Oxford Student Union’s (SU) announcement that The Oxford Student will begin the process of becoming an independent publication has prompted criticism from multiple former Editors-in-Chief of the paper.
Currently, the newspaper is owned by the Oxford SU. A memorandum of understanding is in place with the organisation which guarantees its editorial independence. However, a Cherwell investigation earlier this year found that this editorial independence had been suppressed on at least one occasion.
In a statement on Instagram, Oxford SU said it “recognises the important role that student journalism plays in holding institutions to account and keeping the student body informed”. The statement continued: “It is with this in mind, that following a period of extensive consultation with our Board … we have taken the decision to support The Oxford Student to transition to become an independent publication.”
One former EiC of OxStu told Cherwell that they were “extremely disappointed by the recent announcement” and that this would “doom a paper that [I] and many other students since 1991 have helped develop alongside the SU to certain financial failure and a significant weakening of its output.
“This decision has been framed to make it seem that The Oxford Student will benefit from being ‘editorially independent’. However, The Oxford Student is already editorially independent; the only impact of this decision will be an almost certain loss of its print edition, which is at the heart of the newspaper’s very identity, as well as the resources it needs to carry out hard-hitting journalism.”
Two further former EiCs expressed their anger at the decision. One called on the SU to “reverse this ill-founded decision and put the effort in to support student journalism”.
The same editor told Cherwell that “this is a dark day for freedom of the press and student journalism nationwide. The SU is undermining a newspaper that holds it accountable because it published stories over the last two years that did what good journalism is actually supposed to do – speak truth to power.”
Set up in 1991, The OxStu is run and funded through Oxford Student Services Limited, the commercial arm of Oxford SU.
On the process of the paper becoming independent, the statement said: “The SU will work closely alongside the Editors in Chief to ensure a responsible and smooth transition process.”
The transition will not be immediate, with the SU set to “continue providing financial support … for the first year to aid their establishment as an independent publication”.
The current editors of The Oxford Student, in a statement for their own article reporting on the subject, said that they were “excited to take on the challenge of independent reporting” and to train student journalists.
The editors-in-chief of OxStu for Michaelmas 2025 told Cherwell: “We are very excited to work with each other to help The Oxford Student thrive as an independent newspaper.
“We will do our very best to make sure that the paper continues to uphold high journalistic standards and that it sticks to the editorial values it has always emphasised.”
In the 34 years since its foundation, one OxStu highlight was winning The Guardian’s newspaper of the year in 2001. The latter paper reported on the awards with the headline ‘Cherwell rival wins best student paper’. The outlet has also interviewed several former prime ministers, including Tony Blair and Boris Johnson.
Through this change, The Oxford Student becomes one of very few student print newspapers in the UK to be independent of a student union. Others include Cherwell, Varsity at Cambridge, and Edinburgh’s The Student. These papers are usually reliant on advertising, subscriptions, and alumni donations to make ends meet.
This month, Cherwell became the first student newspaper in the UK to become a member of the national independent media regulator, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). The organisation regulates national publications such as The Times & Sunday Times and The Daily Mail.
