The Weekly Ringer
The Blue and Gray Press is the University of Mary Washington's official weekly student newspaper. Founded as The Bullet in 1922, the editors of the paper changed the name to The Blue and Gray Press in 2014. Located in Fredericksburg, Virginia., the student publication is printed every Thursday, and distributed to the UMW Undergraduate campus. Its website [1] averages 500 hits per day and its circulation is approximately 4,000.
Awards
The publication has received numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Associated Collegiate Press and Newspaper Association of America Foundation.
Society of Professional Journalists
Mark of Excellence - 1st Place, 2003 [1]
Mark of Excellence - 2nd Place, 2002 [2]
Associated Collegiate Press and Newspaper Association of America Foundation
The Newspaperpacemaker Finalist Award - 1994 [3]
Name Change
In the summer of 2014 The Bullet announced on their Facebook Page[4] that the newspaper was being relaunched as The Blue and Gray Press. Stating the "evolving era of journalism" and changes of various newspapers in local and national landscape, the editorial board met and after long deliberations announced a new name change to the student body. In their message to the University of Mary Washington community, the board said they viewed the new name as an opportunity to propel the publication into the modern era and follow new digital trends in reporting. The board also went on to state that they intended to continue to honor the school's history with the new name.
The name change was coordinated as part of a massive rebranding of the paper, which included launching an entirely new website, restructuring the print layout and design, and creating a wider social media campaign for the paper.
Current editorial staff
- Editor-in-Chief: Chris Markham
- Managing Editor: Tess Osmer
- News Editor: Emily Hollingsworth and Sarah Grammar
- Viewpoints Editor: Alex Spence
- Life Editor: Della Hethcox
- Sports Editor: Mikey Barnes
- Photo Editor: Alex Sakes
- Online Editor: Ethan Tobin
- Business Manager: David Concepcion
- Advertising Manager: Natalie Furman