The McGill Tribune has covered McGill and Montreal since 1981, initially as the official newspaper of the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU). Since its independence from SSMU in 2010, the Tribune has been operated autonomously by the Tribune Publication Society (TPS). All McGill students are automatically members of the TPS by virtue of their student dues, which support the newspaper, and anyone can attend the meetings of our Board of Directors.
We publish every week on Tuesdays, and cover issues of interest to the student body. To meet this criteria, the Tribune does not adhere to a constitution or agenda when it comes to editorial stance. Our editorial board changes annually, and the views of the paper fluctuate in accordance. Instead, what guides the Tribune is a consistent commitment to critical thinking and open-mindedness in our stories and editorials. We operate under the idea that we are a newspaper by and for McGill students, and we seek to report in a manner that encourages our readers to think inquisitively about issues of importance to the McGill community. This concept drives the way in which the Tribune presents facts, asks questions, and comments on student life.
Our brand of reporting is unique both naturally and by design. Students who choose to become editors of a student journal are internally motivated to cover issues they deem important to student life. They remain persistent in face of the often demanding task of recording student life at McGill. Editors hail from diverse backgrounds, and are drawn to the Tribune’s even-keeled coverage and worldview. Each section has its own personality that changes year to year. As a result, our sections operate independently of the whole, and editors are fairly autonomous in choosing what they want to cover.
The analytical nature of our coverage is also structural: we editorialize on issues we choose to discuss and editorials are written based on a consensus we’ve reached following an extensive discussion. Rather than addressing each issue with a predetermined set of principles, editorials are written on a case-by-case basis. Our ideologically-varied editorial board allows for tough editorial meetings and a multifaceted analysis of the issues at hand. Our columnists boast a range of political views, because a broad range of opinions have their place at the Tribune. Our structure allows us to remain committed to critical thinking and to reflect the views of the current editorial board. As a result, during any given week, the Tribune’s editorial stance is not a foregone conclusion but subject to shift based on an analysis of the facts.
It’s difficult, if not impossible, to separate a writer’s narrative from an ideal of objective fact. Therefore, we seek instead to incorporate the views all those who wish to contribute, by having open and critical discussions on topics of interest to the community. The Tribune’s commitment to tackling each issue anew, independently of a constitution and through a multifarious lens, can be best summed up by the tagline at the bottom of this year’s new logo: Curiosity Delivers.
It’s likely the coming year will be just as exciting and engaging as the last. As always, we will continue to work to cover McGill critically, fairly, and impartially. Make sure to pick us up every Tuesday and to check out our revamped website, www.thetribune.ca. As always, we welcome your feedback in the form of letters to the editor sent to [email protected]. For up-to-date coverage, follow us on Twitter (@mcgill_tribune), like us on Facebook, and stay curious.
