Journalism advocates slam decision to close 50-year-old Fanshawe College student newspaper

Matthew Trevithick · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 15, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

The determination by the Fanshawe College student union to adjacent the school's longtime pupil paper and determination its backing to different national priorities is being condemned by the caput of the Canadian Association of Journalists, and others who bid young journalists.

The determination to halt work of The Interrobang was "unacceptable," said Brent Jolly, the nationalist advocacy group's president, who expressed disapproval implicit the evident deficiency of accidental fixed to Fanshawe's students.

Last week, the Fanshawe Student Union (FSU) said work of the college's lone field paper would end, some successful people and online, on April 4.

FSU officials person said the determination was not a cost-cutting measure, and indicated to The Interrobang itself that it came aft a reassessment of FSU's budget amid a steep driblet successful planetary students.

It means 1 less pupil newsroom wherever aspiring journalists could larn the trade, Jolly says.

"The happening we truly request to deliberation done is the relation quality plays successful our communities. Whether you're talking astir La Roche, Sask., oregon you're talking about Fanshawe College, this is simply a nationalist service," helium said.

"This is an accidental for radical to train, to larn and pass ... This is astir fostering a dynamic and engaged community, and however it's animated. For me, this is unacceptable."

He said it didn't look similar students were fixed immoderate say, oregon that The Interrobang was fixed overmuch announcement specified a determination was being made. The pupil national said it did not consult students, but that its elected representatives voted connected the decision.

"This is simply a nationalist quality story. This is not conscionable a tiny happening ... This is simply a usurpation of property freedom. Whether it's connected field oregon determination else, that makes nary quality to me," Jolly said.

The bi-weekly paper employs up to 12 pupil journalists, and began printing nether The Interrobang sanction successful 1973. It's published by the FSU and funded done its basal fund to the tune of astir $250,000 annually, Siddharth Singh, the FSU's president, estimates.

The determination was not made lightly and was not done to prevention money, but to reallocate resources elsewhere, Singh told CBC News past week. He suggested the wealth could spell toward, among different things, utilizing Interrobang staff to make societal media contented for FSU. He besides said the wealth would money a caller full-time pupil national advocacy position, with an yearly wage of astir $60,000. 

"I deliberation that precise rule is rather antithetical to the constituent of having a quality enactment connected campus," Jolly said. "It's not a PR bureau for the pupil union."

Singh told CBC News that 3 pupil executives and an eight-student Board of Directors voted unanimously to unopen down the newspaper, citing declining online and people readership, thing its exertion disputes.

An online petition has been launched calling for a referendum to money the insubstantial with a $2 per pupil levy, alternatively than the FSU budget.

On Wednesday, Singh said helium was pleased to spot students speaking up, and said the petition would beryllium brought guardant to committee members astatine its adjacent meeting.

"We are unfastened (to) supporting them. As an example, they came to FSU to publication a array and abstraction to bash their petition, which again, we want these kinds of approach from the students, wherever they are speaking up to what they judge in," helium said.

Asked wherefore FSU was waiting for the petition alternatively of reversing course and getting pupil input different way, Singh said surveys of students weren't usually done for operational decisions. (That would see The Interrobang's budget.)

He added an objection was being made and the petition would inactive spell earlier the committee careless of however galore signatures it amassed.

Among the signatories is Gina Lorentz, the coordinator of Fanshawe's journalism program, which operates XFM News, the quality broadside of the college's FM vigor station, 106.9 The X.

Lorentz said she was amazed to perceive of the newspaper's closure, which she recovered retired astir done her students, galore of whom constitute articles for it connected a part-time basis.

"In presumption of the interaction connected the field and the students and the college, it truly is simply a mislaid voice," she said. The insubstantial helped support students informed, and reflected what was happening connected campus.

She added that other avenues should person been explored to rework oregon prevention the insubstantial successful immoderate way, noting The Interrobang besides produced podcasts which aired connected The X.

"It has been specified a large grooming crushed arsenic other portfolio material, other experiences and feeling what you're doing truly does matter. To person it dismissed is intelligibly a spot of a daze and disappointment."