Excalibur (newspaper)
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Owner(s) | Excalibur Publications Inc. |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | 420 Student Centre, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada |
| Circulation | 16,000 |
| Website | excal.on.ca |
 |
Excalibur is a community newspaper of York University, Toronto. It has been serving the York University community since 1964 and autonomous since 1966. Its main focus is to serve the student population at York.
Controversies
Excalibur and the Jane-Finch community
Excalibur has been accused of publishing racist and classist materials.
On March 28th 2012, out-going Editor-in-Chief Michael Sholars wrote an editorial saying:
- "I don't care what statistics are brought up to argue that the York campus is just as safe as any other city; the problems are coming from the area immediately surrounding our campus, one of the most infamous high-crime areas in the country. The further [sic] you live in the Village, the more palpable a risk you take by walking home at night. The problem is compounded several times over if you happen to be female, because this past year has seen a string of attacks that against women that defy rational explanation."
The Jane Finch Action Against Poverty (JFAAP) committee called the editorial "inaccurate, outrageous and prejudicial," criticizing the implications that Jane and Finch area is responsible for the violence on campus without data.[1] JFAAP responded on May 8 2012 with an open letter[2] to Excalibur and York University asking for an apology from the newspaper's editorial board and York University and an op-ed written by JFAAP.
York University distanced themselves from the editorial on May 29 2012 saying it is not university policy to comment on Excalibur editorials.[3]
The York University Faculty Association, CUPE 3903,[4] the Community and Legal Aid Services Program (CLASP), and the Graduate Students Association at York wrote also open letters in opposition to Sholars' editorial and in support of the JFAAP committee.[5]
On September 19 2012, JFAAP held a protest against Excalibur, attracting the attention of the CBC[6] and prompting current Editor-in-Chief Leslie Armstrong to write an editorial about the situation.[7]
On November 29 2012, a second protest was held against Excalibur[8] to coincide with the Open Forum on Safety.[9] At the Open Forum, York Vice-President Academic and Provost Rhonda Lenton called Sholars' editorial "divisive and unhelpful."
Masthead
2012-2013:
- Editor-in-Chief – Leslie Armstrong
- Executive Editor Online – Ernest Reid
- Copy Editor – Tamara Khandaker
- Deputy Copy Editor – [vacant]
- News Editor – Melissa Sundardas
- Assistant News Editor – Hamid Adem
- Photo Editor – Mark Grant
- Creative Director - Teresa Yung
- Graphics and Comics Editor – Keith Mclean
- Multimedia Editor – Phil Darlington
- Arts Editor – Sarah Ciantar
- Sports Editor – Aileen Ormoc
- Features Editor – Alex Hum
- Recruitment Manager - Ruhani J.Patel
- Web Developer - Leah Varghese
References
- ^ Jane Finch Action Against Poverty Open Letter to York University http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/newsrelease/11093
- ^ ibid.
- ^ York U Vice-President of Advancement Jeff O'Hagan responded on May 29 saying "...Excalibur is an independent newspaper that is in no way under the control or direction of the University. As a matter of policy [York] does not comment, positively or negatively, on editorials in the Excalibur." "York University, the Excalibur and Jane Finch Action Against Poverty." YU Free Press, Fall Issue 1, 2012, p. 14.
- ^ CUPE 3903 also criticizes Jacqueline Perlin's January 18 2012 editorial http://3903.cupe.ca/updir/3903/ckfinder/files/JFAAP%20Letter.pdf
- ^ "York University, the Excalibur and Jane Finch Action Against Poverty." YU Free Press, Fall Issue 1, 2012, p. 14.
- ^ http://www.cbc.ca/hereandnowtoronto/episodes/2012/09/19/york-u-student-paper-targeted-by-protesters/
- ^ RE: JFAAP open letter by Leslie Armstrong. http://www.excal.on.ca/edop/re-jfaap-open-letter/
- ^ http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/krystalline-kraus/2012/11/activist-communique-stop-stereotyping-jane-finch-stop-racis
- ^ http://www.yorku.ca/safety/openforum/
External links
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