[su_heading size=”21″] We need your two cents. No, literally. We really need your two cents. [/su_heading]
It would mean so much to us at Excalibur if you, lovely reader, would take a minute to vote ‘Yes’ to increasing our student levy by a total of two cents per credit, from 13 cents to 15 cents. This would make a world of difference in helping us be a better newspaper for the York community.
Excalibur is struggling financially in an era where print journalism is becoming obsolete and ad revenue is dwindling. This year’s editorial team was among the first to feel this burden. Every year, we go to a student journalism conference to learn from industry professionals; we’ve also won awards at this conference for the past several years. This year, money troubles stopped us from going.
In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t a big problem. But if our financial situation doesn’t improve, things are only going to get worse. Editorial positions could be cut, the print edition could be eliminated completely, and eventually, Excalibur may not be able to sustain itself at all.
Here’s why that shouldn’t happen: a great student newspaper is absolutely essential to any university. York’s population, as has been said before, is equivalent to that of a small city. On any given day, there are conflicts and issues that desperately need public attention. These are stories that only Excalibur can report on.
We got exclusive video of first respondents on the scene of the Student Centre shooting, interviewed one of the victims, and since it happened, we haven’t stopped asking questions about campus safety and security, unlike other news outlets.
We have also been at the centre of other important stories that have come out of York. The now international Slutwalk movement was triggered by an Excalibur article on a police officer who made an offensive comment regarding women’s safety on campus.
We’re also the only news outlet that keeps an eye on the York Federation of Students and the York administration, whose actions and decisions affect us all, but don’t interest mainstream media.
We love this school and the students we serve. This is why we’re looking to you to keep us from falling into a downward spiral.
We’ve already been taking steps to stay current by making Excalibur’s online presence a top priority. As we move further in this direction, we’ll be able to bring you more videos and tell stories more engagingly online.
The future of the print edition, though, is uncertain. Soon, content may be cut, and the paper may get even smaller. We’ve already lost the previously popular Science & Technology section because of funding, as well as several pages from our weekly issues to lower printing costs. At this rate, the newspaper will disintegrate completely.
Without sufficient funding, there may come a time when students won’t be able to leaf through a real newspaper or bring home a physical copy when their name and face is featured in a story.
It is always sad when the print edition of a publication falls apart.
This is a bleak reality that we are trying to avoid. The extra funding from our levy will help us keep print alive and strong while we develop the website so that we can keep telling the stories that need to be told, stories that you want to read.
Excalibur needs the students just as the students need Excalibur, so please take a brief moment to vote “yes” at www.evote.yorku.ca.
Your little bit will go a long way.
