The Muse
Encyclopedia
For other uses of the title see The Muse (disambiguation).
The Muse, successor to the Memorial Times
, began publishing in 1950 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
, Canada
, as an unnamed paper. That paper held a contest to choose a new name, the winner being a professor who named the paper after all of the following:
Beginning with a small editorial staff controlled by the student union
, The Muse grew into an autonomous student-run paper. In the early years of publication, it was a campus gossip tabloid; in the late 1960s it developed an activist flair which attracted the attention of the provincial government and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP), with the latter including The Muse in their investigations of supposedly Marxist organizations. In the late eighties, the paper was enlivened by the women's movement, and followed a more activist agenda, including special coverage of gay, lesbian and bisexual issues not discussed in the mainstream media, and a boycotted list of advertisers. The Muse incorporated in 2002 as The Muse Publications Inc, and became fully autonomous from the Memorial University students' union in January 2003.
The Muse focuses on campus life, Newfoundland and Labrador
, university research, campus, municipal, provincial and federal politics, local music and sports, and periodically reports on world politics and social justice
.
During the fall and winter semesters The Muse distributes 12,000 copies a week to various parts of multiple campuses, and throughout St. John's. Circulation ceases during the summer months.
The Muse is a member of Canadian University Press
(CUP), a non-profit co-operative and newswire service owned by about 70 student newspapers at post-secondary schools in Canada.
In January 2004, the Muse hosted the Canadian University Press national conference (CUP 66) for the first time in the paper's history. The conference was awarded to The Muse over the Gateway (newspaper)
of the University of Alberta at the Montreal CUP conference in 2003 (CUP 65). The conference was held at the Fairmont Newfoundland Hotel.
Many writers with The Muse have gone on to successful careers - not only in journalism, but in arts, business, music, law and politics.
At CUP 71, held in Saskatoon during January of 2009, the Muse officially became the sister paper of the Fulcrum at the University of Ottawa
.
The Muse, successor to the Memorial Times
The Memorial Times
The Memorial Times was a publication of Memorial University College prior to its successor, The Muse.The Times was started at least as early as November 28, 1936 in a bimonthly format. The periodical continued until December 19, 1947, by which it had moved to a monthly edition.- Editors :* Michael...
, began publishing in 1950 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, as an unnamed paper. That paper held a contest to choose a new name, the winner being a professor who named the paper after all of the following:
- a bastardization of the Greek letters Μ and υ, for Memorial University;
- a reference to the Greek goddessesMuseThe Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
of the arts; - a joke, saying this was MU's (Memorial University's) paper;
- and the role of a paper as a place where students could muse.
Beginning with a small editorial staff controlled by the student union
Students' union
A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...
, The Muse grew into an autonomous student-run paper. In the early years of publication, it was a campus gossip tabloid; in the late 1960s it developed an activist flair which attracted the attention of the provincial government and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP), with the latter including The Muse in their investigations of supposedly Marxist organizations. In the late eighties, the paper was enlivened by the women's movement, and followed a more activist agenda, including special coverage of gay, lesbian and bisexual issues not discussed in the mainstream media, and a boycotted list of advertisers. The Muse incorporated in 2002 as The Muse Publications Inc, and became fully autonomous from the Memorial University students' union in January 2003.
The Muse focuses on campus life, Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, university research, campus, municipal, provincial and federal politics, local music and sports, and periodically reports on world politics and social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
.
During the fall and winter semesters The Muse distributes 12,000 copies a week to various parts of multiple campuses, and throughout St. John's. Circulation ceases during the summer months.
The Muse is a member of Canadian University Press
Canadian University Press
Canadian University Press is a non-profit co-operative and newswire service owned by almost 90 student newspapers at post-secondary schools in Canada. Founded in 1938, CUP is the oldest student newswire service in the world and the oldest national student organization in North America. Many...
(CUP), a non-profit co-operative and newswire service owned by about 70 student newspapers at post-secondary schools in Canada.
In January 2004, the Muse hosted the Canadian University Press national conference (CUP 66) for the first time in the paper's history. The conference was awarded to The Muse over the Gateway (newspaper)
The Gateway (newspaper)
The Gateway is the student newspaper at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.-History:The newspaper was founded in North Garneau at the home of Liddy Lloyd on October 26, 1910. A group of students had gathered to discuss the creation of a student newspaper. They came up with the...
of the University of Alberta at the Montreal CUP conference in 2003 (CUP 65). The conference was held at the Fairmont Newfoundland Hotel.
Many writers with The Muse have gone on to successful careers - not only in journalism, but in arts, business, music, law and politics.
At CUP 71, held in Saskatoon during January of 2009, the Muse officially became the sister paper of the Fulcrum at the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
.
