Roses and Writers: A salute to campus media

First there are the photographers, running around campus, trying to get the best shots of sports that either require a dangerous position or exact timing. Some of the painful crunches from rugby, the mid-air snaps of trampolining, the action shots from fencing - all required a level of talent to capture; talent, guts, and a bloody good camera. Sport is one of those rare events where words are not enough to capture the detail of and emotion behind the action, and many of the pictures taken during Roses have shown people around campus who could not make it what they missed.

You cannot talk about displaying pictures and conveying emotions without mentioning the fantastic work of YSTV. A special mention is also deserved by these guys for their interviews, the professional way their coverage was scheduled and compiled, and the general high quality of the production. Most notable in their coverage was their filming of the ceremony, presented by Tom Scott and featuring an array of different university clubs that many of us would not otherwise have seen. I only caught part of the ceremony, through their internet feed, but it meant I could view the event that I would have otherwise missed completely; and because of the stunning performances by the cheerleading York Hornets and the impressingly rhythmic athletic skills of Capoeira, I realised I should have made more of an effort to watch the rest.

Sport is one of those rare events where words are not enough to capture the detail of and emotion behind the action.

URY were also to be found in every nook and cranny, reporting results and entertaining the masses while partly based at their outdoor station, near the pavilion on 22 acres. As usual, URY were up to the quality we all expect from them, with near constant coverage of the events throughout the weekend from various presenters. Entertaining and everywhere, the campus institution that is URY is a key part of Roses coverage and our campus culture throughout the year, and it was good to see them on top form for one of our most popular events.

I have saved the best till last. From our own website came the constantly updated ‘Roses Live’ coverage from Marie Thouaille, Antonia Moura and associated reporters. Updated every few minutes throughout the day, our Roses live coverage was some of the most thorough out there, with some of the best images to accompany it all.

Of course, I cannot mention our own Roses Live section without mentioning our counterparts over at Nouse. In a similar project led by co-sports editors Dan Hyde and Adam Shergold, Nouse produced some outstanding coverage, and although many reporters conveyed their displeasure at having to watch certain ‘obscure’ events (such as trampolining, and the fencing, in which I was a participant myself) they still covered it all. Their reporting fell somewhere between professionalism beyond the call of duty, and a little bit puzzling - the fencing was ‘confusing’? Yes it is; but pretty much anybody on the teams would have explained if they’d asked, which they apparently didn’t until near to the very end. Nevertheless it was pretty thorough in itself, and involved just as many reporters and researchers as The Yorker's own.

Overall, both websites produced admirable coverage, and the number of lessons we learn from each other grows every time we run parallel projects; competition is, after all, the best way to encourage improvement in yourself and your endeavours.

Competitive spirit is not enough to neuter the student media's feelings of obligation to bring detailed and regular news to the student population.

All in all I have to simply state how impressed I am by the coverage by the whole of the campus media movement, and how proud I am to be a part of The Yorker for their considerable part in that. Throughout the period of Roses, from Visions wonderfully well designed and executed preview pullout, through all the live coverage, to Nouses paper-based final roundup, every member of the major campus media bodies, and some minor ones, has pulled together to produce outstanding coverage. Groups have even proven how they can work together to provide new forms of presentation - such as the YSTV and Nouse collaborations on sports roundups (podcast productions that were started to follow progress throughout league matches, and continued throughout Roses). This co-operation shows that competitive spirit is not enough to neuter the student media's feelings of obligation to bring detailed and regular news to the student population.

So hats off to you - writers, photographers, camera people, sound recordists, editors, directors, computer technicians and everybody else who played their part and played it well; thank you for your hard work over Roses weekend and periods around it. Now, run free and return to your everyday lives… after a well-deserved rest of course.

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