The Cornell Progressive

The Cornell Progressive (previously called Turn Left) was an independent student-run publication at Cornell University. Calling itself "Cornell's Liberal Voice," The Cornell Progressive focuses on political and humanitarian issues that it believed were underreported by other media outlets.[1] It also participates in campus dialogs through debates and other events in collaboration with other student organizations.[2]

This article is about the former Cornell student publication. For the Canadian socialist newspaper, see New Democratic Party Socialist Caucus.
The Cornell Progressive
TypeMonthly newspaper
FormatTabloid, on newsprint
Owner(s)Independent
Founded2000
Political alignmentLiberal/Progressive
HeadquartersIthaca, New York
Circulation3,000+
Website

In a controversial decision, Turn Left was renamed The Cornell Progressive in February 2007.[3] The Cornell Progressive has been inactive since 2016.

History

Founded in 2000 by three engineering students to counter the domination of the independent campus press by the conservative Cornell Review, Turn Left became an influential source for political discussion and debate at Cornell. During the 2004 election, the Turn Left staff generally backed moderate Democrat John Kerry for the presidency over more liberal candidates such as independent Ralph Nader. The publication itself did not endorse a candidate.[4] TL notably avoided a hard line on such hot-button issues as the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

Turn Left attracted much notice among Cornellians in the spring of 2005 for its scathing attack on the Cornell Daily Sun in response to what it considered poor reporting of major issues on campus, such as the 2005 Student Assembly elections scandal, and a dearth of quality opinion writing.[5] TL also raised its profile with its efforts to expand coverage of local and campus issues, as well as its sometimes biting satire [6] and extensive coverage of international events. Turn Left was the only publication at Cornell that consistently covered the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.[7]

In 2005, Turn Left exposed a scandal involving alleged improprieties in the conduct of the leadership of The Cornell Democrats and the Cornell Student Assembly, both led at the time by Tim Lim '06.[8] Lim later removed himself from the presidency of the Democrats in a cloud of controversy,[9] and Cornell students launched a campaign to discredit the allegedly fraudulent March 2005 Student Assembly elections[10] – both events influenced in large part by TL reporting and opinion.

In the Spring of 2007, co-editors Shai Akabas '09 and Ethan Felder '09 launched a successful but controversial campaign to change the name of the publication to The Cornell Progressive. The executive board voted 6-2 to amend the organization's constitution in March 2007.[11][12]

In 2005, Turn Left began to bill itself as "Cornell's premier political newspaper," signaling its editors' belief that it eclipsed the once monolithic Cornell Review in terms of influence and quality.[13]

Milestones

References
  1. Turn Left's mission statement
  2. Nelson, Steven. "Greenstreet Screens Political Film at C.U. Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine," The Cornell Daily Sun, March 31, 2005.
  3. Editorial, The Cornell Progressive Volume VII Issue III; Letters to The Editor, Volume VII Issue IV
  4. Turn Left Volume V, Volume III
  5. "We Do Not Apologize!" Turn Left Volume V Issue VIII
  6. TL staff. "Top 10 Reasons We'd Rather Use the Cornell Daily Sun for Toilet Paper," Turn Left, retrieved on January 8, 2007
  7. Turn Left Volume V, Volume VI
  8. Turn Left Volume V Issue VII
  9. "Move made to impeach President Tim Lim", Turn Left Volume V, Issue VII; "C.U. Dems Resign" Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine, The Cornell Daily Sun, retrieved on May 21, 2007
  10. "Move to Disapprove SA Election Results", "SMACK or the Two-Thirds Majority That Could", Turn Left Volume V, Issue VIII
  11. The Cornell Progressive Volume VII Issue III
  12. An Open Letter to The Editors of The Cornell Progressive, March 2007
  13. Turn Left Volume V Issue V
  14. Graham-Felsen, Sam. "The New Face of the Campus Left," The Nation, January 26, 2006.
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