Well-known Muse contributors
- Steve Bartlett: Reporter with St. John's Telegram
- Donna Butt: Newfoundland actress and co-founder of Rising Tide Theatre
- David CochraneDavid CochraneDavid Cochrane is a political reporter in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He works with CBC Television news program Here and Now and with CBC Radio...
: CBC TelevisionCBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
political reporter
- Michael Connors: NTVCJON-TVCJON-DT is a Canadian English language television station broadcasting on channel 21 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, with additional transmitters and cable coverage throughout the province. It is known on-air as NTV, for Newfoundland Television...
evening news reporter and occasional anchor
- Ron Crocker: former regional director of CBC in Atlantic Canada
- Gwynne DyerGwynne DyerGwynne Dyer, OC is a London-based independent Canadian journalist, syndicated columnist and military historian.Dyer was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and joined the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve at the age of sixteen...
: internationally acclaimed journalist and author, with a syndicated column in several countries
- Fred Gamberg: late promoter of local music acts
- Bill Gillespie: CBC international correspondent
- John Gushue: CBC writer, broadcaster and TelegramThe TelegramThe Telegram is a daily newspaper published in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:The Evening Telegram was first published on April 3, 1879 by William James Herder. It adopted its current name in 1998, although it was also briefly published under this name in 1881...
columnist
- Bob HallettBob HallettBob Hallett is a founding member of Canadian folk-rock band Great Big Sea and continues to play with them today.Hallett was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador on May 23, 1968, making him the only native St. Johnsman in Great Big Sea. Born to a musical family, Hallett learned to play the...
: Great Big SeaGreat Big SeaGreat Big Sea is a Canadian folk-rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year-old Irish, English, and French heritage...
multi-instrumentalist
- Peter Jackson: editorial page editor with the St. John's daily newspaper The TelegramThe TelegramThe Telegram is a daily newspaper published in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:The Evening Telegram was first published on April 3, 1879 by William James Herder. It adopted its current name in 1998, although it was also briefly published under this name in 1881...
- Wayne JohnstonWayne Johnston (author)Wayne Johnston is a Canadian novelist. His fiction deals primarily with the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, often in a historical setting.-Biography:...
: author of The Divine RyansThe Divine RyansThe Divine Ryans is a 1999 film directed by Stephen Reynolds, written by Wayne Johnston, starring Robert Joy and Pete Postlethwaite. The film is based around the Ryan family who run a funeral parlour in St John's, Newfoundland. The movie was filmed in St...
and The Colony of Unrequited DreamsThe Colony of Unrequited DreamsThe Colony of Unrequited Dreams is a novel by Wayne Johnston, published on September 30, 1998 by Knopf Canada. Johnston's breakthrough work, the novel was a Canadian bestseller, and was shortlisted for the 1998 Giller Prize and the 1998 Governor General's Award for English fiction.In 2003, Justin...
- Doug Letto: CBC: Here and Now senior producer
- Art May: Former president of Memorial University
- Earle McCurdyEarle McCurdyEarle McCurdy is a labour leader in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. He has been president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union since 1994....
: president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers UnionFish, Food and Allied Workers UnionThe Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union is a trade union in Newfoundland and Labrador that represents 20,000 workers. Most of the members are in the fishing industry but the FFAW also has organized workers in the hotel, hospitality, brewing, metal fabrication, window manufacturing and oil...
(FFAW/CAW)
- Michael Rossiter: CBC RadioCBC RadioCBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
political reporter, producer
- Wallace Ryan: Newfoundland artist and ardent nationalist
- Greg ThomeyGreg ThomeyGreg Thomey was born May 8, 1961 in St. John's, Newfoundland.Hailing from Newfoundland, Greg has been a part of the comedy scene there for years as a writer and performer with the comedy troupe CODCO and in his own right as an actor and playwright...
: co-creator and former co-host of CBC's This Hour Has 22 MinutesThis Hour Has 22 MinutesThis Hour Has 22 Minutes is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics, combining news parody, sketch comedy and satirical editorials...
- Brian TobinBrian TobinBrian Vincent Tobin, PC is a Canadian businessman and former politician. Tobin served as the sixth Premier of Newfoundland from 1996 to 2000. Tobin was also a prominent Member of Parliament and served as a Cabinet Minister in Jean Chrétien's Liberal government.- Early life, education, and family...
: former Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
premier,
- Clyde WellsClyde WellsClyde Kirby Wells, QC was the fifth Premier of Newfoundland and was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador from 1999 to March 2009...
: former Newfoundland and Labrador premier and current Court of AppealSupreme Court of Newfoundland (Court of Appeal)In the Canadian province Newfoundland and Labrador, the Court of Appeal is at the top of the hierarchy of courts for the province...
Chief Justice