We, former writers and editors of The Beaver and members of student newspapers from around the country, are calling upon the London School of Economics Students’ Union (LSESU) to restore its annual grant to the Media Group.
We are deeply saddened and concerned to hear that starting next year, The Beaver will receive no secure, guaranteed financial support from the LSESU as it has historically done so to expense its printing, website, and other essential costs.
Without the LSESU’s financial support, The Beaver, an LSE institution since 1949 – inducted by George Bernard Shaw – faces the gravest threat to its existence since its founding.
The demise of The Beaver would be a great loss to the School. Throughout its 74-year history, The Beaver has unfailingly delivered in its core mission: to platform creativity, stimulate discussion, and report with rigour. Generations of student journalists at The Beaver have dedicated their time and effort to provide a public service to the LSE community by freely and independently reporting on issues that concern Union members and providing a space for students to express their views. It is without question: The Beaver is an essential part of LSE.
It is the Union’s moral responsibility to make sure the student body is well-informed. In recent years, the paper has covered the ethnicity gap in student attainment, the lacklustre support for disabled students, and LSE’s mishandling of sexual assault cases. Without the Union’s financial support, none of these stories would have been told.
Lastly, The Beaver has shaped many excellent journalists and other professionals. The opportunity for students to hone their writing, editing, and reporting skills is an integral part of a campus newspaper’s role. The paper teaches its newsroom to be curious and open-minded – qualities that serve its alumni well in life.
Losing The Beaver would be an immeasurable detriment to the LSE community, and student journalism as a whole. In view of these points, we believe it is vital that The Beaver continues to receive financial support from the LSE Students’ Union. We therefore call on the Union to restore provisions in the bye-laws that guarantee secure and consistent funding to The Beaver.
Signed,
Milo Dennison, Editor in Chief, The Oxford Student
Famke Veenstra-Ashmore and Megan Byrom, Editors-in-Chief, Varsity
Nicole Wu, Editor-in-Chief, Palatinate
Ishaan Rahman, Editor-in-Chief, Roar News
Megan Ballantyne, Print Senior Editor, Exepose
Jamie John, Co-Editor-in-Chief, Felix
Katie Bevan and Emilia Growney, Co-Editors-in-Chief, The Boar
Chloe Aslett, Editor-in-Chief, Forge Press
Alba Goskova, Editor-in-Chief, The Gryphon
Lucinda Dodd, Editor-in-Chief, Impact Magazine
Gair Rhydd, Cardiff University
Liam Brown, Beaver Executive Editor (2012-13)
Dennis Mooney, Beaver Executive Editor (2013-14)
Jon Allsop, Beaver Executive Editor (2014-15)
Morgan Fairless, Beaver Executive Editor (2019-20) and Managing Editor (2018-19)
Angbeen Abbas, Beaver Executive Editor (2021-22)
Gustav Brincat, Beaver Managing Editor (2021-22)
