Spoon University is a food site for the next generation. Our goal is to help you eat intelligently and be a culinary resource. We cover everything from new menu items and dining hall reviews, to tips on hosting a dinner party and the latest food trends and pop culture moments. Spoon is powered by student contributors across the country, who make up a network of over 3,000 students at over 100 campuses nationwide.
Get involved in this food movement by joining or starting a chapter on your campus or follow along on Facebook and Instagram. Contact us at editorial@spoonuniversity.com.
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How Spoon Got Started
The story starts in an off-campus apartment in Illinois.
Back in 2012, Spoon co-founders Mackenzie and Sarah moved into their first real apartments during their third year at Northwestern University — only to realize they had no idea how to cook for themselves. There was a big food movement happening around them, and few media outlets were speaking to young people. Mackenzie and Sarah realized that college students looking to eat and live more intelligently had nowhere to turn.
So, they took matters into their own hands and created Spoon: a publication where students just like them could share their growing knowledge about how to eat smarter in college.
In a short time, Spoon grew from two people in an apartment to 100 people at Northwestern writing, photographing, marketing, and planning events for Spoon. Word spread, and students at other universities began to reach out and ask about bringing Spoon to their schools. Fast forward to now, where there are Spoon chapters at over 100 colleges all around the world, thousands of contributors and millions of fans.
Editorial Standards
Her Campus Media’s Editorial Standards
Her Campus Media LLC (“HCM”) is the parent company of lifestyle sites Her Campus, Spoon University, and College Fashionista, as well as brands Generation Hired and InfluenceHer Collective. All HCM writers and editors are expected to follow four pillars of editorial standards: (1) adhering to fair and accurate reporting standards; (2) acting with the utmost sensitivity and prioritizing inclusion; (3) providing relevant disclosures to readers; and (4) continually updating content and monitoring corrections and omissions.
Fairness & Accuracy
It is every HCM writer’s and editor’s responsibility to work with the clear intention of presenting accurate and fair information in content. This means performing due diligence to fact check articles and presenting the full story at the time of publication.
We require writers and editors to provide expert sources on topics in reported pieces that give the reader a full understanding and picture of the topic at hand. Appropriate vetting and linking to experts’ credibilities is required in the fact-checking process, as is abiding by journalistic best practices. Pieces that provide health advice must cite relevant medical journals and/or studies, and must be transparent about sources and experts interviewed in the writing process.
Sensitivity & Inclusion
HCM writers and editors are to work with the utmost sensitivity while handling vulnerable individuals who have been impacted by events such as sexual misconduct, violence, and/or hate crimes. This includes properly handling interviews and requests for comment.
In the interest of journalistic best practices, HCM writers and editors are responsible for providing crisis resources and helpline information within articles that contain mention of suicide, sexual assault/misconduct, drug and alcohol abuse, and more. They are also required to provide appropriate content warnings that may trigger individuals affected by graphic information.
HCM writers and editors understand the importance of words and know that language is constantly evolving. We prioritize staying up-to-date and evolving with it. We also value an individual’s desire for certain words to be used while telling their personal story, and respect those wishes while providing a platform for that story to be told.
Disclosures & Transparencies
HCM’s writers and editors are required to provide clear and transparent disclosures for pieces that include affiliate links and possible revenue gain for HCM, as well as opinion-based stories that have not been vetted by a professional source. Additionally, should there be any conflicts of interest within HCM’s organization and a published piece on any HCM property, an added disclosure will be clearly included.
Updates & Corrections
HCM articles may be updated after the initial publish date to include further relevant information, product inclusion, and sourcing. If a source or development is added to the piece after publication, an update note will be provided to the reader in a clear manner.
Articles that are found to contain misinformation are to be corrected by the editorial team promptly — in a transparent manner — with a correction disclosure made clear to the reader.
HCM is constantly in a state of reviewing past content to make sure every piece on an HCM property adheres to these standards and guidelines.
To submit a correction, please email editorial@spoonuniversity.com.