StudentNation

StudentNation is a program of the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism and is made possible through generous funding from the Puffin Foundation. StudentNation focuses on first-person accounts from student activists, organizers, and journalists and has helped launch the careers of contributors to The New York TimesVoxBusiness InsiderTeen Vogue, the Guardian, and more. If you’re a student and you have an article idea, please send pitches and questions to [email protected]

US Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) addresses supporters as they wait for election results at an election night event on November 5, 2024.

Will the Democratic Party Keep Learning the Wrong Lessons? Will the Democratic Party Keep Learning the Wrong Lessons?

As an intern for Jon Tester’s campaign, I saw a disconnect between our claim to authentic Montanan populism and the reality on the ground. In 2025, we need something different.

Oct 27, 2025 / StudentNation / Nick Perkins

Pedestrians on the campus of Indiana University–Bloomington in Bloomington, Indiana.

Why Did Indiana University Axe Its Award-Winning Print Newspaper? Why Did Indiana University Axe Its Award-Winning Print Newspaper?

If the administration can censor the Indiana Daily Student—one of the most acclaimed student publications in the nation—then student journalism everywhere is at risk.

Oct 24, 2025 / StudentNation / Ella Curlin

A military truck transporting the belongings of a resident past the Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap province.

Independent Media in Cambodia Is Collapsing. Washington Made It Worse. Independent Media in Cambodia Is Collapsing. Washington Made It Worse.

The Thai-Cambodian border conflict is just one of the many stories going underreported in the country as Trump’s funding cuts leave citizens and journalists scrambling.

Oct 23, 2025 / StudentNation / Rani Chor

Views From the “No Kings” Protests

Views From the “No Kings” Protests Views From the “No Kings” Protests

We asked six student writers—in Indiana, Alaska, Alabama, and more—to report on the demonstrations in their area.

Oct 20, 2025 / StudentNation / StudentNation

Cornell Drops Its Discrimination Case Against a Pro-Palestine Professor After Public Outcry

Cornell Drops Its Discrimination Case Against a Pro-Palestine Professor After Public Outcry Cornell Drops Its Discrimination Case Against a Pro-Palestine Professor After Public Outcry

After around 160 faculty members signed a resolution condemning the university, Cornell closed a disciplinary case against Dr. Eric Cheyfitz on the condition that he retires.

Oct 14, 2025 / StudentNation / Gabe Levin

Mustafa Tafesh and the Palestine National Baseball team.

“The Occupation Kills Everything, Including Athletes” “The Occupation Kills Everything, Including Athletes”

Mustafa Tafesh and Ashraf Murad, members of the Palestine National Baseball Team, are just two of 800 athletes who have been killed during Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Oct 13, 2025 / StudentNation / Khadeejah Khan

Police on the UCLA campus in May 2024.

“True Bruin Values”: How UCLA Justified a Crackdown on Protest “True Bruin Values”: How UCLA Justified a Crackdown on Protest

More than a year after the Gaza encampments, the university’s newly enforced “time, place, and manner” restrictions have spread to any sort of contentious content on campus.

Oct 9, 2025 / StudentNation / Zoya Alam

The artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT.

What Happens When Universities Offer a “Critical Embrace” of AI? What Happens When Universities Offer a “Critical Embrace” of AI?

With platforms like Boston University’s “TerrierGPT,” the pressure for students to use AI is coming from colleges themselves, even as researchers warn of long-term consequences.

Oct 6, 2025 / StudentNation / Julie Huynh

Sister Jeannine Gramick marching alongside individuals at Prague Pride for faith and inclusion, holding a banner that reads “LGBTQ věřící” (“LGBTQ believers”).

The Queer Catholic Group Trying to Reclaim the Church The Queer Catholic Group Trying to Reclaim the Church

At a time when our politics is openly hostile to LGBTQ+ rights, communities like New Ways Ministries are offering a vision of religion not as judgment but as sanctuary.

Oct 3, 2025 / StudentNation / Amara McEvoy

The Widener Library on the Harvard Campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

We’re Thinking About College Rankings All Wrong We’re Thinking About College Rankings All Wrong

The annual list from U.S. News and World Report is helpful for affluent families and those with the resources to compete for a spot at elite universities. What about everyone else...

Sep 30, 2025 / StudentNation / Zoya Alam

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