The Lantern is the official, daily student-published university newspaper at The Ohio State University. It is one of the largest campus newspapers in the United States, reaching a circulation of 15,000. Sections of The Lantern include Campus, Sports, and Arts and Life. Copies of the paper are free and available on campus and throughout Columbus. Editions are published in print Tuesday and Thursday with online content published Wednesdays and Fridays. It does not print in the summer but provides original online content. The Lantern received national attention in 2011 when it broke news regarding members of the school's illustrious football team selling memorabilia for money and tattoos. In 2019 it earned the Student Press Law Center's Reveille Seven College Press Freedom Award for its pursuit of public records.
History and background
The paper was chartered in 1881 and became an integral part of the School of Journalism in 1914. At one time in the past, with a circulation of 28,000 papers during the regular school year and readership of 75,000, it was the third largest college newspaper in the country. The Lantern is a laboratory paper that is put together daily by students in the newsroom of the Journalism Building. There are 23 paid student editors and assistant editors who change after completion of two academic semesters. Student reporters, most of whom contribute through the Lantern practicum class, are not paid. The Lantern has faced several of the same problems the rest of the newspaper industry has suffered over the past few years. The current faculty adviser for The Lantern is Spencer Hunt, a former reporter at the Columbus Dispatch and Cincinnati Enquirer.
Online
The Lantern posts all its stories on its . In addition to the stories in print, the website includes a multimedia section for photo slide shows, videos and a weekly video webcast. Sports and Arts & Life podcasts are also posted on the website. Visitors may also view print editions of the paper, made available by Issuu.
Awards
In 2011, The Lantern won the "General Excellence" award from the Ohio Newspaper Association, deeming it the top collegiate newspaper in the state of Ohio. The Lantern's seven wins in the categories of editorial writing, sports coverage, headline writing, photojournalism, design, best newspaper website and news coverage combined to give the newspaper the General Excellence award. The Lantern also won "Best College Daily Newspaper" in Ohio by the Ohio chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists in 2011, as well. In 2018, The Lantern won "Best College Newspaper: Non-Daily" in Ohio for the Ohio SPJ Awards. Additionally, reporters also won first and second place for "Best College Feature Writing," "Best College News Writing," and "Best College Sports Writing."
Controversy
In Spring 2010, a situation occurred on campus in which two cows escaped from the Veterinary Hospital, and started running loose on campus. After several vet students and faculty were trampled in attempts to wrangle the animals, the Ohio State University Police cordoned off several areas of campus, and eventually resorted to force to stop the cows, who were eventually tranquilized and recaptured with assistance of staff from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. During the commotion, a student photographer from The Lantern purportedly disobeyed orders from police officers to leave the area. After claiming freedom of the press, he was arrested for the misconduct. The School of Communication protested the arrest, though the school did not provide the photographer legal aid. Many other journalism outlets took his side, and the photographer was never charged.
Coverage of Tattoogate
Months after news broke that Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, as well as several other teammates, had been involved with selling memorabilia for tattoos and money, The Lantern published a story on May 25, 2011, in which former football player Ray Small admitted to also selling memorabilia for money. The two reporters on the story, editor-in-chief Zack Meisel and sports reporter James Oldham, received threats from angry Ohio State fans as a result. Meisel, Oldham and The Lantern received national attention for their coverage, including appearances on ESPN's Outside the Lines and in the Wall Street Journal, among others. Head football coachJim Tressel resigned on May 31, 2011, in response to the scandal.
