dailyeasternnews.com

The Daily Eastern News is written and edited by students at Eastern Illinois University, not by university officials. By checking the byline on any article, you can see whether it is a staff-reported news story, a sports report, a signed column, or an unsigned editorial representing the editorial board. The site describes itself as “The student news site of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois,” which is the clearest statement of its status.

How authorship is shown on the site

The Daily Eastern News uses standard newspaper bylines and labels. The page evidence shows several patterns:

• Staff-reported news: Articles carry a reporter’s name and role, such as “Koria Downs, Reporter,” “Andrea Jimenez, Reporter,” or “Sean Strunk, Reporter.”
• Edited news: Some stories are credited to an editor, such as “Jason Coulombe, Assistant News Editor,” with a date and a short summary.
• Sports: Sports coverage is attributed to sports staff, such as “Gabe Newman, Sports Editor,” “Cameron Thomas, Sports Reporter,” or “Dalton Spahn, Sports Reporter.”
• Opinion columns: Columns are attributed to individual columnists or editors, such as “Emerson Reynolds, Opinions Editor” or “Alexis Bialeschki, Columnist.”
• Editorials: Editorials are credited to the “Editorial Board,” not to a named individual or a university office.

These labels are the main way to tell who is responsible for a piece. A named reporter or columnist is writing in their own capacity or reporting for the paper; an editorial board label means the piece represents the board’s collective view.

What this means for judging a story

Because the paper is student-run, its articles are student journalism rather than official university communications. That distinction matters when you are trying to understand the source of a claim:

• A news story attributed to a reporter is that student’s reporting, edited by student editors.
• A column reflects the named writer’s opinion.
• An editorial reflects the editorial board’s position, which may differ from the views of university administrators or other students.

The site’s own description and the bylines shown in its article listings support this reading. If you need to know whether a statement represents the university’s official position, check whether the article quotes a university official or cites an official statement; the byline alone tells you who wrote the piece, not who endorsed its contents.

Practical way to check an article

1. Open the article and read the byline under the headline.
2. Note whether the credit is a named reporter, a named columnist, or the “Editorial Board.”
3. Look at the section label (News, Sports, Opinions) to see what kind of piece it is.
4. If the article discusses university decisions, look for quoted officials or documents rather than assuming the paper speaks for the university.

The expected result is a clear picture of whether you are reading reported news, a personal column, or an institutional editorial. A common snag is treating an editorial board piece as a news report; the “Editorial Board” credit is the signal that it is not.

The Daily Eastern News is intended primarily for students, faculty, and staff of Eastern Illinois University (EIU) in Charleston, Illinois, and secondarily for Charleston-area residents who follow campus and community life. Its content—student government, homecoming, campus events, and EIU athletics—is produced by students and aimed at the campus community first.

Who the site serves

What the coverage tells you about the audience

The published stories cluster around campus life rather than national or international news:

• Student government and administration — the Student Senate hearing on Booth Library's need for a dean and a nonvoting faculty position on the Board of Trustees.
• Campus traditions — the 2026 EIU Homecoming Parade, the first-ever Panther Gala dance, and the return of an alumni band formed at EIU in 1988.
• Athletics — previews and results for EIU men's and women's soccer and football, including a Halloween matchup at UT Martin.
• Student voices — opinion columns and editorials on topics such as group work and how higher education is handling artificial intelligence.

If you are outside this community—say, a prospective student researching campus culture, or a journalist tracking a specific EIU story—the site is still useful, but expect a campus-centered lens rather than broad regional or national coverage.

How to decide if it fits your needs

• You want EIU-specific news: This is a direct source, written by student reporters and editors.
• You want Charleston community events tied to the university: Homecoming and parade coverage fits, though general city news may be limited.
• You want Panthers sports: Game previews, results, and conference standings are regularly covered.
• You want national or investigative reporting: Look elsewhere; the scope here is the university and its surrounding community.

One practical note: articles carry bylines and dates (for example, "Jason Coulombe, Assistant News Editor • October 30, 2026"), so you can judge freshness and authorship before relying on a piece.

The Daily Eastern News is the student news site of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois. It publishes campus news, sports coverage, opinions and editorials reported and written by students, with bylines identifying each writer's role, such as reporter, sports editor or opinions editor. It is the place to look for coverage of EIU events, student government, athletics and student life.

What the site covers

The homepage organizes content into clear sections, and each story carries a headline, author, date and short summary. Based on the published front page, the main areas are:

Stories are dated and attributed, so you can tell when something was published and who wrote it. The news section also links to a full archive through a "View All" option at the end of each section.

Who writes it

The content is produced by students in named roles. Visible bylines include Reporter, Sports Editor, Sports Reporter, Opinions Editor, Columnist and Assistant News Editor, plus an Editorial Board for unsigned opinion pieces. This means the site functions as a working newsroom for student journalists rather than a university press office: coverage includes reported pieces, columns with a personal argument, and institutional editorials.

What kinds of stories you will find

The front page shows a mix of formats:

• Event coverage — homecoming events, including a parade and a dance, plus an alumni band reunion.
• Governance reporting — what student government discussed and decided at its meetings.
• Athletics — previews, results and standings analysis for EIU teams.
• Opinion and editorial — student columns on campus life and editorial-board positions on university issues.

