There are douchebags in the world. There are dickwads. There are twerps and morons, and even, plebeians. If you’re British, there are tossers and pillocks and bloody wankers. But worse than all of these are politicians who try and censor freedom of the press.</p>
I am the former deputy editor of Western's student newspaper, The Gazette. I know the labour and craft that go into fashioning a student newspaper. I know the amount of work done on a volunteer basis in the name of learning and putting out a product for those who will often undervalue its importance.
During my five-year tenure at The Gazette, our student government tried to take our office space in a move that was largely perceived by us to be out of spite for articles that we had published. (Thankfully, they came around.)
I find it horrifying to see that Imprint, the student newspaper at the University of Waterloo, is facing a shockingly similar situation.
I encourage all students at Waterloo to stand up in solidarity with your newspaper. You do not know the importance of what they do. It’s incredibly difficult to have to hold your ground to defend something you care about—I write as someone who had to first-hand. The editors at Imprint need your support.
In a society that increasingly undervalues the significance of journalism, we have to take a stand to defend campus media. We may not think much of it now, but the people we are in school will be the people we become. A well-informed citizenry needs its reporters, its critics, its heralds and its readers—that starts in school and that starts with Imprint.
Brent Holmes
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Former Deputy Editor of The Gazette
