January 31, 2018
Winnipeg, MB – Councillor for The University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU), Cole Parsons, has withdrawn a motion to hold a referendum to discuss defunding The Manitoban, the University of Manitoba’s student newspaper. The submitted motion was included in the UMSU Council Package distributed Jan. 29, 2018. After a tremendous amount of initial feedback from the student body indicating wishes to continue financing The Manitoban, Parsons withdrew the motion this afternoon, Jan. 31, 2018.
“I thought perhaps students wanted an opportunity to re-evaluate this service that they pay for, but since putting it forward it’s clear that The Manitoban is an important service to many students,” said Parsons.
Parsons stated his original intention was to start a dialogue on the topic when he submitted the motion, since students invest money in the newspaper through their tuition fees. With many students having voiced concerns that The Manitoban’s content often fails to be impartial, and as common media gradually transitions away from print toward digital, Parsons believed students might want to discuss potential options.
“I think it’s important for media to showcase both sides of a story when reporting the issues, and many students have found content in the student newspaper to be one-sided,” added Parsons. “Ensuring the campus media is fair when reporting, and inclusive of all opinions, is exceptionally important.”
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The University of Manitoba Students’ Union is the official representative of the over 25,000 undergraduate students at the University of Manitoba.
For media information, please contact:
Tanjit Nagra
President
University of Manitoba Students’ Union
Phone: 204-474-6519
Email: pres@umsu.ca