Student Media: The State Press, StatePress.com, State Press Multimedia and State Press Magazine (SPM)

Students work in The State Press newsroom.

Mission and Overview
The Department of Student Media at ASU is a part of Educational Outreach and Student Services. The department works closely with the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism to offer opportunities to students interested in journalism and media careers.

Student Media provides the university community with news, information and a forum for the exchange of ideas while also providing an educational learning environment for students.

Student Media properties include the State Press newspaper, StatePress.com, State Press Multimedia and State Press Magazine. Each of these is managed and staffed by ASU students with advice and training from professional employees and journalism faculty. Students make all final editorial decisions and take full responsibility for editorial content.

While working at Student Media, students gain practical experience as reporters, writers, editors, Web developers, designers, photographers, producers, directors, videographers, salespeople and business managers.

History
Student-produced media has been part of the Arizona State experience since 1890, when the first student publication debuted as a one-page supplement to what is now the East Valley Tribune. The student newspaper officially became the Arizona State Press in 1936, with the motto “Watchdog of the Student Body.”

Today
The State Press is distributed in print to all four of ASU’s campuses and digitally worldwide via StatePress.com, twitter.com/statepress and Facebook.com/TheStatePress.

Statepress.com includes State Press articles and exclusive online and multimedia content.

State Press Multimedia is an online video operation that produces news, entertainment and sports content.

State Press Magazine (SPM) is an online and print magazine that focuses on feature writing and depth reporting.

Each semester the Department of Student Media employs more than 100 students in paid and non-paid positions. The top State Press editors are appointed by the Student Media Advisory Board, which is made up of faculty, students and outside professionals with experience in media. Once appointed, these student leaders hire and supervise other student staffers.

The State Press has consistently been rated among the best college newspapers in the country. Student journalists working for The State Press regularly place in the prestigious Hearst and Society of Professional Journalists awards for college media.

In 2009 The Society of Professional Journalists named StatePress.com one of the best three college newspaper websites in the country.

In 2010 StatePress.com was awarded the Pacemaker - the top national award issued by the Associated Collegiate Press.

In 2010 State Press journalists swept the Best of the West college journalism awards, placing first in every category. In 2011 State Pressers placed first in every category but one.

The majority of students involved in Student Media are Cronkite School journalism majors. Student Media Director Jason Manning is also a member of the faculty at the Cronkite School.

For more information on Student Media, contact Manning at jason.manning@asu.edu.