Laney Tower
| "We've got issues" | |
| Type | Bi-weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Publisher | Laney College Journalism Department |
| Editor | Tracey Brown |
| Founded | 1952 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters |
900 Fallon Street Oakland, CA 94607 United States |
| Circulation | 3000 |
| Website | http://www.thelaneytower.com |
The Laney Tower is the student-run newspaper of Laney College in Oakland, California, established in 1952.
The newspaper primarily serves the Laney campus, there is also coverage of the other colleges of the Peralta Community College District (College of Alameda, Berkeley City College, and Merritt College). The Laney Tower is currently the only student newspaper in the four-campus district.
The Laney Tower is a bi-weekly tabloid that is published eight times during the fall and spring semesters on Thursdays. Journalism students enrolled in Journalism 18 and other classes in the Laney journalism department at the campus produce the paper.
Ironically, the “Laney Tower” name precedes the nine-story Laney Tower Administration Building that sits near the northwest corner of the campus by 19 years. The Laney Tower was previously housed on the sixth floor of the Tower building and was located in a few other areas on campus before relocating to its present offices in G233.
The Laney Tower, though not completely financially independent from the district, has a significant degree of autonomy. The paper does not receive funds from the Associated Students of Laney College (ASLC), and state law prohibits both the district’s governing board and campus administrators from censuring the paper. There is currently legislation pending which would also shield the newspaper's adviser from legal sanctions or punishment for the actions of staff.
The Laney Tower does have an adviser who makes recommendations to the staff, but allows decisions to be made by the paper’s Editorial Board. Burt Dragin has served as the Laney Tower adviser since 1971. In 2007, Dragin received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC), a statewide journalism association.
In 2006, the Laney Tower launched the Tower Online, the newspaper’s website. The Tower Online has allowed staff to produce and publish content beyond the current two-week news cycle of the print edition.
In recent years, the Laney Tower has earned numerous awards from the JACC, ranging from individual awards for staff writers and photographers, to the coveted General Excellence award recognizing journalism excellence.
Editors-in-Chief
2015-2016: KR Nava and David Hiltbrand
2014-2015:
2013-2014:
2012-2013: Jon Leckie and Aubrie Johnson
2011-2012: Rina Shaikh-Lesko and Tucker Phelps
2010-2011: Terez McCall
2009-2010: Tracey Brown
2008-2009: Leah Clark
2007-2008: Reginald James
2006-2007: Angelica Carapia
Fall 2005: Devin O'Keefe
2004-2005: Ben Hawkins