The second installment in our Student Press Report is a triple byline from three Michigan State University student journalists who have received national honors for their dogged use of open records in their reporting.

Their column outlines how they've successfully used FOIA requests to challenge their university's narratives, and they offer tips to other student journalists who might be interested in open records but don't know where to start:

“You never forget your first FOIA. 

The curious excitement as you press send. The anxious weeks of waiting. The rush of triumph — hopefully — when you get a response.

And when you’re a student covering a major public university, the thrill of making an authority figure show their hand never gets old.”

You can read their column and my recent piece on the state of student media (ICYMI).

Theirs is a great article to share with students who are FOIA-curious.

As a quick housekeeping note, I'll be linking to all future Student Press Report stories in this newsletter (and always above the subscription paywall). So if there's someone you think would be interested in following our publication, please forward them this email and encourage them to subscribe.

Now on to this week's news!

Headlines

The Huntington News at Northeastern celebrated its 100th anniversary last week with a cool long-form history and updates on students through the years.

Fresno State's student government voted down a measure that would have provided its student body a free subscription to The New York Times.

A community foundation grant is providing $300,000 to Indiana University for a new newsroom staffed by student journalists.

Speaking of journalism at IU, kudos to the Indiana Daily Student for its quick actions to capitalize on its football team's winning ways.

The Daily Trojan at USC publicly editorialized how it will handle AI writing in the future.

College Watch has a Q&A with the SPLC's Mike Hiestand (with a compelling headline): For student journalists, "The rules of the game have changed"

It seemed like everyone was in knots over a Letter from the Editor on Cleveland.com — a journalism intern pulled out of the interview process due to the outlet's AI policy, and the editor chastised journalism schools for fear mongering. I appreciated that CJR did a little more digging to get to the bottom of the controversy, and I particularly liked what the American Press Institute and executive director Robyn Tomlin had to say. 

This could be fun to localize on your campus: The Hidden Pressures on College Sports’ Quietest Officials.

Resources

I'm partnering with the Scripps Howard Fund to lead the Student Media Sustainability Project in 2026-27. We are looking for four to five college newsrooms ready to get a year’s worth of coaching and training across their entire enterprise, from audience to revenue to management. Here’s an FAQ and the application. The application deadline is April 12.

Tools for Reporters has this quick write-up about a tool that makes it easier to parse census data — made by journalists!

This week's Journalism Salute podcast features Arielle Robinson, a reporter for the Arkansas Times covering racial equity.

Student Press Freedom Day

Thursday was the Student Press Freedom Day. Student publications from around the country took part:

• Today is Student Press Freedom Day. Here’s what it means to me. (The Daily Free Press, Boston University)

• Student Press Freedom Day: Journalism experts weigh in on the importance of independent college media (The Daily, University of Washington, Seattle)

• EDITORIAL: Show up for student press (The Beacon, University of Portland, Oregon)

• Student Press Freedom Day 2026: The Moments That Shaped Student Journalism (The Montclarion, Montclair State University, New Jersey)

• Editorial: Student media’s independence and support is crucial in serving the community (The Ithican, Ithaca, New York)

• Student Press Freedom Day: The Point’s take on student journalism (Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, California)

• Journalists celebrate Student Press Freedom Day (The Antelope, University of Nebraska at Kearney)

• Student journalists have temporary roles, but a permanent responsibility (The Citizen, Peralta Community College, Oakland, California)

• Student Press Freedom Day Stands Up for the First Amendment of All Students (The Arapahoe Pinnacle, Arapahoe Community College, Colorado)

Feedback

I spent part of last week training with students at Penn State, one of my absolute favorite campuses. In March, I'll be working virtually with students in Utah for several weeks.

Both of those engagements include my colleague Al Tompkins, one of the nation's most requested broadcast trainers. If you're interested in getting us to campus for our print/broadcast/student media triple threat training, hit reply to this email and let's chat.

Or book a free 30-minute consultation with me so we can talk about anything that's weighing heavily on your mind. Except your medical concerns. I am not a doctor.

Have a great week out there. Spring is coming!