In the era of World War I, when gender roles were strictly defined, a young woman’s unexpected rise to prominence at a university newspaper marked a significant moment in journalism history. Mildred Mighell, at just 21, was called back to her alma mater in Ann Arbor to navigate uncharted waters as the first female managing editor of The Michigan Daily.
Amid the global conflict in the fall of 1918, the University of Michigan campus saw a drastic shift in student demographics. With many men, including the newspaper’s staff, enlisted in the war, the Board in Control of Student Publications turned to Mighell to steer The Michigan Daily through challenging times.
Clarence Roeser, originally set to take over as the top editor, departed for military service, paving the way for Mighell’s appointment, which came with a salary of $25 per week. Her leadership was historic, as she became the first woman to hold the editor position since the newspaper’s inception in 1890.
Mighell took pride in her team’s resilience during those turbulent months. “This staff has pulled the Daily through the hardest two months of its existence,” she noted, “and without any boasting, they are putting out far and away the best of the country’s college papers at the present time.”
Despite their efforts, Mighell’s tenure was marred by controversy. In early 1919, a scandal erupted over a game of poker involving three Daily reporters. The incident was blown out of proportion, with unfounded rumors swelling the number of participants from three to 300 and adding fictitious claims of strip poker.
The atmosphere was charged, partly due to the recent adoption of the Prohibition amendment. Reflecting on those times, Mighell remarked, “Everywhere the straightest-laced and most censorious were riding high.”
Faced with the scandal, the Board questioned Mighell about her failure to report the incident immediately, resulting in her demotion to an editorial writer. This occurred just as Roeser returned to resume his editorial duties. The reporters involved were disciplined, and Mighell soon left her role and Ann Arbor.
Following her departure, Mighell briefly continued in publishing before founding the World Federalist Society, which promoted a unified global governance system.
— Adapted from a story written by Kim Clarke for the LSA Women in History series
