About

University of Georgia’s two literary societies, Phi Kappa and Demosthenians, established the University Reporter as a joint venture in 1879. Under the banner “devoted to the interests of the University of Georgia,” the weekly paper focused on news related to the college and the city of Athens. This first attempt was short-lived as the paper ceased after a year. The inaugural 1883 issue’s editorial apologized for the paper’s three-year hiatus and officially announced the revival of the school paper. The offices of the Athens Chronicle would provide printing support for the rest of the paper’s run. The Reporter was organized by allowing each society to elect business managers and editors to serve two-month terms and published on the weekends, generally on Saturdays. The paper sustained itself on a one dollar subscription fee, alumni support, and the inclusion of advertisements on the last page of each issue. In the January 19, 1884, issue, an editorial note expressed frustration at a failed resolution to cease weekly publication in favor of a monthly magazine. Leading up to (and after) the establishment of the Georgia School of Technology, the Reporter frequently wrote about the need for the University of Georgia to establish a technical school as the expansion would bring in more students and raise prestige. The Lucy Cobb Institute was also commonly referred to, and the Reporter occasionally printed literary works from the institute. Although typically four pages, the December 20, 1889, issue featured a 48-page special edition. With regularly shifting staff, unsteady financial support, and the pressures of the school year, the paper often ran into problems publishing on its established weekly schedule. The Reporter ceased publication in the early 1890s.