The Universe (student newspaper)

The Universe (formerly The Daily Universe) is the official student newspaper for Brigham Young University (BYU) and was started in 1956.[1]

The Universe
TypeOnline daily student newspaper
FormatDigital
Owner(s)Brigham Young University
Founded1956
LanguageEnglish
Headquarters770 E University Pkwy,
Provo, Utah 84604
Circulation18,500
WebsiteThe Digital Universe

History

BYU's student-published newspaper was first titled White and Blue (1898–1921), later becoming the Y News (1921–1948). In 1948, the title was changed to the Brigham Young Universe (1948–1956), and in 1956 this was updated to simply The Daily Universe. The Universe is part of a larger news organization called BYU NewsNet, which was one of the first integrated (web, radio, newspaper, and television) news organization in the world.

The paper was printed Monday through Friday, except during school breaks and some holidays. It was distributed free of charge on BYU campus and is sent around the world to alumni and friends of the university for a small fee.[2] On January 12, 2012, the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications announced the newspaper's move to digital.[3] Beginning in 2012, content would continue to be published online daily, while the print newspaper would only be published once a week.[4]

In 2017, The Universe partnered with HuffPost on a series called Listen to America to investigate issues facing Mormon millennials.[5] In 2020 a satirical website was launched by BYU students called The Alternate Universe, mimicking The Onion on issues related to BYU and students.[6]

Operations

The editors, writers, photographers and copy editors are all students, some paid, some reporting for a journalism class. These students are overseen by a collection of school professors and other full-time staff, who help train students and maintain professional standards. The opinion pieces in the paper are overseen by an editorial board which includes student staff, professional staff, university professors and local professionals. Limitations on what the paper can publish has been an issue in years past with debate over content appropriate for the campus audience.[7] Student editors are required to avoid any topic that is critical of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), including examinations of polygamy and segregation in church history. Rules about content were established in 1970 and forbade coverage of drugs, sex education, birth control, and specifically, acid rock music. One student editor said there were many spoken and unspoken rules about what topics were permitted.[8]

One of the paper's most popular features is the letter to the editor section, which routinely becomes a forum for campus issues or ideas. Police Beat is a popular ongoing round-up of eccentric reports to campus police.[3]

Notable alumni

References
  1. Nordgren, Maddie Gearheart (Spring 2012). "Not the End of the Universe". BYU Magazine: 10. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  2. "Daily Universe will become a weekly publication - The Daily Universe". byu.edu. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  3. "Daily Universe Goes Digital", BYU Magazine, 2012. Retrieved on 21 February 2020.
  4. Fieldsted, Paige. "BYU's Daily Universe to cease daily publication", Provo Herald, Utah, 13 January 2012. Retrieved on 21 February 2020.
  5. Toone, Trent. "BYU's The Daily Universe collaborates with HuffPost's 'Listen to America' road trip", Deseret News, Utah, 19 October 2017. Retrieved on 21 February 2020.
  6. Tanner, Courtney. "BYU students create satirical website poking fun at all things Provo", The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 January 2020. Retrieved on 21 February 2020.
  7. Depalma, Anthony. "Faith and Free Speech Wrestle for Dominance In Brigham Young Case", The New York Times, 10 March 1993. Retrieved on 21 February 2020.
  8. Tanner, Courtney (28 June 2021). "These BYU students created an underground newspaper to report on issues they say are censored on campus". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  9. Byers, Dylan. "McKay Coppins, the Mormon on Mitt's trail", Politico, 31 January 2012. Retrieved on 21 February 2020.
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