View source for Oregon Commentator

{{Short description|University of Oregon student publication (1983–2015)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox magazine
| title           = Oregon Commentator
| image_file      = OregonCommentatorpage1.jpg
| image_size      = 225px
| image_caption   = Cover of the January 31, 2012 issue of the ''Oregon Commentator''
| editor          =
| editor_title    =
| previous_editor =
| staff_writer    =
| frequency       =
| total_circulation  =
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| category        = [[Opinion]], [[Political]], [[Conservatism]], [[Humor]]
| company         =
| publisher       =
| firstdate       = 27 September 1983
| country         = United States
| based           = Eugene
| language        =
| website         = [http://oregoncommentator.com oregoncommentator.com]
| issn            =
}}
The '''''Oregon Commentator''''' was a student publication at the [[University of Oregon]] in [[Eugene, Oregon]], United States. Founded on September 27, 1983, and first published on October 24, 1983, it was a self-described "conservative journal of opinion," modeled after such publications as ''[[Harvard Lampoon]],'' ''[[The Onion]]'' and ''[[Reason Magazine]]''. The magazine's official ideological stance was conservative, although many of the ideas and values it promoted might be better described as libertarian.<ref>[http://oregoncommentator.com/mission-statement/ "''Oregon Commentator'': Mission Statement"], Oregon Commentator, 2012. Retrieved 2011-01-024</ref>

The ''Commentator'' served as an independent journal of opinion for the campus community and provided students with an alternative to the predominant viewpoints of professors, student groups and other student publications. The magazine officially ceased operations at the culmination of the 2014–2015 academic year.<ref>[http://oregoncommentator.com "''Oregon Commentator''"], Oregon Commentator, 2014. Retrieved 2017-09-012</ref>

==History==
The magazine was founded in the fall of 1983, primarily by Dane S. Claussen and Richard E. Burr. Claussen later became the editor and/or publisher of various US newspapers and magazines, and a journalism/media professor. He is now Director of Research, Publications, and Professional Advancement at the National Communication Association, and former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada. Burr is a long-time editor at ''The Detroit News''. Other co-founders included Robert Davis and the late Michael Rust, in addition to faculty adviser Paul S. Holbo.

The ''Commentator'' was once the second-oldest publication on campus, following the ''[[Oregon Daily Emerald]]''. It was also a member of the [[Collegiate Network]], a group of conservative and libertarian college publications. The magazine was operated as part of the Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO) and was staffed by volunteer editors and writers. It was funded through student incidental fees, advertising revenue and private donations. ''The Commentator''{{'s}} aim was to serve as a contrarian outlet for students resistant to the prevailing trends on campus, including opposition to the mandatory nature of the non-academic "incidental fee."

In addition to its periodic print edition, The ''Commentator'' published additional content on its website, where it also maintained a group-run blog frequently linked to by national news outlets. In 2008, the blog won second place in the America's Future Foundation's inaugural College Blogger Contest.<ref>[http://www.americasfuture.org/blog/archives/022846.php "AFF Awards $10,000 Cash Prize in College Blogger Award"], America's Future Foundation, 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2008-09-06</ref><ref>[http://media.www.dailyemerald.com/media/storage/paper859/news/2008/04/16/News/Oregon.Commentator.Receives.National.Award-3327772.shtml "Oregon Commentator Receives National Award"], [[Oregon Daily Emerald]], 2008-04-16. Retrieved 2008-09-06</ref>

==Controversies==
Since its inception, there were several attempts to shut down the magazine's operations. In 2004, the program lost its funding after satirizing a prominent transgender student. Its funding was restored soon after the [[Foundation for Individual Rights in Education]] became involved.<ref>[http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article/5383.html "Victory for Freedom of the Press at The University of Oregon"], [[Foundation for Individual Rights in Education]], 2005-03-03. Retrieved 2008-09-06</ref>

In 2006, then Editor in Chief Tyler Graf appeared on [[The O'Reilly Factor]] to defend the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] rights of ''The Student Insurgent,'' a rival student publication.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ORZVpMTRz8 "Tyler Graf and Jethro Higgins on The O'Reilly Factor"], [[YouTube]], 2006-05-25. Retrieved 2008-09-06</ref> ''The Insurgent'' had received national attention after publishing controversial illustrations of [[Jesus Christ]]. Jethro Higgins, who was part of the opposition on campus hoping to shut down ''The Student Insurgent,'' also appeared on the program.<ref>[https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2006/05/25/oreilly-baselessly-claimed-university-of-oregon/135804 "O'Reilly baselessly claimed University of Oregon permits..."], [[Media Matters]], 2006-05-25. Retrieved 2017-09-12</ref>

[[File:By the barrel.jpg|thumb|140px|''By the Barrel:25 Years of the Oregon Commentator'' on display at the University of Oregon Bookstore]]

==''By the Barrel: 25 Years of the Oregon Commentator''==
In November 2009, ''The Oregon Commentator'' published ''By the Barrel: 25 Years of the Oregon Commentator.'' The book served as a culmination and celebration of the publication's 25th year at the University of Oregon. The book contains three sections:
* An overview of the publication's history.
* Retrospectives on nine key moments that involved attempted de-fundings, vandalism and other significant events.
* Ten essays written by ''Commentator'' alumni, including a foreword in honor of the 25th Anniversary.

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{commons category-inline}}
* [http://www.oregoncommentator.com/ ''Oregon Commentator'']

[[Category:Mass media in Eugene, Oregon]]
[[Category:Student newspapers published in Oregon]]
[[Category:Libertarian publications]]
[[Category:Newspapers established in 1983]]
[[Category:University of Oregon]]
[[Category:1983 establishments in Oregon]]