The Eagle is AU's award-winning student-run newspaper that publishes daily content online, creates online multimedia projects and prints one special edition per semester.
The Eagle is a member of the College Media Association.
Lead and featured stories can be found on the homepage of The Eagle, but additional current stories are also available by clicking on the section links on the left of the page. Users can find past stories by clicking the search or archives tool.
The Eagle adheres to all accepted legal and ethical considerations regarding the First Amendment, including but not limited to libel and invasion of privacy. The Eagle is dedicated to the principles of ethical journalism as described by the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. This includes reporting multiple sides to a story, presenting information in an accurate context and avoiding actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
As a student newspaper, The Eagle is also a learning tool, emphasizing the development of professional, managerial and social skills, as well as the practice of producing a quality, online newspaper.
Find a full copy of The Eagle's Ethics Code here.
The Eagle receives its funding from the Student Media Board, which distributes money from the Student Activity Fee to eight media organizations. Each semester, the editor-in-chief advocates for money to cover the print editions and items to advance the organization.
The Eagle joined the Student Media Board in 2013. The Eagle went bankrupt in 2013 and transitioned from a weekly print edition to a daily online publication with one special edition. We currently aim to publish three to five articles a day.
The Eagle editor-in-chief was formerly paid a stipend of $1,000 for the semester as a member of the Student Media Board from an allocated amount split equally between Student Media Board members until 2022 when AU's Center for Student Involvement changed the structure of the Student Media Board. Managing Editors receive a stipend of $200 for the semester from the independently operated Eagle Innovation Fund, which is managed by The Eagle Advisory Board.
In 2023, The Eagle won the College Media Association Apple Award for Best Newspaper at a four-year school with 5,000-10,000 students and received honorable mentions for Best Website at a four-year school with 5,000-10,000 students, Best Multimedia Package and Best Editorial. The Eagle staff was a finalist for two Society of Professional Journalist Region 2 Mark of Excellence Awards. Jelinda Montes was a finalist for general column writing and The Eagle's staff was a finalist for general news reporting. The Eagle's staff won first place for general news reporting and Nina Heller was a winner for best in-depth reporting.
In 2022, The Eagle won the College Media Association Apple Award for Best Newspaper at a four-year school with 5,000-10,000 students. The Eagle also won fourth place for Best Website at a four-year school with 5,000-10,000 students at the Associated Collegiate Press Fall National College Media Convention's Best of Show Award.
In 2021, The Eagle was named a finalist for two Society of Professional Journalist Region 2 Mark of Excellence Awards. The Eagle was a finalist for Best Multimedia Project for its Juneteenth multimedia project and to Grace Newton for feature writing.
In 2018, The Eagle was named a finalist for five Society of Professional Journalist Region 2 Mark of Excellence Awards. The Eagle staff was a finalist in breaking news reporting. Katherine Saltzman was a finalist for in-depth reporting, Daniella Ignacio for feature writing, Anthony Holten for general news photography and Samad Arouna for photo illustration.
In 2017, The Eagle won the Best Less-Than-Weekly Four-Year College Newspaper from the College Media Association. It also won second place for Best Breaking News Coverage for its coverage of bananas found hanging on campus on May 1, 2017.
In 2015, The Eagle won the College Media Association Apple Award for Best Newspaper at a four-year school with 5,000-10,000 students. The Eagle submitted the Dec. 5, 2014 issue for the competition. The Eagle was also a finalist in the ACP Peacemaker awards competition.
In 2013, The Eagle won four Society of Professional Journalist Region 2 Mark of Excellence Awards. The Eagle was the winner and finalist in breaking news, the winner in feature writing and a finalist in sports writing.
In 2012, the Society of Professional Journalists named The Eagle the "Best All-Around Non Daily Student Newspaper at a 4-Year College/University of Medium Size." SPJ also awarded The Eagle four Region 2 Mark of Excellence Awards general news reporting and in-depth reporting.
In 2011, The Eagle won four Society of Professional Journalist Region 2 Mark of Excellence Awards. The Eagle won first and third place in feature writing; second place in editorial writing; and third place in breaking news photography.
In 2010, The Eagle won a a Society of Professional Journalist Region 2 Mark of Excellence Award for general news reporting.
