52: Rebirth of the Student Review

September 20, 2011
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From 1986 to 1997, the Student Review enjoyed a wonderful run as BYU’s independent student newspaper, which at its peak published weekly and reached a circulation of 10,000. During its years, SR featured a cross section of news reporting, essays, and wonderful humor and satire, with some of its stories resulting in changes to campus policy, as well as impacting life in the wider community and state. As a result of some of its coverage of difficult issues, the publication occasionally rankled school administrators, sometimes even triggering official efforts to shut it down.

A team of current BYU students has now resurrected the Student Review, printing and distributing its first issue on September 19th. In this episode, we meet the SR’s new editor, Craig Mangum, and learn about his team’s plans for the newspaper. We also hear about the newspaper’s founding and history from other panelists, Bill Kelly, SR’s first publisher, and former editors Joanna Brooks and Matt Workman. But mostly we get a chance to hear tales of a wonderful slice of BYU life as experienced by some of the school’s best and brightest of the past and present. WARNING: This podcast contains stories of a credit card of mythological status, sexual tension, and adventures with security guards and steam tunnels.

To learn more about, read articles from, or find out how you can support the new incarnation of the Student Review, please visit www.thestudentreview.org.

A good history of SR written at the time of its tenth anniversary by Bryan Waterman, a former editor, can be found here.

52: Rebirth of the Student Review [ 1:26:44 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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  • Megan

    Very interesting, and I wish the new SR the best.

    I would have loved to hear how the ‘original’ Review covered Gail Houston’s experience with BYU and academic freedom. How difficult was it to ride the line and speak in a way the audience could hear but still maintain journalistic integrity?

  • Bill

    I graduated from BYU in the summer 1f 1990 so I remember the beginnings quite well.  It was a real breath of fresh air to look forward to The Review every week and something we all looked forward to.  I was always greatful to those students who spent so much time creating a quality product and wish this new generation nothing but success!

  • Workman

    I don’t recall exactly how the Gail Houston story was covered in Student Review (I was kicking around the humor pages), but I do remember that it was covered quite extensively… in stark contrast to the Universe.

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  • liz

    I graduated in 1984, and we had the Student Review for at least one year before I graduated–does anyone else remember this?

  • Unanimous Anonymous

    If I had a history with the Student Review, I can see how this podcast would be more entertaining.  The conversation needed to start out with a discussion about *why* an independent voice is important at BYU, and a retrospective of some of the important stories or issues covered historically by the SR staff.  Everyone seemed to take for granted that I knew why the Universe was insufficient and that the SR was the answer.

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  • http://twitter.com/benson Jared Benson

    Student Review was alive and kicking past 97. I did all the design & layout in the late 90s leading up to around 99/00 under editor Taryn Wahlquist. And I’m still in contact with the graphic designer(s) who laid the paper out before me.

    I’ve got extra prints from that era in my attic, and would be happy to get them back into the archive.

  • Mack

    I tried reading the SR a couple of times while I was a student at BYU in the early 90′s and it gave me an unsettled almost evil sort of feeling. This was odd, because I didn’t really know what it was. I just picked it up as I was walking to campus and don’t think I could have had any preconceived notions or bias.
    I get the same sort of feeling today as I read these comments. It’s not rational, it’s just a feeling that the Spirit of God is not present.
    It’s my genuine hope that this comment doesn’t sound disrespectful. I leave it here only as an honest expression of my experience and with no ill will.