The Daily Tar Heel Turns 120

CHAPEL HILL – The Daily Tar Heel celebrates its 120th birthday Saturday.

“We think it is a big deal,” says Editor-in-chief Andy Thomason. “We were called for a large portion of the 20th century the only college daily in the South, so we believe we have a very proud history of independence and journalistic integrity and excellence. We are proud to look back on 120 years of work, to do more learning and really celebrate that history.”

The Princeton Review awarded the paper with the best college newspaper award in 2010 and 2007.

The paper has not used student fees as a source of funding since 1993. Thomason says that independence was a huge step for the paper.

“It was a really big deal, because every year the staff had to go in front of Student Congress to present the budget,” says Thomason. “It was just a huge problem. Editors admitted to having pulled punches about Student Congress in coverage around budget time. So they admitted to compromising their own journalistic honesty.”

Prior to becoming independent, about $100,000 of the paper’s $600,000 budget came from student fees.

The most recent example of that independence came in 2010 when the paper joined 7 other media outlets in suing the University over public information. But Thomason says the paper was able to break stories even before becoming financially independent.

“I’ve been told by Ken Zogry, the historian who is writing a book about the history of the Daily Tar Heel, that the first one they every broke was about a cheating ring –I believe that was in the 30s,” says Thomason. “That’s just one example of how being a student at UNC has benefits because you are on the ground all the time and be able to report on your peers.”

Thomason says journalists from the Daily Tar Heel have also gone on to make further impacts in the news world.

“I could go on and on,” says Thomason, “but I think the ones that people might name most quickly are Charles Kuralt, Peter Gammons worked here, Peter Wallsten, who covers the White House for the Washington Post, Thanassis Cambanis, who’s a correspondent in the Middle East and covered the Arab Spring, and Thomas Wolfe.”

Wolfe initiated the paper’s change from a weekly to a semi-weekly in 1920. The paper became a daily in 1929.

News Around Town: Murphey School Radio; DTH Turns 120; Kirk Urso Memorial Match

CHAPEL HILL – The fifth Murphey School Radio Show returns to Chapel Hill Saturday for two showings to support local non-profit agencies.

The show is billed as “A Celebration of Triangle Wit, Lit, and Music”. It will feature Triangle jazz favorite John Brown, novelist Michael Parker, and editor of Our State magazine Elizabeth Hudson.

The show is completely volunteer-run and has raised more than $60,000 for non-profits in Durham and Orange counties. It also works to raise awareness about community issues.

Shows can be seen at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Saturday the Historic Murphey School on Murphey School Road in Durham. The evening show will be recorded to air at a later date on WCHL.

For tickets and more information, click here.

XXX

The Daily Tar Heel turns 120 years old Saturday.

The DTH has been self-sustaining since 1989 when it began operating solely on its advertising budget. It is also separate from the University as its student editor-in-chief, currently Andy Thomason, oversees all content.

The business operations are managed by a 12-member student majority board.

You can pick up one of the Daily Tar Heels 17,000-business-day copies at 215 throughout campus, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Chatham, and Durham.

XXX

The UNC men’s soccer team and the Columbus Crew will compete in an exhibition game Sunday at 1:00 p.m. to benefit the Crew Soccer Foundation’s Kirk Urso Memorial Fund.

Urso, a former Tar Heel, died in August of a genetic heart condition he likely did not know he had. Urso was 22.

The Urso Fund was created in late 2012 to support heart-health research and programming.

The match will take place at Macpherson Stadium in Browns Summit, N.C. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. Student ticket prices will remain at $10 the day of the game.

For information on how to get tickets or to donate to the Urso Fund, click here.

XXX

Chapel Hill Transit will provide a Tar Heel Express shuttle to the UNC men’s basketball game against N.C. State on Saturday.

The shuttles will begin at 2:30 p.m. from the park and rides located at the Friday Center, Southern Village, University Mall, and Jones Ferry for the game, scheduled at noon. The Carolina Coffee shop will also have shuttles available at 138 East Franklin Street. The provided shuttles will drop off and pick up on Bowles Drive in front of the Dean Dome.

Shuttles will run every 10 to 15 minutes between the park and rides and the Smith Center and will operate for approximately 45 minutes following the game. Rides are $3 one-way or $5 round-trip.

For additional information, click here or call 919-969-4900.