Rice Thresher announces $10,000 goal for the 24-hour challenge

Support the student journalists of the Rice Thresher today

Staff members design pages in the Thresher’s office during a Tuesday production night. (Francesca Nemati / Thresher)

4/10/24 4:18pm

Visit the Rice Thresher’s 24-hour challenge page to donate.

Through wars and pandemics and everything in between, the Rice Thresher has tirelessly reported on the state of the campus and its students for well over a century.

It takes some 75 students to produce each weekly issue. We strive to pay every student who contributes, which is where we need your help.

In reporting a general news article, a journalist will do research, conduct interviews, listen to recordings, write and respond to edits. That’s hours of work — but we can only afford to pay $10-15 for the entire article.

For students who need to work to pay the bills, our journalism can be inaccessible. That’s why we introduced the Kelley Lash Accessibility Fund, named after our beloved former director of student media who unexpectedly passed away two years ago.

The Kelley Lash Fund will help us pay, as best as we can, staff members who need a higher stipend to continue to dedicate long hours to the Thresher. Please consider a donation in honor of Kelley Lash today.

Visit the Rice Thresher’s 24-hour challenge page to participate in the challenge. If you are interested in discussing how you can make an impact on The Thresher through your current or long-term philanthropy, or to make a gift through appreciated securities, wire transfer, Donor Advised Fund (DAF), IRA Charitable Rollover, or through a deferred gift vehicle such as a bequest, please contact Sara L. Rice at (713) 349-3189 or sdl@rice.edu.

Thresher staff celebrate at our end-of-year changeover banquet. (Courtesy Katharine Shilcutt)

About the Rice Thresher

Since 1916, the Rice Thresher has printed weekly — sometimes daily — during each semester. We still work as hard as ever, bringing news to our peers and engaging the community through news and features, polls and infographics, videos and social media campaigns, our newly launched special projects section and, of course, the Backpage.

Rice offers no coursework in journalism, so the Thresher is the university’s No. 1 destination for students who want to practice reporting and learn critical media literacy skills. This shows in the awards we bring home year after year, including Best Newspaper (4-year, under 5,000 students) from the College Media Association. We also host well-attended Lunch & Learn sessions that bring high-profile journalists to campus and important engagement events like the Student Association debate ahead of each year's election.

Visit our website to view our recent stories, including coverage of the ramifications of the Israel-Hamas war, the Founder’s Memorial statue and Academic Quad redesign, the Night of Decadence and alcohol at Rice, and so much more.