The Contributor is not just a street newspaper. For three Lipscomb seniors, it’s on-the-job training.
Students in Dr. Jimmy McCollum’s Capstone in Journalism class are working with The Contributor, Nashville’s street newspaper, this semester. Funds generated by the newspaper help Nashville’s homeless and formerly homeless citizens.
The three students—David Adams, Julie Williams and Allison Woods—attend staff meetings and produce written content for the printed version, as well as photography and video for the organization’s website.
“It’s nice to be helping The Contributor,” said Williams, a multimedia production major from Anniston, Ala. “It’s a good cause. We’re helping put original content into The Contributor, which I know they appreciate.”
Andrew Krinks, editor for the paper, said that his staff contacted several Nashville universities looking for students who might be interested in working with The Contributor. Starting with the March issue, he said that students from Lipscomb and TSU will be producing content for the paper.
David Adams, a mass communications major from Memphis, said initially he wasn’t sure what the experience would be like, but has already learned from it.
“After writing the first article, my interest in homelessness and poverty has really piqued,” Adams said. “These are people who have been successful. How easily their lives can change with a downfall in their life. It’s just crazy. It gives you a sense of thanksgiving and gratitude because you see how fortunate you are.”
The Contributor, which is part of the North American Street Newspaper Association, sells about 100,000 copies per month, more than any other street newspaper in the country. The paper’s vendors can be found on sidewalks throughout Nashville.
Williams said that in the past she had seen the vendors but didn’t pay much attention to homelessness. She said she thinks this experience will help her understand it more. She said that working with The Contributor “has really opened my eyes to see how broad of a spectrum the homelessness issue covers and really deals with.”
Krinks, who graduated from Lipscomb in 2008, said he enjoys working with an organization that makes a difference in people’s lives. The Contributor’s vendors purchase the newspapers for $0.25 and then travel throughout the city, selling them for $1. Often, vendors use the $0.75 profit and any tips they receive to get off the streets in hopes of starting a better life.
“I’m so proud to be a part of this in any kind of way because I’ve seen the ways that it has affected our vendors,” Krinks said. “So many of them have found something that gives them not only an income but dignity and a greater sense of self-worth. That’s rewarding.”