I am exceptionally proud to announce that on the 9th of May, I won Gair Rhydd’s ‘Outstanding Contribution’ shield for my work at the newspaper this year. This is in no small part due to my amazing team of editors, Nye, James, Miriam, Emily and Adrian, who have worked so hard with me to transform the opinion section into easily one of the largest and most popular at Gair Rhydd this year. We started the year with just a single double-page spread, but now, we're effortlessly filling six pages with your outstanding writing.
My editor’s great pitch ideas, paired with my aim to include a variety of topics to interest a wide range of contributors, have managed to transform opinion into something that has been so fulfilling to be a part of. Instead of harping on about my own achievements for any longer, I am going to tell you how to succeed at the newspaper, in hopes that one of you readers will secure the ‘Outstanding Contribution’ shield at the SVMA’s next year.
Firstly, at contributor level, you need to hone your writing skills.
Contribute to every issue that you can and when inspiration for an article randomly strikes, note down a headline. Try to develop a journalistic voice, which for me, did not come naturally because of the amount of academic essays I was writing during my undergraduate degree. Your contributions will be vital when it comes time to be considered for the editorial team.
As you progress from contributor to editor, your responsibilities grow, giving you more space to contribute creatively to the newspaper. You will have a hand in writing contributor pitches, which will need to both stand out and draw in a range of different people. Offer to assist your heads of section with events, begin learning how to use InDesign, the software we use to format our paper, and make connections with the people on your team.
The jump from editor to head of section can feel stressful at first. You’re suddenly managing an entire team, alongside multiple contributors. My main advice to any new head of section is to find a way to organise your thoughts.
For example, create a table when pitches come out, listing all the contributors and their article topic. This way, you’ll know exactly who to chase up, and you’ll avoid anything slipping through the cracks when it comes to importing articles into InDesign. Involve yourself in absolutely everything.
Run events like the Freshers Fair, take part in collaborative projects like AGM coverage. Hold yourself to a higher standard when it comes to formatting the paper. Work to become proficient in InDesign and be critical of your own work to make it as perfect as possible.
Finally, take the lead in organising socials and connecting with your team. It’s not only valuable work experience, but I’ve also made friends for life working at Gair Rhydd. Overall, it has been a truly amazing year to work for the paper.
Editor-in-chief Belle and Deputy Editor Dan have been a pleasure to work with, and I think under their leadership, Gair Rhydd is honestly the best it's ever been. I am so sad to be leaving both Gair Rhydd and Cardiff, as my degree is coming to an end. I’m confident that whoever is announced as the next editor-in-chief at the Cardiff Student Media Awards on May 15th will entrust the opinion section to someone who shares the same dedication.
I’m excited to see how the paper continues to grow under new leadership.