Boston University’s The Daily Free Press, the school’s only independent, student-run paper, has been saved from possible closure by a fundraising campaign.
The paper recently announced it was in danger of closing unless it dealt with a substantial chunk of its debt. Its publisher, Turley Publications, had threatened to close the paper before the end of the year if the debt issue was not resolved. A “GoFundMe” fundraising was launched with the goal of raising $70,000. The paper has indicated it has since raised $80,000. Fox News media personality and BU alum Bill O’Reilly has pledged to donate $10,000 while local car magnate and philanthropist Ernie BochJr. has promised $50,000. The paper, known colloquially as the FreeP, was established 44 years ago, in the aftermath of the Kent State University shootings. In an attempt to cut costs it recently changed from to a weekly print cycle and concentrated on producing daily online. That slashed the paper’s costs by 80 percent, but debt persisted. In 2013, it was named the third best all-around daily student newspaper in the northeast region by the Society of Professional Journalists.
BU’s Daily Free Press is being saved…in large part thanks to this guy
Reuters
