The Lumberjack

NAU’s student-produced newspaper

The Lumberjack is the student voice of Northern Arizona University, and has been since it was founded in 1914. A lot has changed since the early 20^th century. That first issue of what was then called The Pine was circulated around a small college then known as Northern Arizona Normal School. While students voted in 1946 to rename the weekly publication The Lumberjack, the student-run newspaper is still performing vital functions of recording and informing student life at NAU, as well as Flagstaff and the northern Arizona community.

Today, The Lumberjack is a 24/7 news operation staffed entirely by students who contribute to all aspects of the publication’s workflow while receiving class credit toward graduation and developing skills that professional media platforms look for in journalists. Students brainstorm stories, plan, report, write, edit, photograph, illustrate and design the weekly publication, while receiving input and guidance from a full-time faculty advisor with decades of professional newsroom experience. The Lumberjack’s website provides a platform for breaking news, updates on previous stories, multimedia projects and digital journalism, while the publication’s student-run social media team is constantly engaging with readers.

The “workshop” environment of The Lumberjack allows students to gain essential hands-on experiential training in an actual newsroom setting. This unique setting allows students to enroll in classes aligned with The Lumberjack early in their NAU careers and begin accruing credit toward graduation. If you want to jump into writing for any of the paper’s sections, or if you want to contribute as a photographer or an illustrator, those opportunities are open to you as a freshman.

Meet the team

You start your career at The Lumberjack as a writer for one of the paper’s sections (News, Op-Ed, Culture, Features, or Sports), or as a member of the photography or illustration departments, after enrolling in a course that allows you to earn credits toward graduation. Student journalists take part in weekly section meetings led by their section editors, who are students who serve as peer mentors and who have earned their positions based on their body of work during their Lumberjack careers. Section editors and their assistants team with members of the publication’s Executive Board to form The Lumberjack Editorial Board. The “Ed Board,” as it’s known by members, functions as the primary planning, decision-making, and collaborative branch of The Lumberjack. Weekly Ed Board meetings provide time for students discuss story ideas, plan event coverage, and coordinate with other departments (photography, illustration) on that week’s publication.

No matter which path you choose for your Lumberjack career, the small class sizes and The Lumberjack’s communal nature give you a chance to interact with your peers in an organic learning environment where personal relationships are prioritized and nurtured. Your confidence will grow, your writing, editing, interviewing and other essential journalism skills will improve, and you will develop lasting relationships.

While much has indeed changed since that first issue of The Pine circulated at Northern Arizona Normal School in 1914, some things have not. The Lumberjack has weighed in on controversies of the day, recorded triumphs and tragedies, and served as a valuable archive of NAU’s history. As it was more than a century ago, The Lumberjack has provided an invaluable training ground for student journalists, many of whom have gone on to illustrious careers in the worlds of newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and digital media. You could be next- join our team.