The Daily Northwestern

What The Daily Northwestern does

The Daily Northwestern, founded in 1881, is the daily student-run news publication of Northwestern University and the city of Evanston, Illinois, and is one of the oldest continuously published university dailies in the United States. It is operated by undergraduate and graduate students under the nonprofit parent Students Publishing Company, Inc. (S.P.C.), which sits alongside the university and receives tax-deductible donations through Northwestern's giving infrastructure and directly to SPC.

The publication produces a WordPress-based digital news site covering campus, city, sports, arts and entertainment, opinion, and a Spanish-language El Diario section, supplemented by multimedia output (photo, video, audio, data visualization), podcasts, crosswords, and news quizzes. Five segmented email newsletters (The Daily Digest, Sports Newsletter, Notes From A&E, Breaking News, City Newsletter) drive opt-in engagement, while print issues are distributed on campus and archived via Issuu. Distribution also extends to Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and SoundCloud.

The business model is nonprofit and donation-driven: revenue comes from fundraising (the 'Campaign for the Future' initiative funds stipends and newsgathering technology), local advertising, and free newsletter subscriptions. No paid subscription pricing is publicly disclosed. The publication serves Northwestern students, faculty and staff, alumni, and Evanston residents, and has been recognized with the 2026 Associated Collegiate Press Online Pacemaker Award and two 2026 Society of Professional Journalists national awards.

Name

The Daily Northwestern

Legal name

The Daily Northwestern

Website

https://dailynorthwestern.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1881

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Daily Northwestern, founded in 1881, is Northwestern University's student-run daily newspaper serving the university and Evanston, Illinois community. It operates as a nonprofit under Students Publishing Company, Inc., funded by donations, advertising, and newsletter subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Newspaper

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (513110)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Media & Publications (Newspaper, Radio, TV) (EDALAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local & Regional Newspapers (Print & Digital) (MPAJADAB), Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG)

Keywords

• Campus news reporting
• Student journalism
• College newspaper
• University news coverage
• Multimedia storytelling

Headquarters

HQ city

Evanston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The Daily Northwestern operates a Campaign for the Future of The Daily Northwestern, accepting tax-deductible donations through Northwestern University and directly to Students Publishing Company, Inc. (S.P.C.). The publication has launched initiatives to fund student stipends and newsgathering technology.
2. Advertising: The publication accepts advertising, with dedicated pages for advertisers on their website.
3. Subscriptions: The Daily Northwestern offers email newsletter subscriptions, including The Daily Digest, Sports Newsletter, Notes From A&E, Breaking News, and City Newsletter.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Daily Northwestern publishes daily news and multimedia journalism covering Northwestern University campus life, Evanston community issues, administration, Greek life, multicultural affairs, sports, arts, and opinion. Content is delivered through a website, email newsletters, social media, podcasts, and periodic print editions, and is produced entirely by student journalists under the Students Publishing Company.

Product overview

The Daily Northwestern is a single unified digital news publication operated by Northwestern University students. The product portfolio consists of the core news website delivering daily coverage of campus, city, sports, and opinion content, supplemented by email newsletter subscriptions (The Daily Digest, Sports Newsletter, Notes From A&E, Breaking News, City Newsletter), multimedia offerings including audio podcasts and video content, and print archives. The publication has been serving Northwestern University and Evanston since 1881.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Daily Northwestern (Daily News Publication) The flagship daily digital news publication covering Northwestern University campus news, Evanston city news, administration, Greek life, multicultural issues, sports, arts and entertainment, and opinion, produced by student journalists for the Northwestern community.
• Email Newsletters Email-delivered newsletter products that summarize and link to the day's news, designed for Northwestern community members who want updates delivered to their inbox.
• Podcasts Audio podcast programming produced by The Daily Northwestern's multimedia team, distributed on major podcast platforms as an extension of the newsroom's journalism work.
• Multimedia Journalism (Photo and Video) Photo and video content produced by student multimedia journalists to accompany news, arts, sports, and opinion coverage on the website, social media, and other platforms.
• Print Edition Periodic physical print issues of The Daily Northwestern distributed on campus and in Evanston, providing a tangible newspaper product alongside the digital publication.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Northwestern UniversitycoreOthersThe Daily Northwestern operates as part of Northwestern University's campus ecosystem. The publication receives support through Northwestern's giving infrastructure for tax-deductible donations. The Students Publishing Company (S.P.C.) is the non-profit parent organization of The Daily, separate from but connected to the University.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Daily Targum: Student-run daily newspaper at Rutgers University, sharing the daily publication rhythm, university-and-city coverage scope, and student-led editorial structure of The Daily Northwestern.
• The Harvard Crimson: Daily student newspaper serving Harvard University, comparable in scope (daily publication, multi-channel distribution, journalism training mission) and audience profile (elite university community) to The Daily Northwestern.
• The Daily Pennsylvanian: Independent student-run daily newspaper at the University of Pennsylvania, structurally similar to The Daily Northwestern with daily digital/print output and a training-focused editorial mission.
• The Stanford Daily: Student-run daily newspaper serving Stanford University, sharing the same operating model (student-staffed newsroom, daily publication, multi-format distribution) as The Daily Northwestern.
• The Michigan Daily: Independent daily student newspaper at the University of Michigan with a long publication history and similar audience (university students plus surrounding city residents), comparable to The Daily Northwestern's Evanston coverage.
• The Columbia Daily Spectator: Student-run daily newspaper at Columbia University, directly comparable in its daily digital publication, multimedia expansion, and journalism training mission.
• Yale Daily News: Oldest college daily newspaper in the United States, serving Yale University. Comparable to The Daily Northwestern as a long-established, student-operated daily serving an elite university community.
• The Cornell Daily Sun: Independent daily student newspaper at Cornell University, offering a directly analogous operating model to The Daily Northwestern with daily news, sports, and opinion coverage.
• The Daily Californian: Independent student newspaper serving UC Berkeley, comparable in scale and mission to The Daily Northwestern with daily coverage of campus and surrounding city (Berkeley).
• The Cavalier Daily: Independent student newspaper at the University of Virginia, comparable to The Daily Northwestern in its daily publication cadence, university-community focus, and nonprofit operation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thedailynu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DailyNUVideo/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/thedailynorthwestern
• Instagraminstagram.com/thedailynu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-daily-northwestern

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Daily Northwestern