The Student Room Group

Student Paper

Ok, so I probably sound like an absolute dickbrain but what's the deal with Oxford's paper? You always hear loads about the Yale Daily News etc like they're serious ****, but I never hear anything about Oxford's? What's it called? How popular is it? How prestigious is it to write for?

THANKS GUYS
xxxxx
Reply 1
Original post by itsmeanna
Ok, so I probably sound like an absolute dickbrain but what's the deal with Oxford's paper? You always hear loads about the Yale Daily News etc like they're serious ****, but I never hear anything about Oxford's? What's it called? How popular is it? How prestigious is it to write for?

THANKS GUYS
xxxxx

Assuming you mean student newspapers, that would be either Cherwell or the Oxford Student (the latter is affiliated with OUSU and trying to be a bit more tabloid-y, but they're much of a muchness, really). In terms of readership, both papers are free, so people will leaf through them when they're bored, but they don't exactly have a fanatical fan-base, because, without wishing to offend anyone who writes for either of them, they're not really much to write home about on the whole.:erm: My guess would be that like most student newspapers they probably struggle to find enough writers so they're forced to take pretty much anyone. If you're a half-decent writer, they'll probably be more than happy to have you.
Reply 2
Original post by hobnob
Assuming you mean student newspapers, that would be either Cherwell or the Oxford Student (the latter is affiliated with OUSU and trying to be a bit more tabloid-y, but they're much of a muchness, really). In terms of readership, both papers are free, so people will leaf through them when they're bored, but they don't exactly have a fanatical fan-base, because, without wishing to offend anyone who writes for either of them, they're not really much to write home about on the whole.:erm: My guess would be that like most student newspapers they probably struggle to find enough writers so they're forced to take pretty much anyone. If you're a half-decent writer, they'll probably be more than happy to have you.


To be fair I often think the writing is good and, like any student society greasy pole, the senior positions (certainly editor) are very competitive and it takes hard work to get there.

However, I only read them for the local news; I don't tend to pay much attention to what random student x thinks of a national issue as I can get (on average) better analysis elsewhere. They are also useful for student theatre reviews, and do have entertaining sections. The investigative reporting has also been occasionally good.

Having been Cherwell editor is certainly something that alumni will recognise as a big achievement and if you work it can open doors and connections in the media industry.
Reply 3
Original post by Budgie
They are also useful for student theatre reviews, and do have entertaining sections.

Are they? I've read some enthusiastic reviews about productions which I had been to and found seriously mediocre, but perhaps that was just unlucky coincidence...:dontknow:
Original post by hobnob
Assuming you mean student newspapers, that would be either Cherwell or the Oxford Student (the latter is affiliated with OUSU and trying to be a bit more tabloid-y, but they're much of a muchness, really). In terms of readership, both papers are free, so people will leaf through them when they're bored, but they don't exactly have a fanatical fan-base, because, without wishing to offend anyone who writes for either of them, they're not really much to write home about on the whole.:erm: My guess would be that like most student newspapers they probably struggle to find enough writers so they're forced to take pretty much anyone. If you're a half-decent writer, they'll probably be more than happy to have you.


You take that back, hobnob! :frown:

In all seriousness, they're not really anything to write home about - though they do both win journalistic awards on a fairly routine basis, and have a circulation of about 10-15,000. (I was editor of the OxStu last term :redface:)

We definitely do let anyone write, though... it just gets heavily edited/tucked away somewhere insignificant online if it's truly awful.
Reply 5
Original post by *pitseleh*
You take that back, hobnob! :frown:
Oops.:o:
In all seriousness, they're not really anything to write home about - though they do both win journalistic awards on a fairly routine basis, and have a circulation of about 10-15,000. (I was editor of the OxStu last term :redface:)

True - but then again, those are special awards for student newspapers, right? I wasn't trying to imply they're bad as student newspapers go, just that they're not really that mindblowing as newspapers.:dontknow: And in all fairness, the high circulations are due to the fact that students don't actually have to get (let alone buy) them individually. JCRs get them in bulk and make them available - the OxStu subscription is actually one of the things JCRs pay for as part of their affiliation with OUSU, although I think the ones which have disaffiliated normally get one anyway. So although there should always be at least one copy per undergraduate floating about, I'm not sure whether it automatically follows that they have a significant readership...:erm:
But obviously it's hard, because most people won't really be qualified to write on current affairs stuff, so that just leaves a lot of small news from within the bubble, a number of trying-to-be-funny items like Fit College, reviews of anything reviewable and the odd feature piece of questionable insight. I remember one particular gem which went to great lengths to prove that it's easier to nick a bike in broad daylight if you look like a student having trouble with his or her lock than if you've carefully contrived to look like a thieving chav armed with a handsaw - well, duh.
Reply 6
Original post by hobnob
I remember one particular gem which went to great lengths to prove that it's easier to nick a bike in broad daylight if you look like a student having trouble with his or her lock than if you've carefully contrived to look like a thieving chav armed with a handsaw - well, duh.


Tbf, that piece was more about the fact that if you try and steal a bike in broad daylight no one is going to stop you. I found it vaguely amusing.

Writing for the OxStu or Cherwell is an easy gig to get, but as such isn't very prestigious, getting an editorial post is quite tough and a lot of work but there's a decent amount of kudos attached to it. However, going by the girl I dated who was a News Editor, you also never sleep and completely lose touch with what the 'real world' looks like.
Reply 7
Original post by JoMo1
Tbf, that piece was more about the fact that if you try and steal a bike in broad daylight no one is going to stop you. I found it vaguely amusing.

Well, of course no-one's going to stop you.:s-smilie: The probability that you're just one of many scatter-brained students, who has lost his key / forgotten his number code is far greater than that you're a brazen bike-thief testing just how far he can go. Besides, unless the person who sees you actually knows for a fact that it's not your bike (for example because it happens to be theirs), there's nothing they can do if you tell them not to be silly because this is your own bike, short of calling the police and running the risk of looking like a complete idiot if it turns out that what you've said is correct.
But that's just common sense, you don't really need a two-page article for it. Just like you don't need an article to tell you that if you manage to look as though you belong you can walk in and out of other college's JCRs without being challenged by anyone, because nobody can remember *every* face.:dontknow:
Original post by hobnob
Oops.:o:

True - but then again, those are special awards for student newspapers, right? I wasn't trying to imply they're bad as student newspapers go, just that they're not really that mindblowing as newspapers.:dontknow: And in all fairness, the high circulations are due to the fact that students don't actually have to get (let alone buy) them individually. JCRs get them in bulk and make them available - the OxStu subscription is actually one of the things JCRs pay for as part of their affiliation with OUSU, although I think the ones which have disaffiliated normally get one anyway. So although there should always be at least one copy per undergraduate floating about, I'm not sure whether it automatically follows that they have a significant readership...:erm:
But obviously it's hard, because most people won't really be qualified to write on current affairs stuff, so that just leaves a lot of small news from within the bubble, a number of trying-to-be-funny items like Fit College, reviews of anything reviewable and the odd feature piece of questionable insight. I remember one particular gem which went to great lengths to prove that it's easier to nick a bike in broad daylight if you look like a student having trouble with his or her lock than if you've carefully contrived to look like a thieving chav armed with a handsaw - well, duh.


You're right.. I was only trying to make you feel bad. :wink:

I'm under no illusions that we're going to take over the world, haha. I just got involved because I like dorky layout programs and wanted to have something to do that got me out of college. :smile:

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