Your Student Newspaper Celebrates Three Years of Publication

The spring 2026 semester marks the third year of publication of The Cyclone Chronicle, an online newspaper “for the students, by the students.” Over the past six semesters, 55 students have honed their craft as journalists while adding to their professional portfolio, with 26 returning for another semester, 14 of which for three or more semesters. 

Who we are.

The Cyclone Chronicle is a product of Newspaper Production Studio (WRI-2310) and is offered both fall and spring semesters as a 4-credit class, a 2-credit class and as a club. The popular class joins a compliment of nine classes in the university’s Writing Program housed in the School of Business, Media and Writing.

Our history.

From humble beginnings and high hopes in the fall semester of 2023, eight trailblazing students signed up for Experiential Writing not quite knowing what to expect. Their instructor, Janet Zatta, however, had plans: to continue the tradition of student journalism at Centenary and the long line of student newspapers which had fallen silent after the demise of The Quill in 2019. See related story on the history of student journalism at Centenary here.

Those eight students designed the newest iteration of the student newspaper, from choosing a name, web design, content parameters, and a new logo paying homage to our mascot, The Cyclone. In the six semesters since its debut, The Cyclone Chronicle’s staff has swelled to 24 student-journalists who function as staff of the publication and barely fit in Lackland 253, where the class is traditionally held each semester.

What we do.

Every semester the returning and new staffers poll the campus community for topics their collegial peers are interested in reading about. Those topics usually fit neatly into the newspaper’s section tabs of news, features, arts & entertainment, sports, editorials, and op-eds.

Then it is off to the races as student-journalists pitch story ideas for approval and start the process of attending events to report on, setting up interviews with students-faculty-staff, and doing the occasional investigative reporting on an issue of concern to the campus community.

What’s new.

Every semester the staff strives to add something new. Recent additions to the student newspaper line-up include conducting polls, adding a creative corner section, highlighting student graphic artists, offering internships, creating an Instagram account, and sponsoring open mic nights. However, our most exciting recent addition was analytics as we wondered about the extent of our readership and most-read stories.

By the numbers.

People are reading! On the date of our Halloween issue on October 30, 2025, Google Analytics indicated The Cyclone Chronicle had 1,237 views and an event count of 3,094. By week’s end, the total views were 2,137 with an event count of 5,487.  Our most-read stories for FA25 ranged from the people-centered stories including Remembrances of Professor Noah Haiduc-Dale (3-part story), Combining Graduate Study While Working at CU, Holiday Traditions from CC Staff, and Newspaper Alumni Share Post-Centenary Life. Other most-read stories included 11th Hour Rescue’s Puptoberfest Shares Ties With Centenary, and A Deep Dive into Journalism at Centenary; 126 Years and Counting.

Over the past three years, our student-journalists have covered 91 news stories and written 89 feature stories, 58 film reviews, 40 music reviews, 37 video game reviews, 35 editorials, 20 theater reviews, 17 food-related reviews and hosted 10 op-eds from faculty.

Journalistic writing.

The Cyclone Chronicle prides itself on the quality of its journalistic writing, which most staffers will agree is new to them. In its traditional form, journalism is reporting on current events and trends for a specific audience in a clear, concise and objective manner. It is not lost on our student-journalists that the objectivity factor is missing in much of today’s “journalism.”

The core staff on The Cyclone Chronicle has taken Intro to Journalism with Professor Zatta in the past. (This course will be offered again in FA26.) These student-journalists now serve in editor positions.  For the new staff, journalism techniques are offered as mini-workshops during class time throughout the semester. Topics include how to write a variety of journalism styles (news, features, A&E, sports and editorials) along with how to begin a story, use quotes, interview, write headlines and cutlines, and take interesting photos.

Unlike social media which skews to instant and short, stories in The Cyclone Chronicle have depth and are peer reviewed according to the Associated Press Style (AP), the grammar code of all journalists. Although we discuss the use of AI in writing, we do not use it to write our stories.

Guest speakers.

In addition to providing a realistic publication experience for students, we bring in guest speakers who provide insight into what journalism is like beyond the classroom. This semester, we have cued up an author, a local radio news director and an owner-publisher of a regional life-style magazine.

All are welcome.

As a newspaper “for the students, by the students,” The Cyclone Chronicle truly represents what’s on the minds of Centenary students and truly offers something for everyone.  It is a welcoming community of writers and creatives. All students and majors are welcome. The only pre-requisite is enthusiasm for journalism and curiosity about the Centenary community.