MAKE YOUR MARK AT COLUMBIA
We are Columbia’s largest student-run media organization. For nearly 150 years, we’ve continued a tradition of excellence and innovation to provide a positive, active intervention in the Columbia community.
WHAT MOTIVATES US
We create publications and products that are united by a single goal: helping our audience make the most out of their experience of Columbia, Morningside Heights, and West Harlem. We strive daily to equip stakeholders in the community—including students, faculty, staff, and residents—with the information they need to thrive and aggressively, skeptically, and critically examine the obstacles that might stand in the way.
Through our work, our staff develops transferable skills so that they too can thrive as people, thinkers, and leaders. For nearly every industry, Spectator is the best way to advance your skills, build your resume, and spend your extracurricular time on campus.
WHAT WE VALUE
The work that Spectator does is challenging. All Spectator’s staff—from our backend developers to our journalists—strive everyday to bring a few key qualities to the table.
We have GRIT and DRIVE.
We are SELF-STARTERS and TEAM PLAYERS.
We take seriously ACCOUNTABILITY, INTEGRITY, and TRUTH.
Most of all, we are EXCITED to tackle new challenges.
WHERE WE COME FROM
Our staff is composed of Columbia’s best reporters, software developers, writers, photographers, editors, graphic designers, data analysts, and more. Working for Spectator are students from all of Columbia's undergraduate schools—General Studies, Barnard College, School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Columbia College—hailing from a diverse spectrum of backgrounds and experiences.
As talented as our staff are today, many of our staff started with no experience in the sections they now work in and lead. A background in your section is not a prerequisite! All we ask is you bring an eagerness to learn and a passion for the work you produce.
WHERE WE GO
Spectator staffers have gone on to lead groundbreaking careers in journalism, business, and tech. Our alumni base is deep, far-reaching, and always excited to help current staffers succeed outside of Columbia.
Notable former staffers include:
Jodi Kantor, investigative reporter for The New York Times
Max Frankel, former executive editor of The New York Times
Katherine Boo, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for The New Yorker and member of the Pulitzer board
Bernard W. Nussbaum, former White House counsel to President Bill Clinton
Ben Cotton, General Manager, News for The New York Times
Richard Wald, former president of NBC
Megan Greenwell, former editor in chief of Deadspin and Wired.com
Catie Edmondson, Congressional correspondent for The New York Times
Tsehai Alfred
Editor in Chief, Columbia Daily Spectator | President, Spectator Publishing Company
“As the second-oldest college daily newspaper and a pillar of independent student journalism, Spectator offers a Columbia experience like no other. However, when I joined Spectator my first semester on campus, I was largely unaware of its lofty history. I entered this organization hoping to understand and connect with my new community, reporting on the issues that impact the people on our campus and in our neighborhood. Now, more than two years later, the decision to join this storied institution has shaped my college experience. Spectator has not only offered me unmatched opportunities to develop and grow as a student reporter, editor, writer, and leader, but it has also welcomed me into a student community of talented peers and close friends. For nearly 150 years, Spectator has informed and empowered the Columbia and West Harlem community. I can’t wait to meet all of you who will continue this important mission.”
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