Welcome to Student Media
About: The Daily Toreodor | La Ventana | New Media
About Student Media
At Texas Tech University, the Department of Student Media produces the student newspaper, The Daily Toreador; the campus yearbook, La Ventana; and a Web site devoted to new media, dailytoreador.com. All publications, productions and telecasts within the department are non-academic and considered student activities.
The department has no formal connection with the College of Mass Communications, but many Student Media students are enrolled in mass communication classes. The Department of Student Media provides opportunities for these students to use the academic training obtained in the College of Mass Communications in practical settings to create a daily newspaper, a yearbook and a multimedia Web site.
Operating philosophy
Texas Tech University recognizes and affirms the editorial independence and press freedom of all student-edited campus media. Student editors/managers have the authority to make all content decisions; consequently, they bear the responsibility for the decisions they make.
Texas Tech University believes an independent, robust student press is a basic right in a free and democratic society and necessary for a full and vigorous freedom of expression as well as proper growth and development of students as socially responsible journalists and individuals. It also believes such a student press serves the campus community best. Student journalists/telecasters should pursue their vitally important tasks within an environment conducive to growth and development and, to that end, the university has assigned responsibility for creating such an environment to the Department of Student Media through the Student Media Committee.
Within this context, the Student Media Committee and the Department of Student Media develop policies and programs to assure adequate financial support for The Daily Toreador, La Ventana and dailytoreador.com to relieve student editors of many non-editorial/non-production business matters; to provide student editors readily available, competent advice and counsel concerning their ethical and legal responsibilities and other professional matters; and to promote on campus an understanding and continuing commitment to student freedom of the press.
Organization
The Department of Student Media, under the Division of Student Affairs & Enrollment Management, is advised by the Student Media Committee. The committee operates under authority granted by the president of the university and is responsible for advising the vice president for Student Affairs on matters related to student media. In the capacity of advisement to the Department of Student Media, the Student Media Committee exists to support and protect a vigorous, socially responsible student media at Texas Tech University. The committee brings together various elements of the campus community in an appropriate forum to discuss student media issues as they relate to the campus and to advise the vice president for Student Affairs and the Student Media staffs accordingly.