The Daily Californian, one of the oldest student newspapers in the country, is celebrating its 150th year of publication. It celebrates this milestone under strange circumstances: Our office stands empty, gathering dust and awaiting many current staffers to enter it for the first time; the editing team writing this note is spread out across the country, with its four members pitching in across different time zones from Minneapolis, Minnesota; Los Angeles and Lincoln, California; and Washington, D.C.
In some ways, the task of reflecting on our history has been placed on our shoulders quite haphazardly. Our terms at the Daily Cal have a four-year expiration date, and it seems random that this anniversary falls in our particular laps. But in a way, it is fitting that in such a historic moment, we lift our heads from the daily grind to think back on where we came from and how we became what we are today. We reflect on the role of the Daily Cal throughout Berkeley’s colorful history of activism, and we consider how the steady progression of technology has changed the ways the news is read and written. We remember our predecessors and hope to leave our replacements a paper they, too, can celebrate.
Bylines from days gone by: Daily Cal alumni through the ages
By Hanna Lykke | Senior Staff
In celebration of The Daily Californian’s 150th anniversary, here’s a look back on three of our most notable alumni through the decades.
Remembering the roots of our independence
By Jacob Souza | Senior Staff
On Saturday, May 15, 1971, a cloud of tear gas poured out of an elevator door into The Daily Californian’s main office, then on the sixth floor of Eshleman Hall.
Alumni revisit Daily Cal experiences
By Sarah Harris and Jocelyn Huang | Senior Staff
In celebration of the paper’s 150th anniversary, The Daily Californian asked alumni about their experiences working for the publication and its impact on their lives through an online survey.
‘A hallmark of our paper’: How independence is a double-edged sword
By Mallika Seshadri | Senior Staff
While many members of The Daily Californian’s current and former upper management consider the paper’s independence from UC Berkeley to be a blessing, it is undeniably a double-edged sword.
The H-bomb ‘secret’: Looking back 42 years later
By Tom Abate | Special to the Daily Cal
In 1979, The Daily Californian published two stories that blew open a national debate over whether Americans could face criminal charges for publishing the basic principles behind the hydrogen bomb.
Why we need the Daily Cal
By Luke Stiles | Staff
Whether you use this paper to check the score of the game you missed, to peruse the platforms of ASUC campaigns or simply to line your litter box, it’s succeeded in fulfilling a purpose.
‘Initially a challenge’: Spring 2020 editors reflect on remote production
By Grace Orriss, Maia Alviar, Jasper Kenzo Sundeen, Thao Nguyen and Kat Shok | Senior Staff
After a year of virtual coverage and production, a few of The Daily Californian’s spring 2020 editors reflect on the transitions and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the current state of the newspaper.
Photo essay: Our home on Hearst
By Lisi Ludwig and David McAllister | Staff
The Daily Californian photo staff celebrates the publication’s 150th anniversary with a look inside the Daily Cal’s current office, where an array of department cubicles, computers, conference rooms and memorable quotes fill out the space.
More than a professor: The enduring impact of Leon Litwack
By Gary M. Pomerantz | Special to the Daily Cal
Leon Litwack, historian emeritus at UC Berkeley, became a cult figure on campus by bringing his leftist intellectual fire to American history.
A ‘liberating’ experience: Sex on Tuesday writers tell all
By Angelina Yin | Staff
More than 20 years after the sex column’s launch, news media have long been on the internet, but now classes have been converted to a digital format as well.
From the outside, looking in: A Cal athletics love story
By Jesse Stewart | Staff
I’ll see you there, in Memorial Stadium, Haas Pavilion, Evans Diamond and everywhere else. It’s a great day to be a Golden Bear — but then again, it always is.
150 years of getting the facts straight
By Emily Hom | Senior Staff
In a decade when “fake news” has become a household term in the United States, reporters at The Daily Californian continue to hold integrity at the forefront of their reporting through their fact-checking process.
Putting the ‘paper’ in newspaper: The Daily Cal’s visual communication journey
By Aarthi Muthukumar | Staff
One of the best things about newspaper design is that it’s historical: It reflects the nuances and visual beauty of the time it’s printed in.
Writing for no audience
By Jenny Lee | Staff
Since I began working at The Daily Californian as an editor five semesters ago, I’ve come to redefine the meaning of that fateful book as characterizing my love for stories — and for finding the right words to tell mine in.
Advertising in the Daily Cal: 50 years in the past to the present
By Amrita Bhasin | Staff
As a senior account executive working in The Daily Californian’s sales and advertising department, I’ve found myself increasingly interested in the advertising industry.
Overcoming a ‘long-simmering crisis’: The importance of student newspapers
By Gisselle Reyes | Staff
The efforts of student newspapers go beyond the university and into the city — and sometimes, even the rest of the world.
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Staff
Special Issue Editors: Ruby Sutton, Jocelyn Huang, Jordan Harris and David Villani
Designers: Connor Lin, Joseph Casey, Simmone Stearn and Aishwarya Jayadeep
Copy Editors: Jenny Lee, Stella Kotik, Annie Lin and Jordan Harris
Photo Editors: Lisi Ludwig and David McAllister
Web Developer: Alexander Hong