Table of Contents
Scope and Contents of the Collection
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Overview of the Collection |
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| Creator: | Russo, Charles. |
| Title: | Charles Russo Papers |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1966-2024 |
| Quantity: | 1.5 linear feet |
| Abstract: | Research files, subject files, and writings of American journalist Charles Russo. |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: |
Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Ave., Suite 600 Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center/university-archives |
Biographical History
Charles Russo is an American journalist whose work has addressed issues of labor, poverty, and civil rights.
A native of Canastota, New York, Russo graduated from Canastota High School and attended Syracuse University. He began his journalism career in high school as a sports reporter for the Canastota Bee-Journal and later as a stringer for the Oneida Daily Dispatch. While attending Syracuse University, he reported for The Post-Standard, earning honorable mention in the national William Randolph Hearst Foundation Awards Program for his journalistic coverage of the Blizzard of 1966. After graduating, he served as bureau chief for The Post-Standard's Watertown, New York office and later reported for the Syracuse Herald-Journal, focusing on civil rights and poverty.
Russo left Syracuse Herald-Journal in the early 1970s after what he perceived to be their biased coverage of anti-war and civil rights issues. He subsequently co-founded and edited Salt, a Syracuse-based news magazine that provided in-depth reporting on labor, poverty, and civil rights. He later worked as editor of The Scotchman News in North Syracuse, NY, where he wrote a weekly column titled "The Last to Know."
Over the years, Russo contributed to in-depth news features including a three-part series on Onondaga Nation dissident Ronald Jones and the criminal justice system. In 2024, 50 years after the original publication of Salt he issued a special edition addressing the experiences of public housing residents facing eviction due to the planned removal of the I-81 viaduct.
In addition to his journalism career, Russo worked several years as a plumbing, heating, and roofing contractor. He also worked for the Syracuse University Libraries for 26 years before retiring as manager of the Libraries' offsite storage facility.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Charles Russo Papers contains research files, subject files, and writings. Research files are for the special edition of Salt that Russo published in 2024. Subject files relate to the murder of Ronald Jones, Sr. of the Onondaga Nation. Finally, writings are Russo's articles on issues relating to civil rights and poverty.
Arrangement of the Collection
The collection is unprocessed and remains in original order.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The collection is currently unprocessed and not available for research. Please contact SCRC for more information.
Use Restrictions
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Subject Headings
Persons
Corporate Bodies
Subjects
Genres and Forms
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Charles Russo Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Acquisition Information
Gift of Charles Russo, 2025.
Finding Aid Information
Created by: Dane Flansburgh
Date: 25 Nov 2025
Revision history:
Inventory
An inventory has not yet been created for this collection. Please contact the Repository listed above for more information.