The Flat Hat

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Masthead of The Flat Hat

Front page of The Flat Hat, April 14, 2006

Type Weekly Newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Established October 3, 1911
School The College of William and Mary
Location Williamsburg, VA, USA
Volume 5,500 Copies
Editor-in-Chief Joshua Pinkerton
Website http://flathatnews.com

The Flat Hat is the student newspaper of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. Currently, it prints Fridays during the College's academic year. It is printed by the presses of the local Williamsburg weekly publication The Virginia Gazette.

Contents

[edit] Editorial Staff

The editorial staff of The Flat Hat for 2006 to 2007 is as follows:

  • Editor: Joshua Pinkerton
  • Managing Editor: Ashley Baird
  • Executive Editor: Max Fisher
  • Business Manager: Per Hoel
  • News Editor: Andy Zahn
  • Variety Editor: Chase Johnson
  • Sports Editor: Louis Malick
  • Reviews Editor: Alice Hahn
  • Opinions Editor: Joe Kane
  • Copy Co-Chief: Margaret Hoffecker
  • Copy Co-Chief: Taylor Martindale
  • Photography Editor: Alex Haglund
  • Photography Editor: Jonathan Seiden

The editorial staff meets once per week two days prior to going to press to discuss the official staff editorial and internal management issues.

[edit] History

The Flat Hat is named after the Flat Hat Club, the nation's first secret society founded in 1750 at the College. The first issue of The Flat Hat was printed on October 3, 1911.

[edit] Origins of the name Flat Hat

The origin of the name of this newspaper goes back to a secret gentleman's club founded in 1750, called The Flat Hat Club. Its most notable members included St. George Tucker, Thomas Jefferson and George Wythe. It is believed that the Flat Hat Club was probably the precursor of Phi Beta Kappa, established in 1775. According to the September 28, 1928 issue of The Flat Hat, members of the Flat Hat Club were directly responsible for the creation of the newspaper. The badge of the club was circular with an elaborate coat of arms on one side, and F.H.C. in a large monogram on the other. Beneath was a date and motto:

Nov. XI. MDCCL Stabilitas et Fides

The motto of the Flat Hat Club, Stabilitas et Fides, has always been the motto of The Flat Hat.

[edit] Censorship of Staff

In 1945, Marilyn Kaemmerle, then the 22-year old editor of The Flat Hat, wrote an editorial titled "Lincoln's Job Half-Done" to commemorate the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. She encouraged the racial integration of William and Mary, citing that blacks "should be recognized as equals in our minds and hearts." The William and Mary Board of Visitors, the group appointed by the Commonwealth of Virginia to run the College, instructed then president of the College John Pomfret to expel Kaemmerle. Pomfret compromised by removing Kaemmerle from The Flat Hat and commanding her to sign a statement saying that a censored paper was in the best interest of all concerned.

[edit] Ben Domenech Controversy

In March 2006, conservative Washingtonpost.com blogger Ben Domenech was accused of plagiarizing a number of articles he wrote for The Flat Hat while at the College of William and Mary in 1999 and 2000. The Flat Hat provided extensive in-depth coverage of Domenech's history of plagiarism by analyzing all 35 articles printed in The Flat Hat under Domenech's byline. Ten of the 35 articles were found to contain plagiarized material. Domenech was forced to resign from his job at Washingtonpost.com due to these discoveries and the following public reaction.

[edit] Ongoing Struggle for Autonomy

Since 1945, The Flat Hat has regained complete editorial control and autonomy. The Flat Hat has no faculty advisor, uncommon for a student newspaper. The Flat Hat also has no obligation to grant the William and Mary administration prior review of content. The Flat Hat remains, however, financially dependent on the student government of the College. This has created severe financial problems for The Flat Hat in recent years.

[edit] External links

[edit] Stories concerning Ben Domenech

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