In the 21st century we live in a world where we feel that we need constant connection with what’s going on… and fair enough, Kim K’s ever changing blondeness is an interesting watch. This continual need for up-to-date news keeps us checking our phones for Twitter/Facebook/Instagram updates on what is going on outside our Aberdonian bubble. With social media now being one of our main sources of news this has created a gap in the market for ‘e-mags’, much like our very own HC dynamite mag! Although we do absolutely hand on our pink, glittery hearts LOVE Her Campus, today we question whether it’s a good thing that e-mags are replacing the traditional broadsheets.
After having a bound about on our very own UofA campus and scrolling through my good pal faceyb, it’s clear to see that we students have a lot of news sources. From good old BBC Breakfast, the broadsheets available in the Hub, The Gaudie, the contro Tab and of course the FB news side-bar there are plenty of ways that students are receiving their news. However, it all depends on the type of news that you are looking for. We all hear world newsflashes on the radio, the tv or online but what about the juicy campus gossip? The latest scandal or controversy on our cobbled streets… Well this also has it’s coverage.
Back in the day, this of course was spread around campus by word of mouth but now, it has it’s very own e-mag. Stirring up storms by slandering and alleged word twisting, on-campus gossip now spreads like wild-fire, questioning whether writers of these mags are ‘journalists’ or merely gossip hunters. With the aim to cause controversy on campus these journalists of the future create their writing profiles by writing articles on gossip and, on a slow week, maybe rather trivial chat. Unfortunately, this struggles to be regarded as broadsheet quality news. People are more concerned that their latest mishaps will be reported – resulting in high readership numbers – than actually finding out what developments and in-house political debacles are occurring within the University.
Are these uni ‘news’ e-mags creating red-top newspaper journalists of the future? From the Leveson inquiry we can quickly conclude that a few of these journalists have not been exactly ethical. Do we really want or need more journalists like this in the UK? We can all be seen to occasionally glimpse at the side bar of the Daily Mail website to find out latest celeb gossip or who Prince Harry is now dating. Reading articles that haven’t been published by research journals can be a much needed rest for our brains. The sad thing is that we read a lot of news articles that aren’t true –back to Prince Harry’s dating life. Surely sometimes it would be great to reach for the higher shelf of journalism –careful about that top shelf in the newsagents – and support better quality and truthful news.
Supporting ethical and well-reported news is something that HC is fully backing. Picking up the University newspaper and finding out what is happening on campus AND the world rather than second guessing whether an article is actually true should be the way we clever students get our news. Gossip papers have their place but supporting top-of the range journalism, I’m sure you agree, is a priority! We would love to see The Times or Telegraph journalists of the future coming from the great UofA. We at HC Aberdeen like to keep our heads above campus gossip, we do not claim to be budding journalists and report on up-to-date University news… we are just around to question your ideas, write fun and interesting articles, and drink a cocktail or two. Gossip is of course part of University life – especially the consequences of one cheeky VK too many. On-campus news is so important to every student, but in order to support home-grown broadsheet journalists of the future maybe pick up the next issue of The Gaudie and see what you think.
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