The Maneater celebrates 55 years
Today, The Maneater celebrates 55 years of publication and of providing the student voice of MU.
Sociology major Joe Gold founded the newspaper in 1955 after he was elected editor-in-chief of the Missouri Student, a newspaper whose name he said “signified nothing.”
He radically changed the newspaper, renaming it The Maneater and changing its editorial policies to reflect a fiercer stance.
"If you want to keep us out, better bar the door," the policy stated. "And don't try getting rough or screaming 'libel' when a Maneater reporter crashes your meetings. When The Maneater gets mad, all hell is going to break loose. You've been warned."
Below is the editorial policy Gold set Feb. 18, 1955:
A newspaper has a personality of its own. That personality dictates the editorial policy, and the writers, from the editor on down, must melt their individual differences into the personality of the paper itself.
The Maneater by its very name cannot content itself with merely presenting the news. For a newspaper to attempt to walk the fine line of impartiality or to present both sides without indicating where it stands is to commit suicide both in circulation figures and in the minds of its readers.
_The Maneater is a tiger with fangs bared and claws sharpened ready to analyze the facts and then to pounce. A tiger exists because it is, and not for one group or another. _
The Maneater recognizes no vested interest, no political party, no group, no matter how powerful. As a publication of the student body of the University of Missouri, the vital consideration must ever be to the entire student body of this university.
The editorials will be aimed toward what is right and against what is wrong. They will be the results of a staff fitting themselves to the personality implied and evident in the vital name of The Maneater.
Gold’s policies still hold true to this day, and we would like to thank everyone who has made The Maneater’s publication possible over the past 55 years. This newspaper would be nothing without the drive of its staff and its relationship with the campus and community. As always, we encourage you join The Maneater’s staff or write a letter to the editor to make the next 55 years even better.
For more history of The Maneater, read the stories below:
How The Maneater got its name — the real story from the first editor
First editor looks back on 30 years of history
The Maneater's 40th anniversary
A word to the unwise: we're still here