Sin is the University of Galway’s only student newspaper. It comes out every month for the academic year, taking a break over the Christmas holidays. Sin has moved to online only since the Covid pandemic.
Charter of the Sin Newspaper
1. Status and objectives
1.1. The name of the newspaper shall be ‘Sin’.
1.2. Sin shall have the dual role of the provision of a forum for student opinion and of the provision of reporting on issues, news and events of concern to students.
1.3. Student opinion shall be facilitated within the bounds of editorial control and compliance with the Code of Practice.
1.4. Reporting on issues, news and events shall be accurate and objective, will not show bias or agenda, will be relevant to students and will comply with the Code of Practice.
2. Organisation of the Newspaper
2.1. The Editor shall be appointed by the Students’ Union Publications Committee.
2.2. The Committee shall agree on an Interview Panel made up of, but not limited to, the Students’ Union President, the General Manager of the Students’ Union and a former Editor or professional journalist.
2.3. The appointed Editor will have the necessary expertise and/or will be provided with the training necessary to carry out the role.
2.4. The Editor shall maintain creative and editorial control of the newspaper, in accordance with the regulations specified in this Charter and the Code of Practice.
2.5. The Editor shall sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Students’ Union that expresses the willingness of the Students’ Union not to compromise the editorial independence of the newspaper and the willingness of the Editor to comply with this Charter.
2.6. The Editor shall appoint an editorial board to assist in the editing of the Newspaper.
2.7. The Newspaper shall be funded by the Students’ Union. Advertising in the Newspaper may be sold to offset the cost of the Newspaper.
2.8. The General Manager of the Students’ Union shall be ultimately responsible for managing the accounts of the Newspaper and generating advertising revenue, however he/she may delegate these roles.
3. Code of Practice
3.1. Sin hereby adopts the Press Council of Ireland’s Code of Practice, available: http://www.presscouncil.ie/code-of-practice.150.html
3.2. Sin shall primarily focus on, but shall not be limited to, issues that affect students and staff in NUI Galway and on higher level and further education as a whole.
3.3. Where a complaint is received, the Complaints Procedure in Section 4 must be followed.
4. Complaints Procedure
4.1. Complainants are instructed to make their feelings known to the Editor and the President of the Students’ Union, by email or other means of communication.
4.2. In the first instance, the Editor will seek to resolve the issue.
4.3. If the Editor and the complainant fail to agree a resolution, the complainant may take the issue to the Students’ Union Publications Committee.
4.4. The Committee will hear representations from both parties, and may take advice before making a decision, which will be binding.
4.5. The Committee has the power to pay-dock, suspend and dismiss the Editor.
5. Recognition of the Charter
5.1. By signing the Memorandum of Understanding, the Editor and the Students’ Union agree to comply with the contents of this Charter.
5.2. Alterations to this Charter must be approved by the Students’ Union Publications Committee following a drafting process that includes input from the Students’ Union and current / former Editor(s).