In 2009, The Eagle won two Society of Professional Journalist Region 2 Mark of Excellence Awards. The Eagle staff won second place for online news reporting for "Student Government impeachment proceedings" and third place for breaking news reporting for "Handverger argues innocence."
In 2007, The Eagle won five Society of Professional Journalists Region 2 Mark of Excellence Awards. The Eagle won first place in breaking news photography; second place in breaking news reporting and feature photography; and third place in editorial writing and Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper.
In 2005, The Eagle's editorial staff won a Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Award for excellence in editorial writing with the "Ladner Editorial Series."
In 2004, the Associated Collegiate Press recognized The Eagle as a Newspaper Pacemaker Finalist and The Eagle Online as an Online Pacemaker Finalist in its national competition.
Eleven Eagle staff members were winners of the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation of Washington, D.C. Scholarship: Heather Mongilio in 2014, Zach Cohen in 2013, Rachel Karas in 2012, Stefanie Dazio and Sarah Parnass in 2011, Jim Phillips and Abby Wihl in 2008, Carolyn Phenicie in 2007, Marissa Newhall and April Seipp in 2006, and Simone Weichselbaum in 2002.
Individual Eagle editors, writers and cartoonists have also won various journalism awards and scholarships for their work on The Eagle.
The Eagle is fully independent of the School of Communication, other AU media groups and all student government institutions, including the Student Government and the Graduate Leadership Council. The Eagle is editorially independent of the University in terms of all content, all financial appropriations, and staff and Board of Directors elections and appointments.
The Eagle has an advisor as appointed by the Student Media Board. The editorial staff may at any time vote to remove or replace the consultant, or to discontinue his or her services.
No one outside The Eagle staff may review the newspaper's content prior to publication.
The content of the newspaper and all editorial decisions are the ultimate decision and final responsibility of the editor-in-chief. Complaints can be made directly to the editor-in-chief by emailing editor@theeagleonline.com. If not resolved satisfactorily, complainants may then go to the personnel committee of the Board of Directors by emailing eagleadvisoryboard@gmail.com.
The Eagle is the student newspaper of record for American University and is editorially independent from the University. The Eagle’s mission is to serve as a historical record of the news and events of the American University community. Therefore, The Eagle generally does not remove content from its website, including its online Archives. In case of a factual error, The Eagle’s created content will be corrected and updated with an editor’s note, but not removed.
The Eagle aims to serve as a forum for discourse and debate for the University community. As such, anyone in the AU community may write a letter to the editor (about 300 words) or opinion piece (about 500-800 words) on any topic to be printed in The Eagle.
Students who submit letters or opinion pieces must include name, year, school (ex: Anne Godlasky, senior, SOC and CAS) and a headshot. Anyone who submits a letter or opinion piece must include their phone numbers and e-mail address, which will not be published.
Letters and opinion pieces represent the views of the author and not The Eagle. The opinion editor and the editor-in-chief reserve the right to edit columns and letters to the editor for libel, length or style, but not for content. The decision to publish a letter to the editor or opinion piece ultimately falls to the Editor-in-Chief.
All submissions must be original to The Eagle and become the property of The Eagle. Unsigned letters will not be published.
Letters and opinions critical of The Eagle are published.
Send letters and opinion pieces to opinion@theeeagleonline.com.
The staff editorials and reflect the majority view of The Eagle's Editorial Board, which consists of the editor-in-chief, managing editors for content, members of the news, life, sports desk and other editors. Each member has an equal vote. The staff editorials represent the opinion of The Eagle, and not of any individual staff member(s).
The Eagle Board of Directors elects the Editor-in-Chief. The board also addresses problems with and/or proposed amendments to The Eagle Constitution and By-Laws as they arise, as well as any personnel problems or grievances with the newspaper that must go beyond the editor-in-chief. The Board of Directors meets at least three times each academic year – once in the fall semester, and twice in the spring semester.
The Editor-in-Chief is elected by a majority vote of the Board each year. The Editor-in-Chief must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 and been an active Eagle staff member in good standing for at least one year prior to the election.
Upon election, the Editor-in-Chief appoints managing editors and section editors.
The Board of Directors is comprised of Eagle alumni, SOC undergraduate and graduate students, at-large undergraduate and graduate students and elected Eagle staff members who each have an equal vote. The current editor-in-chief, a Student Activities representative and a University Counsel representative also serve on the board but cannot vote.
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