[2] Early use of the paper covered a variety of contentious topics, including the founding of a Trinity socialist society, compulsory attendance at Episcopal Chapel services (which continued at the college until the mid-1960s), and student engagement.

Following the publication of Trinity's alumni magazine, the Reporter by the college in 1939, the Tripod shifted its focus to cover student affairs and conflict in greater detail.

George Will '62, a Pulitzer-prize winning columnist at The Washington Post, and Peter Kilborn '61, a features editor at The New York Times, led the Tripod's charge against fraternities.

According to College Archivist Peter Knapp, faculty debate on the issue of the protests spilled into the pages of the Tripod, demonstrating the paper's increasing relevance as the forum of record on campus.

The Tripod also covered local Connecticut news during this time in a special section and coverage was marked by ongoing concern over student involvement in administrative decisions.

"[8] The Tripod website was launched 2000 with the rise of the internet and saw other online venues, including The Daily Jolt, TrinTalk.com, and Facebook serve as outlets for student discourse.

[9] The Tripod covered two significant controversies in the late 2000s and early 2010s, including the college administration's misappropriation of funds in 2009 from an account held under the Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation to support operations, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, and the 2012 "co-education fraternity mandate" that failed and resulted in the early retirement of then-Trinity President James F. Jones in 2013.

Coverage during the mid-2010s included ongoing Title VII litigation against Trinity and the college's continued response to diversity and equity and inclusion concerns.

The Tripod also prints an annual satire issue, The Liepod, on April Fool's Day, and maintains active social media accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

In November 2020, the Tripod published a special commemorative issue documenting the thoughts of Trinity students during the 2020 United States presidential election.