Dan Reimold, a student media adviser and founder of the influential student press blog “College Media Matters,” has died. He was 34.
Reimold, who advised Saint Joseph’s University student newspaper The Hawk, was a monthly contributor to Poynter and a fixture in the student media community, which serves as a proving ground for professional journalists.
Reimold’s death marks a “big loss” for the college media community, Kelley Callaway, vice president of member services for College Media Association, said in a statement.
“Losing Dan is a huge blow to College Media Association and Associated Collegiate Press, but also to college media in general,” Callaway said in a statement. “He was energetic, funny, innovative and engaging. His loss is a personal and professional one.”
Earlier Friday, The Hawk reported news of Reimold’s death, noting that more information would be forthcoming. In a statement, the Associated Collegiate Press said Reimold died in an accident at his apartment.
Reimold recently became a regular contributor to Poynter.org, continuing his role as a chronicler of student media in a monthly column. Seth Liss, Poynter’s editor, praised Reimold’s work, professionalism and upbeat attitude.
“Dan was great to work with,” Liss said. “He was an incredibly kind person and a talented journalist who was passionate about college journalism. We really looked forward to his stories and will miss him and his words dearly.”
In addition to his blog, which has become a go-to clearinghouse for news on the college press, Reimold has also written books on student media. He is the author of “Journalism of Ideas,” which instructs journalists in formulating story ideas in the digital age, and “Sex and the University,” an examination of the evolution of sex in the student press.
Tributes to Reimold began pouring in Friday as word of his death spread. NiemanLab, the future-of-news website where Reimold was a contributor, called him “a top scholar of how college media is evolving.” Mediashift, the outlet dedicated to examining the changing dynamics of media, called him a “tireless” scrutinizer of the student journalism landscape.
Here’s the full statement from the College Media Association:
Dan Reimold, an internationally recognized leader in the field of college media, died this week. He was in his thirties.
What Jim Romenesko did for professional media, Dan Reimold did for college media through his popular blog College Media Matters. He covered the students who were covering their campuses, and he consistently legitimized an often-overlooked area of journalism. When collegiate media was facing budget cuts, publication thefts and other threats, he shed light on their struggles. Reimold was an assistant professor of journalism at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, where he advised The Hawk student newspaper and taught basic and advanced journalism classes.
“Losing Dan is a huge blow to College Media Association and Associated Collegiate Press, but also to college media in general,” said Kelley Callaway, vice president of member services for College Media Association, of which Reimold was an active member. “He was energetic, funny, innovative and engaging. His loss is a personal and professional one.”
In the last few years, Reimold drew large crowds to his blog, but also to his sessions at college media conventions and other workshops and conferences throughout the country. His hackathon, based on his book “Journalism of Ideas” routinely brought in 100+ students during evening hours, not an easy task in places like New York and New Orleans. His energy and enthusiasm for seeking out the quirky, untold stories on college campuses encouraged attendees to explore those stories at their own schools.
Reimold was known for successfully bridging the gap between collegiate journalism and academics, publishing scholarly articles in College Media Review and Newspaper Research Journal and journalistic pieces for USA Today and The Huffington Post. Reimold was the Campus Beat columnist for USA TODAY College and maintained a monthly column on the student press for Poynter.
His textbook, Journalism of Ideas: Brainstorming, Developing, and Selling Stories in the Digital Age, was published in spring 2013 by Routledge. His first book on college media, Sex and the University: Celebrity, Controversy, and a Student Journalism Revolution, was published in fall 2010 by Rutgers University Press. He also had recently begun holding weekly Twitter chats about college media.
“He was undisputedly the foremost scholar on college media today,” said CMA President Rachele Kanigel. “I can’t think of another person who came close to his stature in the field. His independent news site College Media Matters was the go-to spot for all news about college media and his writings were widely cited by journalism educators and researchers.”
Reimold was a former Fulbright research fellow who taught journalism, mass communication and new media courses at five universities in two countries. Prior to his appointment at St. Joseph’s University, he served as an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Tampa and a visiting assistant professor of journalism at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.
He earned his doctorate in journalism/mass communication and a graduate certificate in contemporary history from Ohio University, where he also advised the online student news outlet Speakeasy Magazine. He received his master’s degree in journalism from Temple University and his B.A. in communication studies from Ursinus College, where he proudly served as editor-in-chief of The Grizzly student newspaper.
In addition to being a frequent speaker at college media conventions, Reimold was on the CMA Advisory Council and served as a mentor to new advisers and students who flocked to him for advice.
“He brought such energy and vitality to all things college media,” Kanigel said. “His enthusiasm was infectious.”
This post has been updated to include new information from the Associated Collegiate Press.
