Growing up, I always answered the ubiquitous question, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ with the word ‘journalist.’ Of course, I didn’t know nearly half of what the term meant, and even now am only beginning to scratch the surface of it. I simply knew that I had a passion for writing and understanding other people; journalism seemed like the logical follow-up to that drive.
However, the declining state of the journalism industry today is daunting. PostMedia, Canada’s largest newspaper chain, cut 90 jobs in Jan. 2015. In the third quarter of 2016, it reported a $23.7 million loss, with print advertising revenues down 19.4 per cent. In Sept. 2015, Montreal’s /La Presse/ laid off 158 employees. It now only prints on Saturdays, instead publishing daily content on its app. In August, /The Toronto Star/ laid off 52 employees.
Student journalists are of course aware of the reality of the journalism industry; campus publications are exploring ways to transition into online content, increase their social media presence, and attract more readers. At the same time, McGill’s student publications are fortunate in that their readership levels are not directly correlated with their survival. /The McGill Tribune/, /The McGill Daily/, and /Le Délit/ are all independent student groups primarily funded by student fees. /The Tribune/ is published by the Societé de Publication de la Tribune, and /The Daily/ and /Le Délit/ are published by the Daily Publications Society and both receive student fees. Other publications—such as /The Bull & Bear/ and /The McGill Students’ Business Review/—receive funding from the Faculty of Management. In the face of a struggling newspaper industry, student newspapers remain somewhat insulated.