For those of you too young to remember, or those who need a memory jog, Critic Te Ārohi made the decision to not cover the 2020 general election on the basis that party politicians had “nothing more to offer students than a shrivelled pea.” The decision received an extensive amount of criticism because Critic has a long history of being politically engaged, especially during elections. But the reasons were a bit more nuanced than they seemed.
Last time, Critic decided that we wouldn’t provide free advertising to candidates (in the form of an interview) unless they were capable of actually engaging with students and talking about what we want and need. The editor at the time felt like the candidates weren’t able to do that, so she decided not to report on the election at all. We are happy to cover candidates in our mag, but only if they have given a shit about the student body before election season rolls around. No fair-weather fans.
It's pretty easy for a politician to wow the editor of a student magazine into giving them what is essentially free ad space. It’s hard to say no in those situations. But, like last election, if you come in here utterly unprepared to say anything substantial about students, you will not be getting published in student media. It’s literally not worth our time. If you can’t name the current OUSA President, for example, that’s a bit of a red flag (this did happen).
As your student magazine, Critic has a duty to represent you. And part of representing you is providing you with the information necessary to make informed decisions about what is happening in Aotearoa, and how it will impact your future. Mainstream media often doesn’t focus on the student voice, and at times we can often feel like we’ve been kicked to the curb and left out of the conversation. But that’s where Critic comes in, to be your voice, and tell you what’s going on.
Over the past three years, we’ve dealt with a global pandemic, multiple lockdowns, natural disasters, a healthcare system in distress, and immense cost of living pressures. Civil and political unrest has been at an all-time high, all while we stare down the barrel of a worsening housing crisis and the impending doom of climate change. Not to mention it seems like every day we come an inch closer to a new world war, and a lettuce costs six bucks. I mean, we’re living through one of the most tumultuous periods in modern human history. It seems like we are surrounded by chaos everywhere we turn, even though most of us are just trying to pass our studies and get on with life.
But don’t worry – I’m not saying Critic is going to be bogged down with political doom and gloom every week, furthering your existential crisis. We’re still here for a good time. We just want to make sure that the politicians that get their content on these pages actually deserve to be here instead of, say, another full-page illustration of Minion Daddy.