| Type | Bi-monthly student newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Tabloid |
| Editor | Sydney Lobe (Volume 77) |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Language | English |
| Circulation | 5,000 (per issue) |
| Website | www.martlet.ca |
The Martlet is a student newspaper published online every two weeks at the University of Victoria (UVic) in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
The first edition of the Martlet was printed on December 3, 1948. For much of its history, it was published twice weekly.[1] It cut back its print edition to monthly with the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of 2023, each full-time student pays C$3.75 per semester to the Martlet through student union dues. The student-run publication is primarily funded by student fees, advertisements, and grants.
The free printed monthly newspaper is distributed around the UVic campus and various locations around greater Victoria. It produces an online edition every two weeks during the school year, and occasionally produces breaking news.
The Martlet Publishing Society is a non-profit society governed by a volunteer-run, five-position board of directors. All staff, paid or otherwise, must answer to the board, and all students may attend board meetings.[2]
There are about 10 employees on the payroll, with significant work, including copy-editing, photography, and writing, done by student volunteers. The Editor-in-Chief and Operations Manager are full-time employees.
The Martlet is the only general-interest campus newspaper at the University of Victoria. It regularly reports on UVic Board of Governors and Senate meetings, as well as University of Victoria Students' Society Board meetings and elections.
The Martlet has a wide circulation and can be found in coffee shops, theatres, grocery stores, offices, and street corners throughout Victoria, British Columbia. The newspaper maintains its strong editorial line and commitment to politics and activism.
Many national journalists and columnists in Canada have gotten their start at the Martlet, and it continues to produce opportunities for student writers to become professionals. Martleteers have gone on to become journalists and editors at the National Post, Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, Edmonton Journal, Times Colonist, and other Canadian news outlets.[3] Notable alumni include novelist W.P. Kinsella, former Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps, and former leader of the B.C. Green Party Andrew Weaver.
The Martlet has broken stories about UVSS spending deficits, UVic's reputational enhancement project, divestment lobbying efforts by UVic student activists, issues with UVic's sexualized violence policy, the arrival of Starbucks on campus, problems in the UVic Sociology department, international student tuition hikes, student groups' support of the Unist'ot'en First Nation camp, pro-life vs. pro-choice protesters on campus, racism and antisemitism on campus, and student healthcare cuts.
The Martlet is slowly converting to web-only content, as are news media worldwide. 5,000 printed copies are circulated around the UVic campus and the local community, and the Martlet has over 3,600 followers on X (Twitter) and 1,900 on Facebook[when?]. www.martlet.ca receives an annual average of 30,000 audience members via organic web search, and 17,000 audience members via social media channels.
Martlet stories are regularly picked up by larger publications including the CBC, CTV News, the Times Colonist, and Chek News.