College media statistics describe a student-press environment balancing continued production with changing delivery habits, financial pressure and editorial constraints. A 2020-2021 College Media Review benchmarking survey found that 94% of college media outlets continued production during the COVID-19 pandemic, even amid campus shutdowns and restructuring. Longer-running readership figures from Pew Research Center show daily newspaper readership by education level from 1999 through 2015, while the Free PRESSED report from FIRE measures reported administrative pressure on college editors.
College media statistics at a glance
- 94% of college media outlets continued production during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to College Media Review, Vol. 58, 2020-2021.
- The 2020 CMA benchmarking survey was sent to all 635 CMA members and had about 135 participating members.
- The overall response rate was 21%.
- More than a quarter of advisers said advertising revenue dropped more than 20% over the last academic year.
- Nearly 58% of respondents reduced the number of printed newspaper copies.
- 42% permanently reduced print frequency.
- 42% of advisers said staffs were adopting delivery models such as podcasts and e-newsletters.
- In the Free PRESSED report, 63.8% of editors reported at least one instance of administrative censorship in the prior year.
- 60.9% reported administrative requests or demands not to publish certain content.
These figures cover different measures and periods. The College Media Review results concern a 2020-2021 benchmarking survey and the prior academic year; the FIRE figures concern respondents’ reported experiences in the prior year; and the Pew series records daily newspaper readership by education level for each year from 1999 to 2015.
How the 2020 CMA survey was conducted
The College Media Review survey provides both a participation frame and communication-performance figures. It was sent to 635 CMA members nationwide, with about 135 members participating. The overall response rate was 21%.
The initial email had a 44% open rate and a 34% click-through rate. The follow-up reminder had a 41% open rate and a 20% click-through rate. These are survey-contact metrics, not audience measures for campus publications. They help describe how the benchmarking survey reached members, while the participation count describes the survey’s respondent pool.
The survey’s central operational finding was continuity: 94% of college media outlets continued production during the COVID-19 pandemic amid campus shutdowns and restructuring. That figure sits alongside evidence of changes in print and revenue, so continued production did not necessarily mean unchanged publication routines.
Production, print and revenue changes
The same College Media Review survey recorded several changes in how college media operated during the last academic year covered by the survey. More than a quarter of advisers said advertising revenue dropped more than 20%. The supplied finding does not give a more precise percentage, so the result is best read as a threshold-based share rather than a single point estimate.
Nearly 58% of respondents said they reduced the number of printed newspaper copies. Separately, 42% said they permanently reduced print frequency. The two measures address different changes: one concerns the number of copies, while the other concerns how often print editions were produced.
Another 42% of advisers said their staffs were adopting new delivery models such as podcasts and e-newsletters. This result identifies the share reporting adoption of those models; it does not quantify how many podcasts or newsletters were launched, how often they were published, or how many readers they reached.
| College media measure | Reported result | Measurement period or context |
|---|---|---|
| Outlets continuing production | 94% | COVID-19 pandemic, College Media Review, Vol. 58, 2020-2021 |
| Respondents reducing printed copies | Nearly 58% | Last academic year covered by the survey |
| Advisers reporting permanent print-frequency reduction | 42% | Last academic year covered by the survey |
| Advisers reporting new delivery models | 42% | Models included podcasts and e-newsletters |
| Advisers reporting advertising revenue down more than 20% | More than a quarter | Last academic year covered by the survey |
The results show why “college media” cannot be reduced to print circulation alone. The measured changes include production continuity, copy volume, print frequency, digital or audio delivery, and advertising revenue. Each statistic describes a different part of the operating picture.
Administrative censorship and editorial pressure
The Free PRESSED report from FIRE measures editorial experiences and perceptions among college editors. In that report, 63.8% reported experiencing at least one instance of administrative censorship in the prior year. Also, 60.9% reported administrative requests or demands not to publish certain content.
An earlier FIRE survey recorded 51.6% reporting administrative requests or demands not to publish certain content. Because the supplied figures identify the earlier survey but do not provide a full methodological comparison, the two percentages should be kept as separate reported results rather than treated as a directly comparable trend line.
The Free PRESSED findings also identify subject areas in which respondents believed administrators disapproved of coverage. The shares were 40.6% for coverage of administrative decisions and 40.6% for college personnel issues. The share was 31.9% for college finances.