If you are looking for a specific topic, the section structure is the fastest route: news for campus and university affairs, sports for teams and results, opinions for commentary.

When this site is the right source

Use The Daily Eastern News when you need student-reported coverage of Eastern Illinois University — campus events, student government actions, or EIU athletics — and want stories with named authors and publication dates. For official university policies or institutional statements, the site reports on those topics but is not the university itself; treat its articles as student journalism about EIU rather than as official announcements.

The Daily Eastern News is the student news site of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois, and its coverage centers on three main areas: campus news, EIU sports, and student opinions. If you want to know what the site publishes before reading or citing it, expect reporting on university governance and events, game previews and results for Eastern's teams, and columns and editorials written by students.

Campus news: student government and university events

The news section follows what is happening inside EIU administration and campus life. Recent examples from the site show the range:

• Student government: A report on the EIU Student Senate hearing presentations about Booth Library's need for a dean and a nonvoting faculty position on the Board of Trustees.
• University events: Coverage of the 2026 EIU Homecoming Parade, described as the largest of the homecoming events, with Charleston residents lining the streets.
• Campus groups and alumni: A story on Shadoobee, a band originally formed at Eastern in 1988, returning to campus for a homecoming performance.
• Awards and donations: Items such as an awards ceremony recognizing donations from alumni.

These stories are typically written by student reporters and editors, with bylines and dates shown alongside each item.

Sports: EIU teams through the season

Sports coverage focuses on Eastern Illinois University athletics, with previews, results, and standings analysis. Examples include:

• Soccer: A preview of the final day of the regular season for both the women's and men's teams, and a report on the men's team falling into a four-way tie in the OVC standings after a 1-1 second-half situation against Southern Indiana.
• Football: A preview of the Panthers (2-6, 1-2) facing UT Martin (3-5, 2-1) on the road, with both teams looking to rebound.

Coverage is organized under a Sports section and written by sports editors and reporters, so scores, records, and conference standings appear directly in the stories.

Opinions: columns and editorials

The Opinions section publishes student-written commentary on campus and cultural topics. Examples from the site include:

• A column arguing that group work is "a necessary evil" for students.
• An editorial board piece arguing that higher education is unprepared to grapple with the benefits and consequences of artificial intelligence.
• A columnist's piece asking who decides what "ideal beauty" is and how media shapes those views.

These pieces are labeled as columns or editorials and carry the writer's name and role, which helps you distinguish personal commentary from reported news.

How to use the site

If you are researching EIU or student journalism, the section structure is the fastest way in: use the News, Sports, and Opinions sections to narrow by topic, and check bylines and dates to confirm who wrote a piece and when. For campus governance or event details, the news stories quote presentations and meetings directly; for athletics, the sports stories include records and standings you can verify against official conference sources.

The Daily Eastern News organizes its content into three main sections — News, Sports, and Opinions — each listing recent articles with a headline, author byline, and publication date. To find a specific type of story, start from the section headings on the homepage and follow the "View All" link at the bottom of each section for the fuller list. This guide covers what each section contains and how to navigate it, based on the site's current front page.

Start With the Section Headings

The homepage presents the three sections in sequence, each with its own block of recent stories. Scan for the section label, then read the entries beneath it. Every entry follows the same pattern:

• Headline — the article title, usually linked to the full story
• Author — a reporter, editor, or columnist name (e.g., "Koria Downs, Reporter" or "Editorial Board")
• Date — the publication date (e.g., "October 27, 2026")
• Short summary — a one- or two-sentence preview of the article

This consistent format lets you judge quickly whether a story is worth opening before you click.

What Each Section Covers

News

Campus and community reporting. Current examples include an awards ceremony recognizing alumni donations, a student government presentation on the Booth Library dean position, the return of an alumni band for homecoming, and coverage of the annual homecoming parade. News stories are typically written by staff reporters and assistant news editors.

Sports

Coverage of Eastern Illinois University athletics. Recent items include previews of the men's and women's soccer teams ahead of the regular season's final day, a football matchup preview against UT Martin, and a report on the men's soccer team falling into a four-way tie in the OVC standings. Sports content is credited to the sports editor and sports reporters.

Opinions

Columns and editorials representing student and editorial perspectives. Examples include a column on group work as "a necessary evil," an editorial urging the university to listen to students on artificial intelligence in higher education, and a column questioning who decides "ideal beauty." Opinions pieces are attributed to the opinions editor, columnists, or the Editorial Board.

Use "View All" for the Full List

Each section shows only a handful of recent stories on the homepage. The "View All" link at the end of a section opens the complete list of articles in that category — the most reliable way to browse older coverage or find a story that has scrolled off the front page.

A Few Practical Notes

• Dates matter. The site mixes recent and older items within a section, so check the date under each headline if timeliness is important to you.
• Bylines tell you the voice. A named reporter signals reported news; "Editorial Board" signals an institutional opinion piece.
• Summaries save time. The preview text under each headline usually tells you whether the story matches what you're looking for.

If you're searching for a specific topic rather than a section — a particular team, event, or issue — the section lists and their "View All" pages are the place to scan, since the homepage itself only surfaces the most recent items.