Meet the Manitoban
Regan Sarmatiuk, Staff
“I totally disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
In perusing the Manitoban’s archives recently, I discovered that this Voltaire quote was a permanent feature of the paper’s masthead in 1949-50, and I could not think of a more fitting or romantic way to express one of the paper’s most important principles.
The Manitoban, as stated in our present-day masthead, does indeed strive to serve as an “open forum for the free expression and exchange of opinions and ideas,” and many Manitoban staffers have engaged in battles to retain that right (none resulting in death, to my knowledge). Even beyond serving as an open forum, we also hope to provide you with the best possible coverage of relevant current events and issues, sports, life and arts, but, in order to truly reach the highest standards possible — you guessed it — we need your help.
So who are we, and why should you, a busy and soon-to-be stressed out student, care? Allow me to introduce you to the Manitoban, and then implore you to care . . . and maybe even volunteer.
A brief and incomplete history
Established in the fall of 1914, the Toban, as it is commonly called, is the oldest student newspaper in the province. Thus, its history is quite rich (and not without intrigue) and can’t possibly be given the proper attention here, but there are a few highlights that can’t be ignored.
One of the paper’s most noteworthy achievements occurred in January of 1920, when, for a four-day stint during which complications in the North American paper industry forced the Winnipeg dailies to cease printing, the Manitoban staff decided to fill the void by publishing daily and distributing city-wide. Ambitious staff worked around the clock and sold the paper for five cents a copy. Once the regular dailies were up and running again, the Manitoban returned to a weekly publishing schedule, but those four days in January still stand out in the paper’s archives.
Another incident of note in the Manitoban’s earlier years involved a disgruntled former editor starting up a rival paper in 1927 called the Manitoba Student. The former editor in question, who had severed his ties with the paper, claimed that UMSU was exercising excessive editorial control and asserted that the Student was “the only free and independent student newspaper in the University of Manitoba.” The Student didn’t last long, however, and allegations of sabotage on the part of the Manitoban flew.
Such heated battles over the issue of the paper’s editorial autonomy aren’t relegated to its early history, though. The most recent battles occurred in 1999-2000, when UMSU, under then-president and now Conservative MP Steven Fletcher, tried to reduce the paper’s funding from $6 per student union member (an amount that was passed in a 1997 referendum) to $2 per student. The cut would have significantly crippled the Manitoban, and while Fletcher stated that the move was designed to increase the paper’s accountability, many argued that it had to do with Fletcher’s dislike of the Manitoban’s coverage of UMSU affairs.
The present
Regardless, the funding cuts ultimately failed and an autonomy agreement was signed on April 30, 2001. It is this agreement that still governs affairs between UMSU and the Manitoban today. Under the agreement, the Toban has full editorial autonomy. In return, there are safeguards in place to ensure that the Manitoban, incorporated in September of 1996 as a non-profit corporation, will remain financially accountable. The Union still collects the $6 per union member fee on behalf of the paper.
All history lessons aside, why might you decide to volunteer with the Manitoban, or even get involved at all? I will suggest several reasons — some of them high and lofty and others more ordinary.
The “ordinary” reasons are plentiful — writing for the paper provides you with an opportunity to hone your writing skills and have the fun of being a part of something on campus outside of the classroom. Plus, you have the added bonus of seeing your name in print.
In the “high and lofty” category — even if you have no desire to write for the paper — I would encourage you to care for the simple purpose of keeping the Manitoban accountable. While we strive to be as fair, balanced and thorough as possible, there will always be room for improvement in this area. The Manitoban, after all, is your paper, and we absolutely need you to hold us to high standards.
If writing is an interest of yours, I would also point out that the paper’s autonomy gives us students the kind of freedom that professional journalists often only dream of. This freedom of expression can best be put to use if the number of voices contributing to the paper is larger than that of the Toban’s staff.
Although perhaps not to the point of death, I can still guarantee you with the utmost certainty that if you do decide to get involved with the Manitoban, we will defend your right to say what you have to say.
