A photo from The Reporter archives circa 1980
In today’s increasingly online world, news that some venerable print publication is ceasing operation is simply a sign of the times. Baruchians know this better than most, having witnessed the end of the College’s evening-session newspaper, The Reporter, in 2002. First published in 1923, The Reporter was, when it ceased publication, America’s oldest evening-session college newspaper, and it had been a vital source of information for evening students at Baruch/City College downtown in the days when the Internet and personal computers were the things of science fiction. It was also a source of valuable experiences and fond memories for those who were involved in its production. And, from a historical standpoint, The Reporter was a window on the evening student experience at the College and a microcosm of the world of print journalism.
One of the many alumni who worked on The Reporter, David Feldheim (’67) reminded us of the impact of the student-run newspaper when he shared some memories of The Reporter as it was during his undergraduate years. An evening student who dropped by The Reporter office on the ninth floor of 17 Lex because he saw a Feldheim on the paper’s masthead and wondered if the two were related (turns out they weren’t), he was promptly recruited as a staff writer and ultimately spent two years as editor in chief. The Reporter, he recalls, was a labor of love for a close-knit group of students who did the planning, budgeting, writing, editing, photography, design, secretarial/office work, ad sales, and general management—all after working all day and attending classes several evenings each week.
In those days, a shop near Times Square produced halftone plates for the photos and typesetting was done by a printer in the West Village that handled a lot of school newspapers. There, every Wednesday, four or five Reporter staff members could be found well past midnight moving type to adjust copy flow, checking galley sheets, brainstorming headlines, and struggling to put the paper to bed. Those were the days of “hot type”—lines of type made up of lead and set by hand, not by computer—and last-minute edits involving not the cut/copy/paste process of the word processor but the laborious manual efforts of a group of tired students and press operators. Their 2 a.m. beer was well deserved, even if parents or spouses were left wondering why a volunteer activity necessitated such late nights.
The Reporter’s role in the 1960s was to cover the Baruch social scene and club activities. The weekly publication was also the go-to source for information on registration procedures and deadlines at a time when registration was a byzantine undertaking involving a bank of cubbyholes (representing courses) set up on the stage of the auditorium and stocked with paper cards (representing the available seats in the course). An active participant in evening student life, the newspaper promoted charity events, such as book drives, blood drives, and food drives, and organized a “Miss Evening Session” contest (a coveted assignment for Reporter photographers) whose winner was crowned at an annual Student Council–sponsored dance.
Perhaps reflecting the tone of its surroundings and the sentiments of its student body (older than the typical undergraduate college student, business career–focused), The Reporter was seldom a vehicle for advocating social change or commenting on politics. Students were far more likely to read an editorial opposing pickets and sit-ins and advocating instead that students remember that they had come to college to get an education, not to engage in protests.
The Reporter of the 1960s may not have blazed new trails in journalism, but it nevertheless imparted some valuable skills to the students on its staff. Beyond its actual writing and production, the paper necessitated development of plans and budget forecasts before the start of every term. Students worked closely with Department of Student Life staff member Florence Marks, who helped guide student clubs in the practical matters of justifying costs along with providing endless encouragement. Various members of The Reporter staff negotiated arrangements with vendors of office supplies and sold advertising space to neighborhood businesses. A specialized national agency provided ads to college papers from national advertisers, a reliable source of income that began to dwindle as cigarette ads, one of the advertising mainstays, fell out of favor. Running the newspaper was a life lesson with countless real-world applications.
As he was an economics major who had always wanted to manage, analyze, and write about securities, working on The Reporter provided Feldheim great experience for his career as a bond analyst. No doubt the paper was also a helpful foundation for Marvin Grosswirth (’64), managing editor of The Reporter during the 1960s, who is remembered as a wonderful humorous writer and who went on to a successful freelance writing career. But whether or not it launched a student toward a life in journalism, The Reporter lives on in the memories of generations of Baruchians and remains a storied part of the school’s history.
—Sally Fay
Have Your Say: What do you remember about The Reporter from your time at Baruch? Share your own memories here or e-mail communications@baruch.cuny.edu.