Oregon Student Newspaper on Strike

The staff of the Oregon Daily Emerald, the University of Oregon's student newspaper, are on strike to protest decisions from the paper's board of directors. The staff has a list of demands, which includes that the board rescind a job offer to a nonstudent publisher (Steven Smith, a former editor in chief at Spokane's Spokesman-Review) and a promise that editorial control will rest solely with students.

The strike began at 6 a.m. today. By mid-morning, Smith "withdrew from the fray" and ended his involvement with the Daily Emerald, the Chronicle of Higher Education reports.

Meanwhile, the newspaper's board seemed to remain unfazed. In an E-mail to editors last night, the board wrote, "Acceding to these demands would essentially dissolve the structure of the corporation. Furthermore, the board refuses to be bullied and blackmailed."