September 18th, 2023
Dear SSMU Members,
On August 1, Google and Meta began blocking Canadian news outlets on their social media platforms in response to the ‘Online News Act,’ or Bill C-18, passed by the Canadian parliament. These actions have severely limited the ability of those living in Canada to access Canadian news, and hampered Canadian publications’ ability to promote their work and engage readers on these platforms. The effects of this censorship particularly impacts small, independent news outlets, including our student publications here at McGill.
McGill’s student publications play a vital role in campus life, reporting on issues specific to McGill students that you won’t read about elsewhere. They are valuable tools to hold our university institutions and democracy accountable and document the happenings of our university for future generations of students to look back on. Additionally, as McGill doesn’t have a journalism program, campus publications often serve to teach students valuable writing, editing and research skills that could help them in a future career.
In this difficult time, SSMU encourages students to support our campus publications to ensure that they are able to continue to exist and maintain their presence on campus. There are a number of ways in which you can continue to stay updated on their work, such as subscribing to a newsletter, following the publication on another platform, or simply picking up a print version at one of the newsstands around campus. If you want to try your hand at student journalism, these publications are always looking for new contributors, so don’t hesitate to reach out!
Below are a list of student publications that exist at McGill and ways to stay connected:
The McGill Daily
Founded in 1911, the Daily is McGill’s oldest student newspaper still in operation. The Daily’s content follows their statement of principles, which emphasizes the importance of anti-oppressive values and acknowledges that “all events and issues are inherently political.” The editorial board has a non-hierarchical structure, meaning that there’s no editor-in-chief.
https://www.mcgilldaily.com/
https://twitter.com/mcgilldaily
The Tribune
Along with the Daily, The Tribune is one of the most prominent, independent student newspapers on campus, covering a wide range of topics such as current events, culture, sports, science and technology, and student life. The Tribune has a large team, and is therefore capable of covering many diverse happenings on campus.
https://www.thetribune.ca/
https://twitter.com/thetribuneca
Le Délit
Le Délit is the only Francophone student newspaper on campus, making it an important space for McGill’s Francophone community to exchange ideas in their own language. It’s the sister paper of The McGill Daily, and the two publications release a joint issue at the end of each fall semester.
https://www.delitfrancais.com/
Newsletter
TikTok
The Bull and Bear
The Bull and Bear is a student-run news magazine operating within the Management Undergraduate Society covering news, arts and culture, opinion, and business and economy.. Originally founded in 2003 to serve as the voice of McGill’s Desautels Faculty of Management, The Bull and Bear rebranded in 2012 as a magazine publication covering campus-wide events and news. It publishes a print magazine each semester and publishes new articles online multiple times a week.
https://bullandbearmcgill.com/
https://bullandbearmcgill.com/newsletter/
Signed,
SSMU Office of External Affairs
