Culture Wars/Current Controversies

Inside the Encampments That Shook American Politics

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As the unrest at Columbia University became the biggest and most contentious news story in America, there was one sentiment that everyone could agree on: Students on campus were producing phenomenal journalism. (They even got an informal nod from the board of the Pulitzer Prizes.) In particular, the Columbia Daily Spectator was pacing the national media — aggressively covering every development with an unmatched level of access to the student body, faculty, and administrators. Two weeks ago, the editors at New York Magazine approached the undergraduates at the Spec with an offer: Make our next cover package, telling the story of the Columbia encampments from the inside. The resulting issue features a gripping oral history of the days that shook the campus and triggered nationwide protests; dozens of portraits and news photographs; and a poll of more than 700 Columbians — rich with takes on President Minouche Shafik, the police raids, and what the tumult reveals about the university. As the magazine came together, we were as impressed by the students’ reporting as we were by their spirit. They made excellent deadline journalism as their community boiled around them, and as they continued to cover the news hour by hour online, and as they crammed for finals. Whatever your position on the showdown at Columbia, it’s a feat to be admired.

 

– The Editors
READ THE COVER STORY »
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