Facing Debt, Northeastern’s Only Student Newspaper Makes a Plea for Help
NU Photo by Alex Lau
Two years after a wave of nostalgic alums, college journalism true-believers, and the odd union of car dealership magnate Ernie Boch Jr. and Fox News talking head Bill O’Reilly saved Boston University’s Daily Free Press from extinction, another student newspaper is in dire need of help.
Northeastern University’s Huntington News, the school’s only independent, student-run paper since 2008, faces a “grave financial situation” threatening to end its eight-decade run. Owing nearly $30,000 to its printer and main creditor, the paper launched a fundraising page Tuesday night.
“Not only does the News continue to break stories important to students and the community at large, it does so without any financial help from the university,” the page reads. “We are confident that with your help, the News can remain a valuable—and truly independent—resource.”
The News hopes to raise $40,000 by the end of the school year in order to settle its debts and kickstart a capital campaign aimed at long-term sustainability.
“Print journalism is hard to maintain these days, especially for a collegiate newspaper, but with the other members of the Board of Directors I’ve been working with the paper’s staff for months now to put together a sustainable plan going forward,” said Todd Feathers, an award-winning reporter for the Lowell Sun and a News alum. “It’s devastating to see the News in this position, but after seeing what the staff has already done I’m very excited about the prospects moving forward.”
