The main student newspaper at Swarthmore is The Phoenix, a weekly school-sponsored newspaper published every Thursday, except during exam and vacation time. Staff positions are paid. The newspaper was founded in 1881, with online editions beginning in 1995. Its current format is more similar to a newsmagazine than a newspaper, with a color front cover. Two thousand copies, free of charge, are distributed across the college campus and to the Borough of Swarthmore. The newspaper is printed at The Delaware County Daily Times in Primos. Its online version's Web hosting by the Swarthmore College Computer Society, with bandwidth-search engine capability provided by the Swarthmore College Information Technology Services. In 2000, The Phoenix was an Online Pacemaker for the Associated College Press award.

The Daily Gazette is another student newspaper; unlike the The Phoenix, it is a daily paper and is independent from the administration and student government. The first issues were distributed through email during the fall semester of 1996, with an online edition soon following. Currently, the Daily Gazette has 1700 suscribers.

There are two biannual magazines at Swarthmore. One is Spike, Swarthmore's humor magazine. The other is Small Craft Warnings, the literary magazine. Each edition of Small Craft Warnings has 500 printings is bound with an embossed cover, with around 100 pages.

WSRN 91.5 FM is the college radio station.