Daily News had never been sued by anyone for problems with a story, he said.
"That says something about the students ability to handle responsibility," Popovich said.
LOOKING AHEAD
The newspaper industry is evolving with its increasing use of the Internet and technology, and the Daily News is changing as well.
Knott said convergence is inevitable for newspapers, and students need to be educated in new technological advances.
"Whether everybody wants it or not, I think it's going to happen," he said.
Policinski said the Daily News has been on the cutting edge of journalism and anticipated many of the challenges the industry is facing.
"I think like all print products the challenge now is to how you blend in with or accommodate or morph to an online product, and again, the Daily News has been at the forefront of that."
Policinski envisioned the Daily News as an completely online product someday, where readers who wanted a print version would have to print it off their personal computers at home.
Ball State President Jo Ann Gora said the Daily News is an important vehicle for communication between the administration and students.
"If the newspaper were not well respected, it would not be something that students turn to to find out what's going on on campus and to see an analysis of the news on campus," she said.
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