The Montclarion, Montclair State University’s student newspaper that was briefly shut down during a dispute with the university’s student government, is enjoying the fruits of its newfound freedom.
Just eight months after the student run campus newspapers landed at the center of a major battle over press freedom, The Montclarion has been separated from MSU’s Student Government Association and has become an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
The Montclarion’s metamorphosis has even won the 80-year-old publication national recognition. The paper and its staff have won the 2008 College Press Freedom Award.
"The award is a huge honor for the newspaper," said Editor-in-chief Bobby Melok. "The staff last year worked tirelessly to put us in the position we’re in today, and they definitely deserve to be recognized for it."
The College Press Freedom Award is given each year by the Student Press Law Center and the Associated Collegiate Press, to a college journalist or college news medium that has demonstrated outstanding support for the free press rights of students.
The Montclarion staff will pick up the award during ceremonies next week at the National College Media Convention in Kansas City, Mo.
But the national spotlight hasn’t caused the student journalists to lose their focus. They know they have a tough job ahead of them if the Montclarion is to continue to be a force in campus life.
"The Montclarion is doing well on its own," said Melok.
"We’re hitting some bumps in the road, as I’m sure any new company would," Melok explained. "But it’s a great learning experience for the staff. We’re getting a chance to learn about all sides of the newspaper industry."
And learn they have. The weekly paper started the new school year with a new design, changing to a new larger broad sheet format; it shifted to tighter deadline schedule, moved to a new printer and broke in a new computer system.
The student staff has been turning out large editions on deadline to the delight of its many avid readers on campus who quickly grab up copies when they hit the stands each Thursday. The Montclarion’s most recent 28-page edition sported many large sized ads in addition to a wide range of articles ranging from news stories on university-related issues and events to coverage of MSU sports. The paper also features a lively opinion section and extended coverage of the arts.
The "new" Montclarion was the product of a simmering controversy last winter that exploded into national headlines. The undergraduate journalists got a bare knuckles lesson in the risks of investigative reporting when their own Student Governing Association which they were probing retaliated by shutting down their newspaper and pulling the $16,500 it had been allocating the Montclarion each semester.
The squabbling between the student newspaper and student government erupted after the SGA excluded a Montclarion reporter from an executive session. The newspaper complained the move violated New Jersey’s Open Public Meeting Act and hired an attorney to pursue their case.
MSU President Susan A. Cole stepped in to end the impasse, ordering The Montclarion and the SGA to become separate by the fall semester.
A new charter was written over the summer. The paper is now funded by a $3.80 per semester fee tacked on to each tuition bill, instead of the allocation from the SGA.
"Our relationship with the SGA is now what it should have been between the press and the government it covers," said Bobby Melok, editor-in-chief of The Montclarion. "They seem a little more cooperative with our reporters."
