History and Current Operations
The program was founded in fall 1983, primarily by Dane S. Claussen, later a journalism/mass communication professor and now Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada, and Richard E. Burr, now with The Detroit News' editorial pages. Other co-founders included Robert Davis and Michael Rust, in addition to faculty adviser Paul S. Holbo.
The Commentator is the second-oldest publication on campus, after the Oregon Daily Emerald. It is a member of the Collegiate Network, a group of conservative and libertarian college publications, although its operating budget is funded by student fees. The publication is operated as a program of the Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO) and is staffed by volunteer editors and writers. It's funded through student incidental fees, advertising revenue and private donations. The Commentator's aim is to serve as a contrarian outlet for students resistant to the prevailing trends on campus, including opposition to the mandatory nature of the non-academic "incidental fee."
In addition to its print magazine, the Commentator publishes its content on its website, where it also maintains a group-run blog frequently linked to by national news outlets. In 2008, the Commentator blog took second place in the America's Future Foundation's inaugural College Blogger Contest.
Read more about this topic: Oregon Commentator
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