Wear Black, Give Back Fuels The Gateway

By Lily Dohmen

We all know the news industry is not what it used to be, partially due to the rise of social media and disinformation. The Gateway — the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s independent student publication — remains a place for students to get credible and relevant news. And Wear Black, Give Back is playing a vital role in its continued success.

Over the past 102 years, The Gateway has taken on different forms. It has publication roots back to 1913, but it became a primary news source in 1922. “It’s run by students for the students. I don’t censor the student workers. It is truly their publication,” said Todd Cooper, manager of student publications at The Gateway.

Currently, the news industry is in a financial and existential struggle. Thankfully, The Gateway is partially funded by student fees and donor support.

We take very seriously our need to be good stewards of the student fees we receive,” Cooper said. “The money is also used to expand their opportunities to tell stories in new and engaging ways through podcasts, videocasts and visual storytelling.”

Our donors are supporting a career path that is desperately needed, especially in a world that is full of disinformation. “From Wear Black, Give Back, we got a big donation from a person who has been around UNO and The Gateway for a long time. Then we got several small ones that added up to a big donation,” Cooper said.

“The new opportunities we get from donations are important because consumer preferences are always changing,” said Isaac Nielsen, editor-in-chief. “With our website, we are trying to draw readers in and keep them. Utilizing the new multimedia is a good way to accomplish this goal.”

“I am thankful for the donors supporting this desperately needed career path. There are not many objective news sources out there,” Nielsen said. “The Gateway can cover topics most news outlets can’t. These are topics that people want to know about.”

During this year’s Wear Black, Give Back, the Gateway received 41 gifts and raised $2,055. This money will be used to help achieve The Gateway’s main goal: to hold up a mirror to UNO to authentically reflect the campus. “I think our students’ reports should reflect the personalities of the students and the personality of UNO,” Cooper explained.

“We hope to continue to grow and put the donor financial support to good use by expanding The Gateway’s ways to tell stories,” Nielsen said.

Thank you to all the donors who participated in the Wear Black, Give Back giving day!