The Gazette, Western University’s student newspaper, published a spoof issue on March 30 containing shocking and offensive material, including a reference to London’s chief of police taking a “wild vagina” “into a dark alley to teach it a lesson.”
The Gazette’s editor in chief, Ian Van Den Hurk, said he doesn’t think he compromised or damaged the reputation of student journalists.
In a time when it’s already a struggle for campus newspapers to retain autonomy, irresponsible actions like these lessen student journalists’ credibility. It’s shocking that a newspaper that claims to report the facts with integrity would also print jokes offensive to a wide range of people and jeopardize the trust s and peers place in all student journalists. Thanks to their actions, student journalists must now work even harder to demonstrate that they can be taken seriously and produce critically engaging work.
In response to the Gazette’s parody issue, Western’s student government implemented a code of ethics and an advisory board comprised of Gazette alumni and industry professionals to review the newspaper’s conduct. At the end of each year, the istration will have the power to revoke the paper’s $9 mandatory fee and suspend its distribution privileges if they deem the conduct inappropriate.
Granting istration the power to effectively terminate the paper displays a misconception of a campus newspaper’s role. A newspaper doesn’t need an advisory board to ensure its printed content is true, and creation of the board could eliminate the potential for critical analysis of the university. As well, it sets a dangerous precedent with which other student newspapers may have to contend.
The istration and student government should take a hard look at their community, instead of impeding the progress of their student newspaper and next year’s editorial board. An advisory board will not address the attitudes of individuals in their community who condone and appreciate the offensive material printed in the issue.
Instead of targeting this as an isolated incident and creatting a board with conflicting external interests, the istration should focus on improvements needed in their community and its attitudes towards offensive material, not the media body whose ignorance reflects those attitudes.
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