| The Free Press | |
| Type: | Weekly student newspaper |
| Format: | Tabloid |
| Headquarters: | 92 Bedford Street Portland, Maine 04101 |
| Website: | http://www.usmfreepress.org |
The Free Press is the official campus newspaper of the University of Southern Maine. It was first published in 1972. It publishes a print edition weekly during the academic year, equaling roughly 22 editions a year. The newspaper has a circulation of 3,000 and prior to 2023 published daily on its website.
The Free Press was founded in 1972. It is an entirely student-run and student-funded newspaper not supported by an academic department. The university does not have a journalism program.[1]
In 2012, the Free Press began a partnership with the Bangor Daily News to provide training, web hosting and development services for paper, as well as a content-sharing agreement aimed at promoting the best in student journalism in Maine.[2]
In fall 2022, the newspaper made a decision to stop publishing online and updating its social media accounts. This decision was made because of lack of staff. Instead, the newspaper became a print-only newspaper.
In 2001, the Free Press gained access to the campus police log despite opposition from the local police department.[3]
In April 2002, the USM Student Senate sought to dissolve the Student Communications Board, which had been created as a buffer between the university and the paper to ensure funding to the organization. A referendum was held on whether to dissolve the board and it lost with 16% of the vote.[4]
In 2000, the newspaper was ranked third in their region for "Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper Newspaper", while writer Steve Peoples was ranked for "General News Reporting" for his story, "Students' Voting Rights in Jeopardy".[5] In 2002, several students involved with the newspaper won recognition by the Society of Professional Journalists for their region, including the top awards for Spot News Photography and General News Photography.[6]