Columbia Daily Spectator

Overview

The Columbia Daily Spectator is the student-run newspaper of Columbia University and Barnard College, the second-oldest continuously operating college daily in the United States after The Harvard Crimson. It is published by Spectator Publishing Company Inc., an independent 501(c)(3) corporation, online five days a week during the academic year with a weekly print edition. Its sister publications include the long-form magazine The Eye and the blog Spectrum.

History

The paper's roots trace to the Cap and Gown, founded in 1867 as both a student newspaper and literary publication; it was renamed the Acta Columbiana in 1873 and absorbed into the Spectator in 1885. The Spectator itself was founded in 1877, publishing fortnightly at first, becoming weekly in 1898, semi-weekly in 1899 and a daily in 1902. Spectator Publishing Company was formed in 1962, making the paper legally and financially independent from Columbia University. In April 2014, Spectator became the first Ivy League student newspaper to cut daily print in favor of a weekly print edition to focus resources on digital coverage; board member John R. MacArthur resigned from the Board of Trustees in protest, though the paper saw the expected revenue increase. In 2025, the Society of Professional Journalists recognized Spectator as the best student newspaper in the country.

Location and contact info

Address
120th Street and Claremont Avenue, New York, NY
Website
https://www.columbiaspectator.com