The Maneater
| University of Missouri | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | weekly student newspaper |
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Headquarters | G216 MU Student Center, Columbia, MO, 65211 |
| Website | themaneater |
The Maneater is the official, editorially independent student news publication of the University of Missouri. The Maneater editorial and advertising staffs are composed entirely of students, with the exception of a professional business adviser. Financially, The Maneater is a non-profit publication funded by advertisers. The newspaper is distributed free of charge, and all aspects of its website remain accessible at no cost to readers. The editorial department of The Maneater remains independent from any student governments and organizations, as well as the Missouri School of Journalism and university itself.
The Maneater was founded in 1955 by Joel Gold, then a sociology student, as editor-in-chief and Jim Willard as business manager. Gold took over the former newspaper, then named the Missouri Student and controlled by the Delta Upsilon fraternity. Gold renamed it The Maneater to reflect a more aggressive news angle and transitioned the paper into an independent watchdog of the university.
Regarding the name change, Gold wrote in the first issue of The Maneater, “The name ‘Missouri Student’ reflected the editorial policy of the former paper quite well. It signified nothing.... The Maneater by its very name cannot content itself with merely presenting the news.... The Maneater is a tiger with fangs bared and claws sharpened ready to analyze the facts and then to pounce. A tiger exists because it is, and not for one group or another.”
From 1969-2013, The Maneater newspaper was published twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Fridays, during the academic year. A growing desire for digital content led the paper to scale back to a weekly publishing schedule beginning in August 2013. The newspaper is now published every Wednesday while classes are in session during the fall and spring semesters, while the website publishes content consistently throughout the year.
Though the Missouri Student was established in 1926 as a student paper, it fell under the purview of a Student Publications Board made up of MU faculty and was printed by the School of Journalism. It was the publications board that invited Gold to apply for editor-in-chief following the noticeable shift that had occurred at the paper by 1950. The news publication developed into a Greek Town rag and society paper, favoring party commentary before news reporting. From 1950-1955, six members from the Delta Upsilon Fraternity controlled the paper. As circulation numbers dropped, the publications board sought to shake up the Student. Given the task of refurbishing the paper, Gold likened The Maneater's new editorial policy to an aggressive news source, with the goal of turning out stories that students would want to read.
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