One rule we’re told to follow as journalists is to never let a number stand alone. There must always be some mode of comparison to ground the reader: a stadium to fit inside or number of objects to tip the scale. Most of us didn’t go into this field because we love math. Big numbers are hard; we get that. So, to ask a similar question to one asked in a certain song from a certain Broadway musical: How do we define the number 120?
A trip from our office to Disney World is 120 miles. A college semester is 120 days. A bachelor’s degree is 120 credit hours.
But those comparisons fail to convey the memories created, accomplishments earned and battles fought — so bear with us if we choose to let a number stand alone just this once.
This paper’s publication date marks exactly 120 years since it launched as The University News in 1906, the year UF — then called the University of the State of Florida — established its home in Gainesville. Some of the challenges we face today might sound surreal to those first editors, who lived in a 45-state U.S. and wouldn’t see widespread modern air conditioning until nearly half a century later.
We can’t pretend to know how those first editors felt when they founded the paper. However, we can be fairly certain why they launched it, because it’s the same reason we continue to fight for it today: to inform so you can decide.
Journalism faces battles both incredibly different from and eerily similar to those it faced in 1906.
Modern technology is revolutionary, allowing us to communicate with people hundreds of miles from The Swamp. With it comes the rise of artificial intelligence, a tool we’re encouraged to either adopt or risk falling behind. No one can promise us our jobs will be safe from its spread, but we can promise this much: Our work is 100% human, and we don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Meanwhile, newsrooms are shutting down across the country, and local papers are shrinking into the leadership of larger conglomerates. Just last month, newspaper chain McClatchy, which owns The Miami Herald, laid off at least 90 journalists across dozens of publications. Some of those were former Alligator staff members.
It’s hard to sit in a room of 70-plus other student journalists, all trying to ignore the LinkedIn layoff announcements flooding our feeds, and leap into making a paper each week. But we leap into it anyway — because we’ve seen the power of student journalism.
Just last month, reporters from The Cornell Daily Sun broke the news of a sexual assault lawsuit at their university that has since gained global attention. The staff put nearly two years of dedication into the coverage, and their reporting communicated more to the campus than its administration. As The Cornell Sun’s editor-in-chief reflected: Why should a newspaper have financial independence if not to report unapologetically on its university?
The Alligator prides itself on its independence.
Since 1973, this paper has been funded independently of the university administration — which didn’t adopt us until 1912.
Our independence is a defining achievement, and we have never taken it for granted. In the past three years alone, we’ve uncovered the misuse of funds by former UF President Ben Sasse, arrests of UF employees and students and events that led to the ousting of Krishna Lunch.
The newsroom’s passionate, fast-paced environment is also a catalyst for full-time journalists. Alligator alumni have gone on to work in newsrooms across the country, including The New York Times, Orlando Sentinel, Washington Post and Tampa Bay Times. Their work at the Alligator was just the beginning. Our newsroom is a learning ground that allows our staff to make mistakes and learn from them, develop their skills and foster lifelong connections.
With all that’s happened in the past 120 years, we can’t begin to predict what the next 120 will look like. But we’re here and hungry to keep doing what we’re doing. And we don’t plan on going anywhere.
To ensure student journalism can continue to thrive for years to come, please consider donating at alligator.org/page/donate.
- The Alligator Editorial Board (Bailey Diem, Vera Lucia Pappaterra and Shaine Davison)
Bailey Diem is a journalism senior and the Fall 2026 Editor-in-Chief. Across seven previous semesters, Bailey served as the editor of the metro desk and reported on both it and the university desk, in addition to working as the Summer 2026 Editor-in-Chief and last summer's Engagement Managing Editor. When there's a free moment to snag between AP Style edits and stalking commission agendas, it's spent playing guitar, cuddling Tortellini the cat or getting lost in a good book.
Vera Lucia Pappaterra is a journalism senior and the Fall 2026 Digital Managing Editor. Vera Lucia served as a reporter on the University desk, editor on the Caiman desk and both on the Enterprise desk. This past summer, she interned at the Miami Herald. Outside the office, you'll find her lifting more than you can, embroidering and djing (badly).
Shaine Davison is a journalism senior and the Fall 2026 Engagement Managing Editor. She has previously served as a reporter on the sports and university desks, and as an editor on the enterprise desk. In her free time, you'll find her on a run or trying new coffee shops.
