In the beginning, F Newsmagazine was without form: no Mac computers, no budget for writers, no professional staff. It wasn’t even a magazine. It began in 1984 with “lab courses,” an essay writing class and a design class. Students were not paid but earned seminar and studio credit. The team was led by editorial adviser Paul Elitzik and design adviser Mike Miner. To pay for and build a staff and gain resources, F News began selling ad spaces and getting financial support from the school. Slowly, F Newsmagazine grew from a class to a fully paid news staff. 

The 1990 F Newsmagazine staff, including Paul Elitzik (back, with glasses) and Mike Miner (foremost). Photo by Nancy Thill.

 The Past Publication Process

• Editors bring in final drafts of articles
• Stories are typed on manual or electric typewriters
• Articles, headlines, and designs are formatted by hand-cutting and pasting
• Staff brings articles to a typesetting shop to get a first proof of the issue
• The proof is edited and finalized
• Final draft is taken to Topweb (formerly Newsweb) to be printed
• Issues are distributed

As the School of the Art Institute of Chicago grew, F News grew alongside it.  At first, it was difficult to find quality writers; only three to four students wrote and edited at the time. The school always had a strong design program, so F News never struggled to find designers, comic artists, and illustrators. 

“Design and illustration were our strengths. People would pick up the paper and look through it for the visual even if they didn’t read the articles,” said Elitzik. When the school introduced a writing program in 1998, the written aspect of the paper grew and solidified.

At first, there wasn’t a dedicated workspace for the growing staff to work together, and staff functioned individually. 

“The big breakthrough came sometime in the aughts when a devoted newsroom became available. The collaboration between editors, writers, illustrators, and designers grew exponentially,” said Miner. By having a dedicated space to work as a team and a balance between writing and design, F News began to establish itself as a professional newspaper. 

Over the years, more resources became available. The introduction of Macintosh computers in the newsroom completely changed how the staff wrote, edited, and designed. They no longer had to do everything by hand. They were also able to launch the F News website, fnewsmagazine.com, around 2000. 

The website is F News’ farthest-reaching platform and a space for all content: print and beyond. 

“There’s no such thing as a print exclusive at F. There are, however, such things as web exclusives. A lot of our content can’t be put in print, simply because there is too F-ing much of it,” said Alex Lee (BFA 2027), F News’ current web editor. 

The Present Publication Process

• Staff critiques past issues and sets goals for the next issue
• F News hosts an open meeting – editors meet with contributors and pitch articles and comics (Psst! Our next open meeting is Oct. 2!)
• Articles are drafted and sent to an editor
• Editors edit article drafts
• Design team chooses the issue’s visual theme
• Pagination: staff decides on what articles go into the print issue and layout
• Editorial and design teams discuss article art direction 
• Article drafts are finalized
• Press weekend – design and text are put together and critiqued
• Final draft is emailed to Topweb
• Issues are distributed
• The issue goes up on fnewsmagazine.com

“Students have to have a place for their voice. I think at the School of the Art Institute, it’s been F more than anything else,” said Elitzik. As F News continues to evolve its shape over time, a voice for the students is F News’ consistent goal. 

“I want to amplify SAIC students’ voices; broadcast their art, their music, their projects, above all,” said Gren Bee (MFA 2026), producer of the forthcoming “F News Amplified” podcast. Also through the use of social media, @fnewsmag on Instagram serves for student outreach and participation via announcements and polls.

F News is a community that reflects SAIC. Individuals from different departments work together to bring you F News. Everyone’s role is important and they take pride in their work. “Press weekend is my favorite. As the art director, I make sure everybody’s work looks better than their expectations,” said Uy Pham (BFA 2025), F News’ design editor. 

The team works better together, and F News is fortunate to have skilled advisers, including design adviser Rochell Bishop Sleets and editorial adviser Sophie Goalson. “I like a big, crowded meeting that feels like a family reunion where everyone’s yelling. Everyone loves each other,” said Goalson.“The interaction with students was by far the most satisfying aspect of the job. I’d have to say the people who chose to join the team were some of the most creative and kindest people I have met,” Miner said, reflecting on his time advising for F News.

The 2024 F Newsmagazine editorial staff. F News grew so much that our whole modern day staff couldn’t fit in one photo! Photo by Uy Pham.

The 2024 F Newsmagazine design staff. Without them, this issue wouldn’t look nearly as beautiful. Photo by Sidne K. Gard.