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TCS vs Varsity

In the light of the recent spat between the two papers (a rather muted and introverted spat regarding one particular editor) I was wondering what students think of our two premier media outlets.

What aspects/features do people like? Which is the better paper in terms of news coverage, style, comment writing etc?

Personally I think Varsity has a better, more professional style but often the writing is more interesting in TCS. I would also say that Varsity has a right-wing lean whereas TCS bends toward the left, any thoughts on this?

Reply 1

FadeToBlackout

15

TCS is preferable, but only because it's slightly more absorbent.

Reply 2

FadedJade

15

I'd say you're biased, given that you write for one of them. :p:

Reply 3

FadedJade

15

Although personally I've always preferred Varsity.

Reply 4

Jigglypuff

16

I prefer Varsity.

I don't mean it's better written or anything...it's the same way I would prefer to read The Sun than The Telegraph. I prefer short articles, more pictures etc. I want to know the basics. And I think Varsity is better stylistically...it catches my eye a lot quicker than TCS does.

Reply 5

Cognito

OP

Nina

I'd say you're biased, given that you write for one of them. :p:

If that was aimed at me then yes, I'm horrendously biased.

Reply 6

Takahashi

varisty has a better page style certainly, but in terms of content they are nearly indistinguishable, moss people who write for one end up writing for the other at some point no?

Reply 7

Ozymandias

Cognito

If that was aimed at me then yes, I'm horrendously biased.

In which case, I'm pretty sure I know who you are :ninja:

Reply 8

thefish_uk

14

I prefer Varsity definitely... TCS seems to have a lot of people trying to write about national / international affairs often a long time after they've happened. I don't want to read about things in the real world, I'm in the bubble, and if I wanted to read about "proper" news I'd pick up a proper paper!

Reply 9

Lottie

9

thefish_uk

I prefer Varsity definitely... TCS seems to have a lot of people trying to write about national / international affairs often a long time after they've happened. I don't want to read about things in the real world, I'm in the bubble, and if I wanted to read about "proper" news I'd pick up a proper paper!

I completely agree.

Reply 10

Arrogant Git

I don't know, first year I thought Varsity was significantly better than TCS. Now, I think TCS is better. I don't think TCS has improved that much (though it probably has slightly), I just think Varsity went so far downhill last year. Varsity completely ignores the further out colleges and only reports on the inner colleges. It also has abysmal college sports reporting. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't really care about the Cambridge Lacrosse 3rd team and would rather have college football, rugby or rowing reported a little more.

Reply 11

roxy potter

13

I got really confused today when I found out that there were two newspapers. I don't prefer one to the other(yet!) but competition is healthy and I think it's nice to have two perspectives. Plus, the more news the better!

Reply 12

Ozymandias

Arrogant Git

I don't know, first year I thought Varsity was significantly better than TCS. Now, I think TCS is better. I don't think TCS has improved that much (though it probably has slightly), I just think Varsity went so far downhill last year. Varsity completely ignores the further out colleges and only reports on the inner colleges. It also has abysmal college sports reporting. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't really care about the Cambridge Lacrosse 3rd team and would rather have college football, rugby or rowing reported a little more.

I agree about Varsity, but I think it's probably going to get a lot better this year. I have no idea what's going to happen with TCS.

Reply 13

Mithent

Arrogant Git

I don't know, first year I thought Varsity was significantly better than TCS. Now, I think TCS is better. I don't think TCS has improved that much (though it probably has slightly), I just think Varsity went so far downhill last year.

I agree that Varsity went downhill last year; I think TCS has improved as well, and thought the insert magazine was a nice touch (though the content was hit and miss). Its redesign helped too. So, for my first two years I much preferred Varsity, but now it's more like TCS.

Reply 14

Saturday Night Special

11

thefish_uk

I prefer Varsity definitely... TCS seems to have a lot of people trying to write about national / international affairs often a long time after they've happened. I don't want to read about things in the real world, I'm in the bubble, and if I wanted to read about "proper" news I'd pick up a proper paper!

Very true. I like Varsity, Cambridge Spies in particular is a great section. Although I must admit Ive never read TCS.

Reply 15

GregoryJL

Is it just my college which managed to get the TCS issue with the huge grammatical clanger as the subheading on the front page? I found that rather funny.

Reply 16

snak3uk

TCS is an organ of CUSU, and as such is horrendously lefty.

Reply 17

Ozymandias

GregoryJL

Is it just my college which managed to get the TCS issue with the huge grammatical clanger as the subheading on the front page? I found that rather funny.

No, that was the entire print run, unfortunately. There was hardly anyone in the office to put that edition together as not everyone had come back to Cambridge yet, hence said clanger.

snak3uk

TCS is an organ of CUSU, and as such is horrendously lefty.

TCS is editorially independent of CUSU, despite what Varsity seems to think, and CUSU couldn't really be described as lefty anyway. Mark Fletcher's a Tory, aside from anything else.

Reply 18

FadedJade

15

I really don't think CUSU can be described as lefty at all!

Reply 19

Miam!

thefish_uk

I prefer Varsity definitely... TCS seems to have a lot of people trying to write about national / international affairs often a long time after they've happened. I don't want to read about things in the real world, I'm in the bubble, and if I wanted to read about "proper" news I'd pick up a proper paper!

I'm only starting 2nd year now, so I only know Varsity from last year, but I've always found it more entertaining than TCS, mainly because it is so unashamedly bubble-focused (and the writing a bit funnier, maybe). I love that Cambridge is such a microcosm and that it is reflected in the paper, even though, as someone said, they do focus on the central colleges and spread dubious stereotypes.

TCS vs Varsity

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