“That [power] has been used to censor topics such as sexual harassment in Arc spaces, criticism of the university and student election coverage,” he said.
Neale said early last year, the newspaper and site were operating effectively and publishing almost daily until tensions between editorial and Arc about content and the charter began to surface.
An email from ARC’s director of marketing to Tharunka’s editorial team last year.
An Arc marketing officer emailed the editorial team in March telling them that all articles referencing UNSW in any way needed not only legal approval, but also to be signed off on by Arc marketing. Articles which referenced Arc additionally required board approval.
In April, a month-long publishing ban was imposed by Arc, in what it said was to ensure the wellbeing of the wider team.
Neale said he gave up trying to publish daily as it was too hard to get approvals and function effectively.
He said the issue also went beyond student journalism, with elected student representatives barred from speaking to media or activism without approval from the Arc board.
In a statement, an Arc spokesperson said in addition to helping student editors and journalists deliver on Tharunka’s role in the fourth estate, it had a range of obligations it took very seriously.
“First and foremost, like any employer, we must take care of the health and wellbeing of Tharunka staff, Arc staff and other parties the editorial team interact with during their journalistic pursuits,” they said.
“We are also determined to ensure Tharunka and staff are operating ethically and maintain high editorial standards. Where, in rare occasions, there are tensions between the journalists and the publishers, Arc staff work with reporters to ensure pieces can be published without substantive defamation risk.”
The spokesman said the editorial team regularly published throughout 2023 with a key focus on publishing directly to social media.
Tharunka has not re-launched this year or appointed a new managing editor. In a statement, Arc said this was because it discovered the name Tharunka could be a mistranslation of a First Nations word, and continuing to actively publish under it could be considered racist.
“In light of this information and given the shifting trends in media consumption, we have embarked on a holistic review of the publication with a view to relaunch in mid-2024,” a spokesperson said.
‘A student paper’s purpose is to publish student issues. Tharunka was limited in their ability to do that.’
Noise@UNSW co-founder Pepsi Sharma
Noise, which was co-founded by Sharma, Neale and fellow UNSW student Diya Sengupta, began directly in response to Tharunka’s disappearance last year.
“To report on a university you have to have a level of openness,” Sharma said. “A student paper’s purpose foremost is to publish student issues. Tharunka was limited in their ability to do that because of the restrictions of the charter.”
Noise is being self-funded by the trio and run on a volunteer basis, with a view to apply for funding.
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At Sydney University, editors of its student newspaper Honi Soit, which has reported on tensions between Tharunka and its publisher over a number of years, say independent student media is still vital because they cover issues which otherwise don’t receive mainstream attention.
“The birth of the Noise publication is theoretically a good idea, to be financially and editorially independent of university,” Zeina Khochaiche, one of the newspaper’s current editors, said.
“But it depends on funding and whether they can separate Noise from the legacy of Tharunka. It has been less prominent in the last five to ten years.
“We don’t experience these kinds of managerial tensions. We still get a lot of editorial freedom.”
Another Honi Soit editor, Angus McGregor, said people underestimated the rigorous checks the newspaper goes through before publishing an article.
Sydney University’s student newspaper, Honi Soit, says it doesn’t have the issues facing student media at UNSW.Credit: Steven Siewert
“There’s a perception that student media is the wild wild west,” he said.
“We have the same obligations as other media outlets and there are multiple internal processes.
“I think there’s no problem with having rigorous processes in place, but it is incredibly distinct to what happens at UNSW.”
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