While Canadian media struggles, student journalism thrives.
Canadian journalism, and journalism worldwide, is facing a crisis. Captured by the avaricious logic of profit, unwilling to challenge power, and in many cases completely lacking the resources to engage in the levels of community journalism which once used to be abundant, Canadians have begun to tune out. Meanwhile, unfettered from financial interests, and with a clear and distinct mandate to serve the student population, student journalism offers an alternative to this moribund model of journalism
Worsened by Bill C18, Canadians’ engagement with genuine journalism is in stark decline, and that is reflected in the number of newspapers still standing. According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) report on news deprivation, since 2008, Ottawa has lost nearly a quarter of its local news outlets. As the CCPA reports, local news outlets have struggled under new financial pressures, dwindling readership, and new business models. It is a crisis when communities no longer have news that covers their interests, and it is impossible for democracy to continue when we no longer have a cohesive sense of truth and our media landscape is largely owned by foreign, conservative, media conglomerates acting as a voice for the monied interests.
Despite being an old tradition, student journalism matters now more than it ever has. The Fulcrum was founded in 1942; many other major university newspapers were founded at a similar time. But the model for campus media differs significantly from traditional media. Student newspapers are by and large funded by campus levies. For the price of an iced matcha latte at Happy Goat, students are provided with fully staffed, digital and print content covering issues affecting students, campus, and student communities. This levy allows publications like the Fulcrum to not have to worry about offending sponsoring organizations like the University, the Student Union, or advertisers; instead we can focus on what students are actually feeling and experiencing.
Reporting on students and their experiences may seem small. Campus protests with a dozen attendees, or an coverage of an event put on by a campus club may seem unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but mainstream culture is often downstream from campus. Facebook first emerged on campuses and was first reported on by campus newspapers. At the University of Ottawa this has meant breaking news around racist behaviour in classrooms, leading to a nationwide debate around academic freedom. And across the city, the Charlatan published a heart breaking and important investigation into sexual harassment and assault happening in Carleton’s Greek life. Student journalism is offering hard hitting journalism every day— something we should all be incredibly thankful for.
Clearly something structurally, is allowing student journalism to thrive. While other newspapers downsize, reduce scope, and die, student newspapers have remained standing, offering a model for a new independent form of journalism: journalism through community partnerships, editorial independence, consistent levy based funding, and a mandate to represent the student community. Imagine a local labour union, or community group emulating this model. They could propose a a levy of a handful of dollars to its membership, and founding a newspaper with editorial independence, but with the sole mandate to cover issues affecting workers in Ottawa from the perspective of workers. It is not absurd as it seems, it is a model that worked in the early 20th century with union-led newspapers, and it is a model that could work now.
We know that journalism in Canada is under threat. In this environment we should all be thankful for campus media which isn’t afraid to challenge institutions like universities. We should also be looking at campus media for ideas on how to defend, and expand independent community journalism. It is easy to dismiss what students are doing on campus, but it would be a mistake.
