The Vietnam War.

Watergate.

The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

The assassination of John F. Kennedy.

We are taught about these events as past tragedies, chapters from textbooks, and documentary footage in class. Sure they are monumental moments in American history, but they did not happen to us as a generation. These are events that shaped the world before we arrived, but what we experience now shapes our world today.

So what about the people who did experience these incidents? Who stood on this same campus and tried to make sense of it all before the advancement of technology? What did these people do when faced with the world around them?

Some of them started their own newspapers.

The Underground Press Movement

The underground press referred to independently produced newspapers and periodicals that operated without official approval, often outside mainstream media channels. By the mid-’60s, civil rights, anti-war activism and other social movements had a heavy hand in reshaping youth politics.

“Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, they were all emblems of hope, of change for society. They were champions of civil rights repair,” said Diane Rice, a librarian and archivist at the University of Central Oklahoma.

“Emerging from that, not for the first time, but the first time on a large scale, was violence as a means of trying to change things. But there was the opposite of that too. The hippies, people who said ‘love was the only way.’ And so you’ve got diametrically opposed groups. That’s how the papers got created. They were a reaction to the bad things happening in society,” she continued.

Beginning during the institution’s time as Central State College, The Vista served as the primary student newspaper. Its student journalists documented protests, tuition costs, wars, elections and the ever-shifting culture of college life. Still, The Vista was not always the only student voice.

UCO’S Breakout Publications

When students felt their concerns were not fully represented in the campus’s primary publication, independent publications appeared in direct response — The Flame, The Dialogue and, decades later, The Independent View. Whether it was over editorial decisions, institutional pressure or coverage choices, these papers reflected a belief that journalism should challenge power structures close to home. They criticized administrative decisions and focused on topics they believed were overlooked, such as minority student experiences, free speech concerns and campus governance transparency. The Flame’s use of drastic language and provocative cartoons made its message impossible to ignore.

The emergence of these papers wasn’t a quiet affair. Tensions rose between official student media and alternative outlets at Central State. One example came on Feb. 27, 1970, when editors of The Vista and The Dialogue hosted a panel at Ground Floor Coffee House to discuss the meaning of freedom of the press and policies for both papers.

Students in the audience questioned editors on their definition of journalistic integrity and intent. Vista lab student Milly Gould objected to Vista editor Bob Osborn’s denial of deliberately withholding information from the paper. The exchange followed accusations that Osborn had placed restraints on other editors to print only articles portraying Central State in a positive manner. In response, Jack Crawford of The Dialogue said The Vista had a “moral obligation” to show both sides.

Were these papers perfect? No. They often struggled with sustainability, being underfunded and short-lived. Some faced criticism for tone and approach, or just burned brightly before quickly fading away. While not every independent paper endured, their existence signaled something important: They were willing to publicly stand for something, and people were paying attention.

For much of its history, student journalism at UCO has operated through a single primary publication, but independent papers have emerged during moments of tension to publish what they believed needed to be said. Their presence reflects a question students have asked through the ages: What needs to be said right now and who is willing to say it?

“Remember, talk is not cheap; it is the foundation on which future goals will be understood, communicated and achieved.”
— J. Patrick Nichols, co-editor, The Dialogue