Editorial Policy

The Gazette is a daily, student-funded, student-run newspaper published by University Students' Council of the University of Western Ontario ("USC") at The University of Western Ontario. The paper is published four days per week (Tuesdays through Fridays) during the academic year, and an additional four times during the non-academic year. The Gazette's core potential readership consists of approximately 32,000 students at Western. It serves the student readership by reporting the news, entertaining readers, and promoting debate on issues involving the Western community and the City of London.

• Read the full version of the Editorial Policy
• Download the Editorial Policy (pdf)

Code of Ethics

The Gazette is a daily, student-funded, student-operated newspaper at The University of Western Ontario. It serves the student readership by reporting the news, entertaining readers, and promoting debate on issues involving the Western community and the City of London.

• Read the full version of the Code of Ethics
• Download the Code of Ethics (pdf)

Letters Policy

Letters submitted to The Gazette are judged by a number of criteria, including the timeliness of the letter, the originality of arguments presented in your letter and how long an issue has persisted in the newspaper.

In addition to these guidelines, all letters must include the contributor’s name and identification (ie. History II, Dean of Arts). Letters judged by the Editor-in-Chief to be libellous or derogatory will not be published. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters and submissions and makes no guarantees that a letter will be published.

By submitting a letter to The Gazette for publication, you grant to The Gazette a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, irrevocable license to publish such material in perpetuity in any media, including but not limited to, The Gazette’s hard copy and online archives.

Thank you very much once again for taking the time to write to us, and if you have any comments or concerns, feel free to e-mail Editor-in-Chief Ravi Amarnath at gazette.editor@uwo.ca.

Complaints Procedure

Recalling The Gazette's commitment to responsible, accurate, timely, honest and objective reporting, The Gazette is accountable for dealing with mistakes, concerns and complaints, with the goal of upholding our integrity and observing our mandate.

• Read the full version of the Complaints Procedure
• Download the Complaints Procedure (pdf)

Initiatives for Volume 102

The editorial board is committed to creating the best newspaper possible for its readership, and every recommendation was thoroughly looked over prior to deciding the feasibility of implementation. Below, we summarized our actions to the 14 points outlined in the final report of the Study Group in 10 points.

The newspaper will be trying these new procedures for the first semester of the 2008-09 school year, after which, we will make any necessary changes. Any alterations that are made will be explained and made accessible to the public online.

• Read the full version of the Initiatives for Volume 102
• Download the Initiatives for Volume 102 (pdf)

Advisory Board Terms of Reference

The Advisory Board reviews complaints about the editorial content of the paper in light of The Gazette's Code of Ethics and Editorial Policy. The Advisory Board will act as the designated body ensuring compliance with the Editorial Policy.

• Read the full version of the Advisory Board Terms of Reference
• Download the Advisory Board Terms of Reference (pdf)

The Gazette Study Group

The ad hoc Gazette Study Group was created in response to the concerns raised from last year’s Spoof Issue of The Gazette. It released its official recommendations report April 1.

Its purpose was to publish a report of non-binding recommendations that will be given to the Editor-in-Chief of The Gazette and the President of the University Students’ Council with the goal of improving the operations and content of The Gazette.

The Study Group had seven members:

• (i) The University Students’ Council President Tom Stevenson, ex-officio;
• (ii) the Editor-in-Chief of The Gazette Allison Buchan-Terrell, ex-officio;
• (iii) a media professional, who is not a member of The Gazette Mark Kearney;
• (iv) a member of the Journalism Faculty Paul Benedetti;
• (v) three (3) students of the university, who are not members, appointed by the President, Kabir Chauhan, Aisha Omar and Stuart Thompson.

Since September 2007, the group has met on a monthly basis to gather information from students through various survey methods and discuss the overall quality and operations of The Gazette, the role and functions of the Advisory Board, adherence to and provisions of the Editorial Policy and the Code of Ethics, and the publishing of special issues.

Ravi Amarnath, Editor-In-Chief for the 2008-09 publishing year, will provide his response to the Study Group’s recommendations prior to start of the publishing year.

• Read the full Study Group report (coming soon)
• Download the Study Group report (pdf)