The Auburn Plainsman


The Auburn Plainsman is the student-run newspaper for Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. It has notably received awards for excellence from the Associated Collegiate Press and is the most decorated student publication in the history of the National Pacemaker competition.
It is published Thursdays throughout each academic term and freely distributed at more than 100 locations throughout the campus and surrounding cities of Auburn and Opelika. The editor is selected by the Auburn University Communications Board, a group of faculty, students and professional journalists. In turn, the editor hires a paid and volunteer staff to run the paper. The Plainsman currently has a staff exceeding 80 paid and volunteer student-journalists.
The Plainsman is a self-supported publication and receives no regular student or state taxpayer revenue. A typical page count for each modern issue is 12 pages and includes five sections: Campus, Community, Opinion, Lifestyle and Sports.

History

Founded by the school's two literary societies, Wirts and Websterians, students began publishing a newspaper for the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama in 1893. The students called it the Orange and Blue after the colors worn by the football team formed a year earlier.
The paper began as twice monthly publication. Through its early years, the paper was small. It resembled other newspapers of the day. The first major change in the paper's traditional production came in 1922, when the name went from the Orange and Blue to The Auburn Plainsman. Name changes since then were minor, as editors have dropped and picked up the word "Auburn," but the word became a permanent fixture in the title in 1961-62, a year after the Alabama Legislature changed the school's name for the final time, from Alabama Polytechnic Institute to Auburn University.
Aside from the paper's name change, the frequency of publication has shifted. It went from one edition per week to two editions per week in the fall of 1928. The Plainsman returned to a weekly publication schedule some time in the late 1940s, and is now the largest weekly newspaper in Alabama.
The first female editor was Martha Rand, in 1944. She was followed by Mimi Simms. Since Rand and Simms, only 10 women have served as editor.
The paper launched its online presence in early 1997 with only selected articles placed on a university-based website. In fall 1997, the first Online Editor, Karl Sebelius, moved the paper to its current online home at theplainsman.com. The online edition has received one Online Pacemaker in 2003-2004.
The 2000–01 editor, Rachel Davis, lobbied the Board of Communications, a university committee charged with overseeing student media, such as The Plainsman as well as WEGL, for a change in how Plainsman editors were chosen. The honorable and long-standing tradition of election by the student body was abandoned. Now, Comm Board and its special Advisory Board select the editor, who takes a series of tests before interviewing for the job.
In recent years, Plainsman stories have been picked up by almost every national major media outlet, including stories covering a triple homicide at an off-campus apartment complex, the confession of Toomer's Tree poisoner Harvey Updyke and the theft of more than 1,000 copies of The Plainsman by Auburn SGA members. These stories were picked up by organizations such as the AP, ESPN, NBC, ABC, FOX, CNN, and more.

Awards

One of collegiate journalism's highest prizes is the National Pacemaker Awards, handed out since 1928 by the Associated Collegiate Press. The Auburn Plainsman is the most decorated student publication in the competition.
YearAwardPlaceRecipient
2018Best Spot News Story1stChip Brownlee
2018Best Editorial Column or Commentary1stThe Auburn Plainsman
2018Best Spot News Photo1stMatthew Bishop