It isn’t every day that a 138-year-old newspaper launches a new section.
This week, you will find one.
The Varsity is the University of Toronto’s student newspaper of record and leading source of trusted, independent journalism, serving the university community since 1880. We commit ourselves to innovation, openness, and accessibility; to the development of our contributors; and to the provision of meaningful, just coverage for our readership.
That is our mission statement.
The launch of a section focusing on business, innovation, finance, and entrepreneurship is part of an ongoing commitment to serving our readers and developing our contributors. As an institution, The Varsity is both outward- and inward-facing, and this editorial expansion is a nod to both of these commitments.
As it currently stands, there is a drought in the coverage of business at the university and in the surrounding community. We are surrounded by fascinating, untold stories of student startups and competitive case competitions.
In addition, there remains a stark need for watchdog reporting on university finances and deep-dive investigations into how U of T operates as a multibillion-dollar corporation. We’re going to tell these stories in a new Business section — celebrating student innovation and holding the university to account.
Moreover, and just as important, this section will provide a new platform for training Varsity contributors. In an industry climate of uncertainty and turbulence, business journalism stands out as a bastion of stability and a force for innovation. Creating a new section that acts as a playing field for the next generation of Canadian business journalists to practice their craft and make worthwhile mistakes is no small part of this editorial expansion.
And we want you to join us in the fun.
Michael Teoh, the inaugural editor of this section, is a Varsity veteran with an impressive grasp of the depth of stories surrounding us on this campus. I’m confident in his ability to grow the section from the ground up; if you’d like to be part of this process, please get in touch with him at [email protected]. No writing experience or prior knowledge of business is required.
I hope you enjoy our new Business section. If you do, or if you don’t, I’d like to hear from you. Please don’t hesitate to reach me at [email protected] with feedback.
It isn’t every day that a 138-year-old newspaper launches a new section — but this is one of those rare days.
— Jack O. Denton, Editor-in-Chief
