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Land acknowledgment
The Ubyssey acknowledges we operate on the traditional, ancestral and stolen territories of the Coast Salish peoples including the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.
As journalists, we have the power to uplift voices — and this means we also have the power to silence them. Journalism has traditionally cast aside and exploited marginalized peoples, and news media’s misinformation regarding Indigenous peoples has caused significant harm and violence. The Ubyssey is committed to reporting on Indigenous communities truthfully, accurately and fairly to cease news media’s complicity in colonization.
What is The Ubyssey?
The Ubyssey is the definitive source of news on campus. Published bi-weekly during the school year, it is the largest student paper in Western Canada. The Ubyssey is published by an independent non-profit society, written and edited by students and funded by a combination of student fees and advertising. All UBC students are welcome to join the staff of the paper — no experience necessary!
Training is provided by editors, as well as many professional journalists who are Ubyssey alumni. Students can hone their written and verbal communication abilities, learn computer and technical skills, and develop their graphic design talents — applied knowledge that will complement what they learn in the classroom. Students will also gain the satisfaction that comes with seeing their hard work splashed across the front page.
We’re a founding member of Canadian University Press (CUP), an organization which links student papers across the country and organizes the annual national student journalism conference, NASH. We left CUP in 2013 and joined the National University Wire (NUW), which we helped create with other Canadian student newspapers to share information and news. Now, after rejoining CUP, we're connected with student papers across the country, so expect to see a few national collabs every now and then!
Joining The Ubyssey is a wonderful way to get involved on campus. The newsroom always knows what’s happening at UBC, sometimes before it happens. It is also a place to meet interesting and motivated people (many long-term friendships have started in the newsroom). Stop by room 2208 in the Nest any time and remember: you may come in with no experience, but you won’t leave that way.
Students have done the journalism thing at UBC since 1918. For almost as long as there has been a UBC, there has been a UBC student newspaper. The Ubyssey got its start in 1918, supported by a $2 student fee. Considering inflation rates over the past century, The Ubyssey, with its current fee, is doing quite well.
The Ubyssey has played host to a wide array of budding writers. Famed poet Earle Birney edited the paper in the 1920s. Canadian icon Pierre Berton held the reins during World War II and freely admits that he came to UBC to skip his classes and work at the paper. Future Prime Minister John “Chick” Turner was an associate sports editor. Following World War II, some of the finest journalists to grace our country began their careers here, including Allan Fotheringham, Peter Worthington and Michael Valpy.
Today, you can see our alumni in newspapers across the country. Vaughn Palmer and Katherine Monk of the Vancouver Sun got their start here, as did sports pundit Tony Gallagher of The Province. Among our more recent alumni are Bruce Arthur of The National Post and The Toronto Star, Jon Woodward of CTV News, Justin McElroy and Sarah Galashan of the CBC, Canadaland's Arshy Mann and The Tyee's Olamide Olaniyan.
Who knows? You could be next…
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