The Saint (UK newspaper)
Encyclopedia
The Saint is a newspaper
written by students at the University of St Andrews
in Scotland
. It is one of only three such newspapers in the UK
to enjoy complete financial and editorial independence, as it is not affiliated with the University or Students' Association in any way. It is published fortnightly during term time.
named after the University's motto, Aien Aristeuein, Greek
'Ever to Be the Best'. After the closure of that paper, the current organisation, known as The Chronicle, was founded in 1984. In 1997, it was decided to rebrand the paper - by now being published in tabloid format - as The Saint. The first editor of The Saint was Tim Samuels
, now a BBC
journalist and documentary maker, best-known for creating The Zimmers.
. Positions are filled by annual election
; the executive positions such as editor
, production manager and section editors are voted for by the previous year's elected staff, and the other roles such as the section subeditors and copyeditors are chosen by a vote open to all University of St Andrews
students. There are currently around 25 elected members of staff. Additionally there are several times that amount of regular and irregular writers, who are often unelected, and a growing business and advertising team, meaning a considerable number of St Andrews students have at one time or another been involved in The Saint. Section editors hold regular meetings, which any student or staff member may attend, to commission articles
for the next issue.
from both the University
and their Student Union
. The other UK newspapers with a similar financial and editorial position are the Cherwell
of Oxford
, and the Varsity
of Cambridge
. The newspaper's income does not come from a grant, but entirely from advertising. Financial difficulties arising from such an unusual situation have often threatened the future of the newspaper. The Saint therefore exercises considerable independence and prints stories regarding student elections and University matters that non-independent student newspapers would be unable to run. At times, this has led to tension between the newspaper and both the Union and University (see "Controversy" below). Students have been known to question the level of independence The Saint has, since it rents space within the Students' Association Building. However, The Saint is not mentioned in any Association or Union rules and regulations and only works within the Union building as an unconnected tenant.
Many St Andrews students are unaware of The Saint's lack of connection with the Union and University. As a recent example, heads of a prominent University society approached Students' Association sabbaticals - who have no control over the newspaper - in an attempt to stop a controversial article from running in Issue 112. However, the paper has been mired in scandal in the past and the Association and the University have often come into heated conflict with the editorial staff of the newspaper, resulting in evictions and attempts at gaining a degree of editorial control.
The Saint is well-known for its criticism of many Union 'hacks' and their policies, resulting in a long-standing feud between the two groups of students that has seen the paper expelled from its offices in the past. With the graduation of both the editorial staff and Sabbatical staff of the time, the tensions have abated and a cordial relationship resumed.
The most serious of the paper's scandals was a prolonged, drawn-out battle between the paper and the Students' Association over the disparity between the Association's equal opportunities policy, specifically discrimination against homosexuals, and a section of an issue printed in the Spring of 2004. A segment in the paper's "HALO!" section, a "society"-type supplement, pictured two males kissing in the Student Union's dance venue with an inappropriate caption. Though it was determined that the offending caption was not printed maliciously (due to certain persuasions of the person writing the column), one of the students in the picture threatened the paper and the Association with legal action if remedial measures were not taken.
The conflict escalated when a later issue featured an editorial deemed offensive to the Welsh
, jokingly suggesting that they were worthy of suspicion for "evil doings since they spawned the caterwauling Charlotte Church
." The Association responded swiftly to the 'offensive' remark by evicting The Saint from their offices. This action took the interest of the national press, with opinion generally favouring The Saint. After the Christmas
break, the newspaper was reinstated in their office. However, this was conditional on the paper complying with the editorial guidelines that a national newspaper would uphold, and that members of the Saint staff had to attend diversity training, which the Association never organised. However, a member of the panel did meet with the then-editor and was assured that an incident along similar lines would not happen again, and that the HALO supplement would be banned.
Later in the same year, the paper printed an article about two prominent organisations at the University and alleged that the organisations' members engaged in drug use at parties along Hope Street, an expensive residential district in the town. After a letter of protest from the organisations concerned and the threat of litigation, the paper did not print an apology but did publish an article written jointly by the heads of the student societies concerned.
Despite the controversies, The Saint and its writers have received many honours and much critical praise from both The Herald and The Guardian
.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
written by students at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is one of only three such newspapers in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to enjoy complete financial and editorial independence, as it is not affiliated with the University or Students' Association in any way. It is published fortnightly during term time.
History
The Saint was preceded in the 1960s by the Aien, a broadsheetBroadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
named after the University's motto, Aien Aristeuein, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
'Ever to Be the Best'. After the closure of that paper, the current organisation, known as The Chronicle, was founded in 1984. In 1997, it was decided to rebrand the paper - by now being published in tabloid format - as The Saint. The first editor of The Saint was Tim Samuels
Tim Samuels
Tim Samuels is an award-winning British documentary filmmaker and broadcaster. His work is characterised by approaching serious topics in innovative and subversive ways to produce hard-hitting documentaries. Samuels formed older people's rock group The Zimmers for a BBC documentary and is a...
