Student Publications at McGill
McGill University has three major campus newspapers: The McGill Daily, Le Délit, and The McGill Tribune. This page has been created to give context for the history and evolution of each of these papers, including the specific historical and cultural circumstances that have led to three separate student press publications operating on campus.
While each of these publications were formed for different reasons and appeal to different audiences, all three are currently independent of both McGill University and the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU), giving them the ability to freely critique these institutions. In order to distribute and operate on campus, as well as use the McGill name, each paper has a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with McGill University. Every five years, the publications are required to undergo a student referendum, during which this MoA is up for review. For more information on how student groups operate at McGill, including how referenda work, please visit our McGill Governance Structures page.
The editors of all three major campus newspapers receive a small stipend for their work, though the amounts are not indicated on their websites. Writers, photographers, and illustrators work entirely on a volunteer basis. All of the papers currently publish once a week in print during the school year and online all year round.
The McGill Daily
The McGill Daily is the oldest student publication on McGill’s campus and was originally founded in 1911 as a sports rag. Since the 1960s, the paper has been regarded as a “vehicle for outspoken students,” often facing opposition from both university administration and student government.1 At the Daily’s 100th anniversary celebration, multiple alumni explained that the Daily has historically had a reputation as being a space for activism and questioning authority.2
The Daily has been independent of SSMU (The McGill Student Society) since 1980 and is now published by the Daily Publications Society (DPS), an independent entity that collects student fees.
Currently, the Daily publishes in print and online across seven major sections: News, Commentary, Features, Culture, Sci+Tech, Editorials, and Compendium (a satire and fun section). The paper is run by a non-hierarchical editorial board where decisions are made collectively amongst board members. There is no editor-in-chief. The paper is also governed by a Statement of Principles, which establishes “that all events and issues are inherently political” and that the Daily must remain accessible and accountable.3
The Daily’s reporting on social and political issues often generates wide buzz throughout the campus community (and beyond). On one hand, the publication faces criticism from students who do not agree with its political alignment or the way that it covers some issues, particularly the Daily’s stance against the occupation of Palestine. As an example, The McGill Nightly, a website not affiliated with the Daily, has published satirical critiques of the Daily’s content. On the other hand, the Daily is also seen as a conversation starter around important campus issues. Daily articles have been known to influence the proceedings of student government, such as by being cited in motions or being referenced in legislative council discussions. Articles published in the Daily have also been instrumental in providing a platform to various student activists and groups in order to mobilize for important causes on campus.
The McGill Daily is a member of the Canadian University Press, a network of college and university publications across Canada.
Le Delit
Le Délit is the only French-language newspaper on McGill’s campus. It was originally published as a weekly French-language edition of the Daily, but became its own independent paper in 1998. Le Délit is also published by the Daily Publications Society, and has always been independent of SSMU. The editorial boards of the Daily and Le Délit collaborate around an annual joint issue they publish.
The paper creates its own original content. Its editorial board follows a fairly traditional hierarchical structure, with an editor-in-chief overseeing production along with section editors.
Le Délit is considered the centre of the francophone student community at McGill and attracts a wide community of francophone contributors with an array of stances and perspectives on contemporary issues. Although McGill is an anglophone university, 1 in 5 McGill students are francophone4 and Quebec is a majority francophone province, making Le Délit a vital resource to a large group of students and the larger community.
Le Délit is also a member of the Canadian University Press.
The McGill Tribune
The McGill Tribune was founded in 1981 following the Daily’s split from the SSMU and was funded directly through student funds via the SSMU. In 2010, the paper became independent from SSMU and is now published by the Société de Publication de la Tribune, an independent entity with its own Board of Directors. That year, the publication was mandated by the SSMU to become independent, which was “motivated both by concerns over a conflict of interest, since the newspaper [reported] on SSMU while also depending on the Society for funding, and the fact that SSMU [was] legally responsible for the newspaper.”5
Currently, the Tribune publishes online and in-print across seven sections: News, Opinion, Student Life, Features, Scitech, Arts, and Sports. They also have a multimedia section online, which features cartoons, videos, and podcasts. The editorial board follows a traditional newsroom structure, with an editor-in-chief overseeing the entire paper and three managing editors overseeing two sections each.
The website of the McGill Tribune states that the paper has a “reputation for fair reporting.”6 Unlike the McGill Daily, which follows its Statement of Principles, the Tribune does not adopt a specific political or editorial line in its publication. In interviews with the Feminist SNAP team, Tribune editors identified the paper as being “closer to the centre,” politically, than other campus publications such as the Daily, which they felt had more explicit political alignments. Editors also expressed that the editorial line fluctuates depending on who is on the editorial board during a given year. The Tribune considers a focus on McGill to be a vital part of their reporting; as a result, the majority of their articles directly focus on events and issues on McGill’s campus.
Like the Daily, the Tribune has had a far reach and significant impact on the campus and Montreal communities. Articles originally published in the Tribune have been picked up by mainstream news outlets like the CBC, the Globe and Mail, and the Montreal Gazette.
*There are very few pieces from the McGill Tribune in the archive due to our inability to scan the number of articles they have published on issues relevant to our collections. We hope to be able to include their texts in the archive once copyright approval has been established.
Other publications in the archive:
There are several other kinds of student publications included in the archive, including one-off zines, student journals and magazines, among other kinds of materials. We will provide updates on different publications as we add their materials to the archive.
Yiara Magazine
Yiara Magazine is a student-run, feminist art publication. The magazine publishes in print annually and online periodically in both English and French. While the magazine is headquartered on Concordia University’s downtown campus, editors and contributors to Yiara come from all four universities in the city of Montreal: McGill University, Concordia University, Université de Montréal, and Université du Québec à Montréal.
Works cited:
1. Annelise Dowd, “Backstory: A history of McGill Student Publications,” McGill Library, August 4, 2017, https://blogs.library.mcgill.ca/digitization/backstory-a-history-of-mcgill-student-publications/.
2. McGill Alumni, “Celebrating 100 Years of the McGill Daily,” YouTube Video, 4:03, December 1, 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MChBoUewpqs.
3. “Statement of Principles,” The McGill Daily, accessed March 8, 2022, https://www.mcgilldaily.com/statement/.
4. “Francophone students,” McGill University, accessed July 27, 2022, https://www.mcgill.ca/undergraduate-admissions/francophone-students.
5. Erin Hale. “McGill Tribune fights for independence,” The McGill Daily, March 4, 2010, https://www.mcgilldaily.com/2010/03/mcgill_tribune_fights_for_independence/.
6. “About,” The McGill Tribune, accessed July 27, 2022, https://www.mcgilltribune.com/about/.