Nearly one-quarter of respondents believed administrators disapproved of coverage of sexual assault and Title IX issues. More than one-in-five believed administrators disapproved of coverage of campus crime. These figures describe respondents’ beliefs about administrative disapproval, not a count of confirmed publication restrictions.
Taken together, the FIRE statistics separate at least three concepts: reported experience of administrative censorship, reported requests or demands not to publish, and perceived disapproval of coverage of particular topics. Keeping those concepts distinct matters when interpreting college media statistics.
Daily newspaper readership by education level, 1999-2003
Pew Research Center’s Newspapers: Daily readership by education level series, published in 2016, reports daily newspaper readership percentages for several education groups. The data are historical measurements for each listed year, not current readership estimates or forecasts.
In 1999, daily readership was 54% among high school graduates, 59% among people with some college, 63% among college graduates, 68% among people with some postgraduate study, and 60% among people with postgraduate degrees. In 2000, the figures were 52%, 57%, 61%, 67%, and 58%, respectively.
For 2001, the five education-group figures were 51% for high school graduates, 56% for people with some college, 60% for college graduates, 66% for people with some postgraduate study, and 57% for people with postgraduate degrees. For 2002, they were 53%, 57%, 61%, 66%, and 58%.
In 2003, daily newspaper readership was 51% among high school graduates, 56% among people with some college, 59% among college graduates, 66% among people with some postgraduate study, and 68% among people with postgraduate degrees.
| Year | High school graduates | Some college | College graduates | Some postgraduate study | Postgraduate degrees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 54% | 59% | 63% | 68% | 60% |
| 2000 | 52% | 57% | 61% | 67% | 58% |
| 2001 | 51% | 56% | 60% | 66% | 57% |
| 2002 | 53% | 57% | 61% | 66% | 58% |
| 2003 | 51% | 56% | 59% | 66% | 68% |
Daily newspaper readership, 2004-2009
The Pew series reports 2004 readership at 50% for high school graduates, 55% for people with some college, 59% for college graduates, 63% for people with some postgraduate study, and 67% for people with postgraduate degrees. In 2005, the corresponding figures were 49%, 54%, 58%, 62%, and 66%.
For 2006, the values were 47% among high school graduates, 52% among people with some college, 55% among college graduates, 58% among people with some postgraduate study, and 64% among people with postgraduate degrees. For 2007, they were 46%, 50%, 53%, 59%, and 62%.
In 2008, daily newspaper readership was 44% for high school graduates, 48% for people with some college, 52% for college graduates, 56% for people with some postgraduate study, and 60% for people with postgraduate degrees. In 2009, the figures were 43%, 46%, 49%, 55%, and 57%.
Across these years, the source presents readership separately for education categories. The figures should not be read as readership of college newspapers specifically; they are daily newspaper readership measurements organized by education level.
Daily newspaper readership, 2010-2015
In 2010, Pew Research Center reported daily readership of 39% among high school graduates, 43% among people with some college, 46% among college graduates, 49% among people with some postgraduate study, and 54% among people with postgraduate degrees. In 2011, the values were 37%, 39%, 42%, 48%, and 51%.
For 2012, the five figures were 35%, 38%, 40%, 45%, and 48%. For 2013, they were 33%, 36%, 37%, 41%, and 45%. In 2014, daily readership was 29% among high school graduates, 33% among people with some college, 34% among college graduates, 39% among people with some postgraduate study, and 42% among people with postgraduate degrees.
The final year in the supplied series, 2015, recorded 27% among high school graduates, 31% among people with some college, 31% among college graduates, 38% among people with some postgraduate study, and 39% among people with postgraduate degrees.
| Year | High school graduates | Some college | College graduates | Some postgraduate study | Postgraduate degrees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 39% | 43% | 46% | 49% | 54% |
| 2011 | 37% | 39% | 42% | 48% | 51% |
| 2012 | 35% | 38% | 40% | 45% | 48% |
| 2013 | 33% | 36% | 37% | 41% | 45% |
| 2014 | 29% | 33% | 34% | 39% | 42% |
| 2015 | 27% | 31% | 31% | 38% | 39% |
The 1999-2015 readership figures are historical data reported by Pew Research Center in 2016. They provide context for newspaper readership by education level, while the College Media Review and FIRE results address college-media operations and editorial conditions in their own stated periods.