According to HBCU Digest, the FAMU administration says a new
publication that it is about to launch won’t “replace or hinder” The FAMUan
newspaper run by campus students.
On Thursday, an opinion piece in The FAMUan criticized
President Elmira Mangum for excluding student editors from the planning process
for a new “official newspaper” at the university. FAMUan Editor-in-Chief Reggie
Mizell authored the column with the support of Journey Magazine Editor-in-Chief
TyLisa Johnson, who served as a contributor.
Mizell said Mangum told a group of student editors about the
new publication after the Thursday, August 27 Legacy Banquet that honored all
the living FAMU presidents. He said the president told them that: “It won't be the FAMUAN. It’ll be a real
newspaper, like the Wall Street Journal.”
HBCU Digest reports that “FAMU communications officials say that Dr. Mangum’s comments were intended to describe the new look and function of the school’s digital news and events site. FAMUNews.com, currently displaying a relaunch message scheduled for next week, was the official landing page for university press release and event descriptions. The new website, tentatively named Inside FAMU, will offer a comprehensive archive of news releases, campus-produced videos and profiles, and feature stories about people and happenings at the school, officials said in a statement.”
The FAMU administration also gave HBCU Digest the following
statement about the relationship that it sees “Inside FAMU” having with The
FAMUan:
The site will not replace or hinder the production of The Famuan, the goal of the site is raise more awareness about the University overall and provide promotional and shareable content about our activities as a collective unit, which will lead to more awareness about our students and their accomplishments and activities, such as our award-winning on-campus news platforms.
HBCU Digest stated that “Mizell could not be reached for
comment for this story.”