By Dominic Minadeo

The Daily Iowan, University of Iowa’s independent student newspaper, purchased two local newspapers in early February — and with that, became what is believed to be the first college paper in the country to own two community outlets, according to Melissa Tully, director of the university’s journalism school.

The Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun — 30 miles north of campus — and the Solon Economist — about a dozen miles north — now fall under the ownership of Student Publications, Inc., the nonprofit that runs the Daily Iowan. The first printed issue under new ownership was published Feb. 8.

Both papers are expected to retain all editorial staff and recent conversations about new, local ownership have been well received, said Jason Brummond, publisher of the Daily Iowan. The mutually beneficial partnership will give students the opportunities to publish articles for the local newspapers through internships and journalism classes, and the media outlets will be able to republish stories from the student paper, Brummond said.

“The more that we looked at it, it became increasingly interesting and something that we thought that we could do and do well and have a sustainable, long-term solution for these community newspapers,” Brummond said.

University-led community news programs are effectively filling in local news gaps across the country, according to research conducted by the Center for Community News at the University of Vermont. Brummond said these partnerships are a win for everyone: student journalists have more opportunities, local newspapers receive supplemented coverage and communities become more informed.

The University of Iowa has a band of 400 student journalism majors and The Daily Iowan retains more than 100 student reporters, Tully said. The student paper was named Newspaper of the Year by the Iowa Newspaper Association four different times, two of which were back-to-back in 2020 and 2021, according to their website.

While the operation is in its early stages, Brummond envisions a three-phased approach towards full integration of the two outlets under the Student Publications, Inc. umbrella. The first phase is underway, which involves integrating and onboarding employees from the two newspapers, printing their first issues under new ownership and modifying the print layout to mirror the Daily Iowan’s style, Brummond said.

The second phase, taking place throughout this current semester, will start supplementing coverage for the Mt. Vernon-Lisbon Sun and the Solon Economist. Students will produce articles through internships, classes in the journalism school and Daily Iowan coverage itself, which the two papers can now republish, he said.

“That's where we are right now is developing what that exact framework is going to look like,” Tully said, “with the goal of rolling it out in a more structured way in the fall.”

Also in the fall, Tully said they plan to create ways for additional students to get involved. Business of journalism classes and marketing courses, for example, could create opportunities for students to design advertising and public engagement campaigns to increase subscriptions and grow readership.

“It won’t be restricted just to journalism majors,” she said.

As publisher of Student Publications, Inc., the nonprofit that independently manages and funds the Daily Iowan, Brummond is in charge of the paper’s advertising and business operations. When Woodward Communications, the previous owner of the Mt. Vernon and Solon newspapers, approached Brummond with the offer to sell last fall, he was surprised. 

“It wasn't something I had at the forefront of my mind, or something I would have thought of, but it was initially interesting,” he said.

'A Good Caretaker'

The idea came from Bob Woodward, former publisher and vice president of Woodward Communications, who stepped down from his roles this past January to take on a new, philanthropic role where he raises money to fund journalism positions. Woodward said the decision to sell came from geographic issues, not financial ones (the papers were slightly profitable).

“The biggest thing is that they’re very different markets from some of the other markets that we’re in,” he said of the two papers.

Dubuque, Iowa-based Woodward Communications owned five community newspapers in East Central Iowa prior to selling Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun and the Solon Economist. The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City area — which the two papers are closely connected to — are further from the Dubuque headquarters, so it made sense to sell to someone more local, Woodward said.

Woodward was familiar with the award-winning student paper having lived in Iowa City for 20 years — even spending a stint managing the University of Iowa campus bookstore, he said. And because he had once served on the Iowa Newspaper Association Board with Brummond, the deal made perfect sense.

“He was someone that I felt would be somebody that we can really trust to be a good caretaker,” he said of Brummond.

“Because, you know, at the end of the day, we don't want to be in the business of closing newspapers.”