Should students’ unions control student-led journalism?

On 10 November Durham University’s student-led paper Palatinate voted with an overwhelming majority to separate from the students’ union. The move came as a result of a two-year dispute with the union. The final straw came in the form of a trademark application made without the knowledge of the paper’s editorial board.  This recent development undoubtedly calls […]

Joseph Thomas
4th December 2022
On 10 November Durham University’s student-led paper Palatinate voted with an overwhelming majority to separate from the students’ union. The move came as a result of a two-year dispute with the union. The final straw came in the form of a trademark application made without the knowledge of the paper’s editorial board. 

This recent development undoubtedly calls into question the role of any students’ union in student journalism. 

Use and restriction of funding to manipulate the nature of an article or publication goes directly against its core principles

On every level, the purpose of journalism is to present objective facts to the reader so that they can better understand a situation. Use and restriction of funding to manipulate the nature of an article or publication go directly against its core principles. This can be seen repeatedly on the international stage. Influence on media by rich owners is fairly common. Take for example the so-called ‘Murdoch Empire’, a group of large-scale publications owned and operated by Rupert Murdoch.

In the case of student media, publications are not owned by billionaires with vested international interests yet still suffer from the oversight and influences of students’ unions. The situation with Palatinate represents a serious failure in regard to oversight. 

A system student journalism could take is similar to that of The BBC. The British Government ultimately owns and funds the corporation through taxpayer’s money, but the organisation is allowed to report its own stories. This includes those critical of the government. This allows for the principle of journalism to objectively report facts and criticise to go unchanged. However, arguments do remain that The BBC is not entirely free to report on every story and selects a pro-UK bias. 

With that said, a solution for student media should absolutely involve a separation on the part of the editorial body from the union. This would allow for unfiltered criticism of the students’ union and university. Without this system, union activities could go unchecked and unnoticed by the student body. This would lead to a non-representative establishment. Even on a small-scale media must fulfil this criticising role. 

An entirely separate media would not work or be inclusive. Students’ unions should still provide funding towards student media. Student papers are written by those with a vested interest in journalism. Funding this allows students to develop skills and learn about journalism in an accessible environment. This is an essential and valuable resource and enhances the role of the students’ union. 

In my opinion, student media would not succeed without an established and committed obligation with the union. This would allow for editorial freedom but secure guaranteed funding,

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