<rletonian: Carleton’s independent student newspaper.” This phrase appears at the top of every issue of the Carletonian; maybe you’ve seen it on an issue that you picked up in Sayles. But do you know what it actually means?
It turns out that “independent student newspaper” is more than just a phrase. Our status as an “independent student newspaper” means that the Carletonian doesn’t receive funding from the Carleton Student Association (CSA). While all other publications on campus receive funding from CSA in some way, we raise funding ourselves through subscriptions sold to alumni, parents, and others and through advertisements for local businesses.
Being an independent newspaper is important to us because it means that we aren’t dependent upon the institution we report on for our continued existence. We aren’t beholden to Carleton for money to keep printing every week. We think it’s important that a publication of this nature exist on campus. We are a newspaper written by students about the institution we attend, and having an independent status allows us to report on the issues that matter to our community without fear of our funding being cut. We are an important venue for free speech on campus; the voices of students are lifted up through our paper without fear of retribution, knowing that our funding isn’t conditional based on what stories we write or how we report them. We strive to include a breadth and depth of student, faculty and staff viewpoints through our reporting and writing, and know that a large part of our ability to do so hinges on our status as an independent student newspaper.
That being said, we thank our readership of alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students, and others outside of the Carleton bubble. Without your continued support, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. We want to continue to foster conversations, report on what’s meaningful, and lift up issues that resonate with our community. If you’re looking for a way to get an idea or an opinion out to the student body and beyond, the Viewpoint section of the Carletonian is a great way to do so. Engage with us–share your ideas and opinions, raise your voice, and know that we, an independent student newspaper, are always here for informed, engaged writing that can create change in our community.