WATCH: UVic’s campus newspaper is making headlines. The Martlet is celebrating 70 years of publication. Ceilidh Millar reports.
In 1948, the sounds of typewriters brought the University of Victoria’s student newspaper to life as a team of budding journalists crafted the first edition of what would become a legacy on campus.
“I’ve always grown up around print journalism,” said volunteer writer Sarah Mayer. “Especially seeing your stories in print and having that physical copy and getting to hold onto it.”
Seventy years later, the dedication to storytelling and journalism at The Martlet newspaper is still above the fold.
“People realize that even though we’re a small newspaper, we’re still a newspaper,” explained co-editor in chief Cormac O’Brien. “It’s important to keep those around, and it’s important to have those independent voices.”
Those campus voices have gone on to write for the Globe and Mail and the National Post.
Victoria Mayor List Helps, also wrote for the student newspaper while enrolled at the university.
“We’re this tiny little thing in the basement of a student union building, but the journalists who start out here go on to do some phenomenal things,” O’Brien explained.
“Once you’re part of the Martlet, you’re part of this network of writers and reporters forever,” said alumnus David Leach, who is also the director of professional writing at the university.
Despite their success, O’Brien said the team is in desperate need of new equipment for their newsroom.
“As of now we have one computer that works in this office that we can do the layout,” O’Brien explained. “We have a paper that we’re putting out biweekly so it’s very difficult to function on a 10-year-old computer.”
The team is holding a fundraising gala at Temple at 525 Fort St. in Victoria tonight from 6 to 9 p.m.
They’re also asking for donations through a GoFundMe page, so the campus newspaper can be hot off the press for many more years to come.
Ceilidh Millar
