About

Welcome to The Gate!

The Gate is an independent, undergraduate publication covering politics and policy on the local, national and international level. The Gate’s content is developed, written and published by an editorial and writing staff composed of University of Chicago students.

The web-based publication covers all things politics, ranging from on-campus freedom of speech debates to analysis of foreign affairs. The Gate is a nonpartisan publication and remains separate from any specific ideology so that individuals from across the broad political spectrum can share analysis and debate opinions. Editors and writers offer carefully researched news and commentary in an open and responsive setting for discussion, conversation, and critical argument. Opinions expressed by writers do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gate.

The Gate aims to serve the University of Chicago and the local community, and add to the rich conversations already taking place on campus, in Chicago and among peer publications across the U.S. and abroad. Writers and editors have access to special events and student sessions with leading political journalists, and site-visits around Chicago. The Gate aims to be both a publication and a community to supplement the University's lack of journalism curriculum. 

The Gate is honored to facilitate the David Axelrod Reporting Grant, established in 2015, and sponsored by the University of Chicago Institute of Politics (IOP). As the founder and director of the IOP, author of a best-selling memoir, host of the critically-acclaimed podcast “The Axe Files,” and a former political reporter and City Hall bureau chief for the Chicago Tribune, David Axelrod is committed to elevating the quality of journalism on this campus and beyond. 

In 2016, Dylan Wells was awarded the inaugural David Axelrod Reporting Grant. The grant allowed her to report on domestic sex trafficking along the I-5 corridor "West Coast Track." Read her reporting here. In 2017, Alexandra Price was awarded the David Axelrod Reporting Grant to report on immigration and refugees at Berlin's Tempelhofer Feld. Her work will be published in Fall 2017. 

Each spring, The Gate looks for ambitious, well-researched, and feasible project ideas that shed light on a current issue from a unique perspective. The grant may be applied to travel expenses or other resources needed to execute the project. The winner of the grant receives funding up to $1000 to pursue an original, long-form reporting project.

The Gate is also home to the Cook County Jail Program, in which UChicago students teach journalism and creative writing workshops to detainees at the nation's largest single-site jail. 

As we continue to develop and grow as a publication, we appreciate the support of various campus partners including the University of Chicago and the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics.

To read our latest articles and hear about publication updates from our staff, follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

For information on how to get involved, please contact us at gate.eic@gmail.com.