The closure of Interrobang has drawn sharp criticism from journalism advocates, students, and former FSU staff members.

The decision by the Fanshawe Student Union (FSU) executive team and Board of Directors will effectively dismantle a publication that has served as a student voice for over 50 years. Critics have argued that the move lacked transparency and accountability, raising concerns about the future of student journalism at Fanshawe.

Former FSU President Stephin Sathya, who served during the 2023-24 academic year, expressed frustration over how the decision was handled.

“It was a surprise; I didn’t have any prior information,” Sathya said. Sathya questioned the governance process, stating that such a significant decision should have been debated more thoroughly, with alternative solutions explored before eliminating the newspaper.

“To me, it felt like this was the worst governance decision. This is not how you make decisions at the Board level, especially when representing students in the student union without exploring other options before shutting down something vital to a campus.”

Current FSU President Siddharth Singh, meanwhile, has defended the Board’s decision, explaining that discussions surrounding transparency and confidentiality played a role in the decision-making process. Singh stated that while students used to have access to Board meeting minutes, legal advice led to the decision to no longer post meeting minutes on the FSU’s website. The by-laws now state that the minutes can only be accessed by the Board. Anyone not on the Board who wants to view the minutes must first be granted Board pre-approval.

“We used to provide a summary of the meeting minutes on our website, but…in May [of 2024], our governance lawyer was providing training to our Board of Directors and said that the Board needs to feel comfortable making all these decisions on sensitive topics,” Singh said.

Singh acknowledged that budget concerns were not the primary reason for the shutdown of the paper, instead citing declining readership as a contributing factor.

“If we look at Interrobang from, let’s say, 2015-16, Interrobang had 165,000 online views. After that, COVID-19 [and then] Meta blocking news content, and students’ preferences evolved. So, we saw a constant drop again in our online editions.”

While online readership has decreased in the wake of the Meta block, print readership has steadily increased from an average of 79 per cent of papers picked up at Fanshawe’s main campus to 87 per cent, between 2022-23 and 2023-24.

But students and Interrobang reporters argue that the paper is more than just a media outlet—it was a vital training ground for student journalists.

Reporter Briar Wilson, who is also leading a petition campaign to save the newspaper, emphasized the importance of student-run media.

“We need an objective observer to give the facts, to give the information, to give the truth, to allow people to educate themselves and then form an opinion. It’s societies that lack this objective observer where lies are spread,” Wilson said.

Wilson and other Interrobang staff have been actively collecting signatures to force a referendum vote, which would give students the choice to implement a $2/semester Interrobang fee. This new fee would effectively give the newspaper its own levy, meaning the newspaper’s budget would no longer be tied directly to the FSU’s base budget.

FSU by-laws state that a referendum can be brought forward by either a 2/3 Board majority vote, or a petition signed by 10 per cent of FSU voting Members.

“The online petition has gained quite a bit of traction. I think it’s at over 300 signatures now, and [then] we have over 100 physical signatures, but we need 2,300,” she explained.

Incoming FSU President Jerry Thomas stated that he supports student voices and would back a referendum if the required number of signatures is collected.

“As a student or as incoming president, I’m on board. Because students should have their own voice,” Thomas said.

Thomas said he was not directly involved in the decision as the FSU’s Finance Coordinator and therefore could not say for sure whether or not he agreed with it.

“I need to know why the decision was made, and based on that, my answer would depend on it,” Thomas said. “I was not part of the decision-making process. As an executive, I was only handling the financial side and helping students.”

According to Singh, though, all three FSU Coordinators, including Thomas, were kept in the loop about the decision.

“We actively sought their input, and none of them opposed it or raised concerns when it was discussed,” he said by email. “While they may not have been directly involved in every operational detail, they were informed about the broader reasoning behind the decision and its implications.”

In addition to the three student executives, the FSU Board of Directors also backed the decision, approving the budget in a closed meeting held on Feb. 13. Interrobang contacted members of the Board for comment, including Board Chair, Kara D’Arcangelo and Board Secretary, Sanket Mehta. D’Arcangelo did not respond, and Mehta declined to comment.

As the petition continues to gain momentum, Interrobang’s fate remains uncertain. Students and advocates now seem determined to ensure that student voices remain heard—whether through a reinstated Interrobang or another independent platform.