Angel Sun: Unpacking if my time in student media has been worth it

This is the last print edition of The Boar I write for. The countdown to my last appearance on my friend’s show on Radio At Warwick (RAW), has also begun. For many students, student journalism is an important part of their university life. According to the Student Publication Association (SPA), there are over 200 student publications in the UK. The oldest student newspaper in Europe, The Student, of the University of Edinburgh, was established in 1887. Across history, and across the nation, countless graduates say goodbye to their university press every year.  

it breeds a new generation of journalists and more importantly, provides crucial breaking news footage

This critical moment of my short journalism journey inspires me to reflect on the significance of student media in society. Chronicling life on campuses informs readers about local news like student protests and international affairs (including conflicts). It also allows students to express and discuss their concerns and act as a watchdog to monitor the school’s administration. Beyond campuses, it breeds a new generation of journalists and more importantly, provides crucial breaking news footage. Back in 2019, a series of pro-democracy mass protests broke out in Hong Kong. The first time the police shot a protestor with a live round was captured by journalists of the City University of Hong Kong. This footage was widely used by local and international news outlets like the BBC. The BBC also picked up on the RAW’s coverage of the Warwick student protest when Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi visited the university in 2022.  

Most student journalists, including me, cannot hope to create such a national impact

Most student journalists, including me, cannot hope to create such a national impact, but hopefully we can learn and grow. “It’s not just the opportunities given to me in terms of work, as well as different practical stuff…covering a protest, putting together a radio program, getting advice from the industry, [but] also the social aspect, we get to meet people and talk to people,” James Lewis, the former Head of News at RAW, recalled about joining the team in his very first week at Warwick.  

 “When I host [a news show], I’d like to have a student angle…whether that was something happening on campus like protests and the strikes. It is important to get the students’ voices, and talk about issues that really impact students – what do people really want to discuss?” James explained.    

 He felt student media is special because it can amplify young people’s voices on different socio-political issues, such as their views on the universities’ involvement in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Whilst conducting the interview, the Warwick Stands With Palestine (WSWP) coalition was leading a demonstration, protesting the university’s ties with manufacturers who supply arms to Israel. It was a warm and sunny afternoon, tinted with powerful chanting and flying flags.  

 An interest in the news is clearly visible amongst students at Warwick. Impacts of strikes, students’ opinions on international conflicts, and the University’s relationship with them are students’ concerns. I spoke with final and second-year undergraduate students (F and C), who respectively mentioned these topics when asked what they want the student media to report on. Though this pool represents a small and unchallenged proportion of students who consume media at Warwick, their contributions are not insignificant in gathering a picture of those not successfully reached by readers of The Boar and the 200+ other student newspapers. 

 Neither of them read The Boar nor listen to RAW.  

 F commented on their lack of knowledge on Warwick’s student media outlets: “I didn’t know there was a student newspaper and radio until you told me,” she admitted. “You are the only person I know who talks about the student newspaper. My friends never talk about it. I don’t know if they have heard of it.” 

 ‘I don’t think many students read or listen to it. They don’t even know they exist.’ 

Student journalism is important, but only when it is read

 She believes that student media is essential for students to express their opinions, yet she does not consume any student news because she feels the weekly student newsletter and the BBC news app already tell her everything she has to know. She also repeatedly said that not reading student news is her “own problem”. 

 ‘Personally, I am not interested in what happens on campus. Probably it’s because of my degree…it requires us to keep applying for jobs and I already have to do a lot of things on top of academic study. Reading news has become a task for me to prepare for job interviews, and I don’t want to bother it in my spare time.’ She explained.  

 C is on the other end of the spectrum. She is interested in student issues, but she thinks the student press is not doing enough. “I want to know more about how student issues intersect with global justice like the colonial institution of the university. I hope student media can be critical of the university and student bodies.”  

 Then, we talked about the SU’s spring officer election in March. The Boar published 13 articles about the election, and RAW live-streamed all Question Times sessions and the result announcement. Student media regarded the election as one of the most important student issues at the university, but C does not think so. “I don’t want to learn about the SU election because I don’t have much faith in the SU.”  

 “I think the full-time officers are very limited in terms of what they can do. They are limited by the board of trustees and bureaucracy…it does not really matter who it is,” she added. “When [students] see the SU constantly ignoring students’ [on] motions like the plant-based catering, how would they participate in the SU affairs?” 

 “Student journalism is important, but only when it is read. It’s important to let students have the platform to express their opinions. But if no student reads it and the university ignores it, what’s the point?” 

 F’s and C’s concerns about Warwick’s student press reflect the general trend in news consumption nowadays. According to the 2023 Digital News Report by the Reuter Institution at the University of Oxford, only 22% of the respondents in the UK and US are active news participants. The number has dropped by over 10% since 2016, and around half did not participate in news at all. The percentage of people very interested in news has decreased by 63% since 2017. Other studies have shown that feeling exhausted reading news and the lack of political trust, which are the reasons noted by F and C, are the major factors leading to news avoidance in wider society.

Unlike mainstream media, student journalism adds a young people’s perspective to different socio-political controversies

The idea of echo chambers also plays a crucial role in shaping one’s news consumption habit. Echo chamber refers to a situation where a group of people only hear opinions and receive information that reinforces their existing shared values. While the phenomenon of echo chambers would limit news readers to only consume news matching their political leaning, it may affect how much students find the reporting of their schools’ media relevant. If they are surrounded by peers inactive in student affairs, they are less likely to feel connected with the news coverage of student media. If they think the student press cannot reflect their concerns or discontent towards the university, they will feel less motivated to consume it.

Just like traditional newspapers, student media is moving to social media content to reach a wider audience. James said RAW started to post TikTok videos to give more students “a motivating factor” to tune in to the radio. “Funny videos on Tiktok do help reach people… I get people in seminar groups saying: “I saw you on my phone this morning…It’s quite a weird feeling, but it means we are getting out there.”

I enjoy journalism because it reminds me to take a step back, humbly observe the world

Unlike mainstream media, student journalism adds a young people’s perspective to different socio-political controversies. A voice for the young generation in student media, pushing forward social movements and revolutionary changes is not to be disparaged wholly. Though, student journalism is facing similar challenges with mainstream media. Both are finding their way out to capture what the public wants and needs to know amid growing political fatigue and social polarisation.

This is the last print edition I write for. I have reposted all the articles I write, but many of my friends have never read The Boar. I am not disappointed because I never heroically aspired to enlighten the masses and change the world through writing. I write for The Boar because I selfishly want my CV to look better. I enjoy journalism because it reminds me to take a step back, humbly observe the world, and organise my chaotic thoughts and emotions. I do not know if I will become a journalist, and what will be the future of journalism?