, now a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
journalist and documentary maker, best-known for creating The Zimmers.
Organisation
The Saint has no sabbatical officers or paid staff; it is run entirely by student volunteers who are simultaneously studying full-time for their degreesAcademic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
. Positions are filled by annual election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
; the executive positions such as editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, production manager and section editors are voted for by the previous year's elected staff, and the other roles such as the section subeditors and copyeditors are chosen by a vote open to all University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
students. There are currently around 25 elected members of staff. Additionally there are several times that amount of regular and irregular writers, who are often unelected, and a growing business and advertising team, meaning a considerable number of St Andrews students have at one time or another been involved in The Saint. Section editors hold regular meetings, which any student or staff member may attend, to commission articles
Article (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
for the next issue.
Independence
The Saint is one of only three UK student newspapers to boast full financial and editorial independenceEditorial independence
Editorial independence is the freedom of editors to make decisions without interference from the owners of a publication. Editorial independence is tested, for instance, if a newspaper runs articles that may be unpopular with its advertising clientele....
from both the University
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
and their Student Union
University of St Andrews Students' Association
The University of St Andrews Students' Association was founded in 1864, and is the oldest students' union in the world.-Management:The Association is run by a student-majority Board and four sabbatical officers, each responsible for a separate aspect of student life: the Director of Representation...
. The other UK newspapers with a similar financial and editorial position are the Cherwell
Cherwell (newspaper)
Cherwell is an independent newspaper, largely published for students of Oxford University. First published in 1920, it has had an online edition since 1996. Named after the local river, Cherwell is published by OSPL , who also publish the sister publication ISIS along with the Etcetera Supplement...
of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and the Varsity
Varsity (Cambridge)
Varsity is the oldest of Cambridge University's main student newspapers. It has been published continuously since 1947, and is one of only three fully independent student newspapers in the UK. It appears every Friday around Cambridge...
of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. The newspaper's income does not come from a grant, but entirely from advertising. Financial difficulties arising from such an unusual situation have often threatened the future of the newspaper. The Saint therefore exercises considerable independence and prints stories regarding student elections and University matters that non-independent student newspapers would be unable to run. At times, this has led to tension between the newspaper and both the Union and University (see "Controversy" below). Students have been known to question the level of independence The Saint has, since it rents space within the Students' Association Building. However, The Saint is not mentioned in any Association or Union rules and regulations and only works within the Union building as an unconnected tenant.
Many St Andrews students are unaware of The Saint's lack of connection with the Union and University. As a recent example, heads of a prominent University society approached Students' Association sabbaticals - who have no control over the newspaper - in an attempt to stop a controversial article from running in Issue 112. However, the paper has been mired in scandal in the past and the Association and the University have often come into heated conflict with the editorial staff of the newspaper, resulting in evictions and attempts at gaining a degree of editorial control.
The Saint is well-known for its criticism of many Union 'hacks' and their policies, resulting in a long-standing feud between the two groups of students that has seen the paper expelled from its offices in the past. With the graduation of both the editorial staff and Sabbatical staff of the time, the tensions have abated and a cordial relationship resumed.
Controversy
The paper has occasionally found itself mired in controversy, as lax editing standards have resulted in the printing of what some students perceive as offensive, inaccurate or entirely incorrect material, and the paper has flirted with bankruptcy and litigation.The most serious of the paper's scandals was a prolonged, drawn-out battle between the paper and the Students' Association over the disparity between the Association's equal opportunities policy, specifically discrimination against homosexuals, and a section of an issue printed in the Spring of 2004. A segment in the paper's "HALO!" section, a "society"-type supplement, pictured two males kissing in the Student Union's dance venue with an inappropriate caption. Though it was determined that the offending caption was not printed maliciously (due to certain persuasions of the person writing the column), one of the students in the picture threatened the paper and the Association with legal action if remedial measures were not taken.
The conflict escalated when a later issue featured an editorial deemed offensive to the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, jokingly suggesting that they were worthy of suspicion for "evil doings since they spawned the caterwauling Charlotte Church
Charlotte Church
Charlotte Maria Church is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching into pop music in 2005. By 2007, she had sold more than 10 million records worldwide including over 5 million in the United States...
." The Association responded swiftly to the 'offensive' remark by evicting The Saint from their offices. This action took the interest of the national press, with opinion generally favouring The Saint. After the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
break, the newspaper was reinstated in their office. However, this was conditional on the paper complying with the editorial guidelines that a national newspaper would uphold, and that members of the Saint staff had to attend diversity training, which the Association never organised. However, a member of the panel did meet with the then-editor and was assured that an incident along similar lines would not happen again, and that the HALO supplement would be banned.
Later in the same year, the paper printed an article about two prominent organisations at the University and alleged that the organisations' members engaged in drug use at parties along Hope Street, an expensive residential district in the town. After a letter of protest from the organisations concerned and the threat of litigation, the paper did not print an apology but did publish an article written jointly by the heads of the student societies concerned.
Despite the controversies, The Saint and its writers have received many honours and much critical praise from both The Herald and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
.