Today's newsletter is presented in its entirety — no paywall! — thanks to this sponsorship message from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

Here's an excellent opportunity for that special graduate student in your life to engage in some meaningful and important research.

FIRE’s Student Press Freedom Initiative defends student newsrooms every day, and it's obvious that the college media landscape is shifting. Just how much has administrative censorship increased in recent years? That’s what SPFI’s Graduate Student Press Research Associate will help investigate.

"Student press censorship at colleges and universities is not a new problem — it's a worrisome trend worth documenting,” said Marie McMullan, student press counsel at FIRE. “As journalists know, data holds power, and SPFI is doing its due diligence by grounding our advocacy in the facts. Any newsroom censorship is too much censorship. But just how widespread has this trend become? We're going to find out."

From mid-January through the end of June, this graduate-level associate will support SPFI’s team with survey research and data analysis. Experience with qualitative and quantitative research is a must, as well as a passion for the free student press. This paid position is remote eligible. Questions? Email Marie at [email protected].

Track down student press censorship, and help defend the student media against it.

Pass this message along to any graduate students who might qualify, but hurry! The expected start date for this position is Jan. 12.

A little housekeeping: This will be my last newsletter in 2025. Enjoy your winter break, congrats on getting through finals and I'll see you on the flip side (as those of us from the 1900s like to say).

Headlines

 Can Universities Help Students Become Influencers? (Inside Higher Ed)

A student media alumni group at the University of Alabama has raised more than $25,000 to help two shuttered magazines resume publication.

Superstar student journalist and Stanford senior Theo Baker has a book coming out in May 2026.

I love that Nieman Lab asked Chatwan Mongkol to write a prediction for 2026. The Nutgraf author makes the case that “J-schools will formalize the creator economy education.”

Speaking of The Nutgraf, here's its latest newsletter: “International student EIC has to 'step back' from news coverage to not risk her visa”

And speaking of Nieman Lab's 2026 predictions, this one about visual verification hit me the hardest. It's a pretty technical read, but the takeaway for me was simple: If you're not damn sure, don't use that photo.

Maria Servold of The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal writes “The Complex World of Student Journalism: Recent scuffles at American colleges highlight the need for partnerships.”

The Substack CollegeWatch has added a new section called Extra Credit in which it plans to “share remarkable reporting coming out of college campuses.”

The Washington Post’s Press Freedom Partnership newsletter had this great Q&A with Student Press Law Center executive director Gary Green about the threats facing student journalists.

Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts University grad student whose byline on a campus newspaper oped apparently led to her arrest by immigration officials earlier this year, is back on campus, baby!

A college student took it upon himself to create the Philadelphia Student Press Association, a collaborative organization among 11 college newsrooms in Philly.

Losing a political race led this Californian to launch a service that records local government meetings and then uses AI to analyze them. We would be wise to pay attention to efforts like this, as they will surely impact the way we teach student journalists to cover local governments.

Resources

Common Ground USA is seeking 15-20 student journalists for its spring 2026 cohort. Selected students will attend six sessions with national and international journalists and peacebuilders, plus get a $200 stipend. Applications are due Jan. 15.

The Shaufler Prize, “recognizing the best journalism in the country advancing the understanding of issues related to underserved people in society,” will give away a $5,000 prize to a student journalist. But hurry — the application deadline is tomorrow, Monday, Dec. 15.

Are your students stressing about summer internships yet? Here are some options and deadlines.

Student media stars

Michigan State University senior Griffin Machrowicz was recently named Best Content Creator for the 2025 International Student Broadcasting Championship for his stories about Ortonville, Michigan.

Wonderfully disgusting photos and videos! “Maggots, other bugs and mold reported at USC dining halls” (USC Annenberg Media)

And an unfortunate but heartfelt shout out to the Brown Daily Herald for its excellent coverage of the shooting on campus yesterday.

Feedback

This will be my last email for the year.

I hope you have a restful, peaceful and enjoyable winter break.

Thank you for reading in 2025, and I look forward to our next semester together!