By: Amelia Summers
This week’s St Andrews Campus Celebrity is no other then Emma Freer, a journalist with The Saint. Although St Andrews has plenty of alternative magazines, blogs, and online journalism published by students each week, only one society actually distributes physical newspapers. The papers are free and packed full of articles concerning global issues, politics, arts, sports, and finance, as well as coverage of St Andrews trending topics and events. Emma talks us through her experience at The Saint and what she loves most about writing for a student run newspaper.
How would you describe your past year writing for The Saint?
I’ve had a great year writing for the newspaper. I want to be a journalist when I’m finished with school, so I love The Saint’s professional yet very student-friendly vibe.
How would you classify the articles you write?
I’ve written exclusively for the Features section, so all of my articles have been politically inclined or related to lifestyle. Unintentionally, a lot of my articles have been about Michelle Obama. But I love her, so it’s cool.
What do you enjoy about writing the most?
I love the research element, I love the style element. I think I communicate better through writing – I totally require a self-edit (and then more from higher up, too). And I think journalism is just one of those old-school industries that really depend on accountability and ingenuity.
What does you timeline look like and how do you go about researching a topic?
The paper comes out every two weeks. Usually there’s half a week to research and write before it’s submitted to your section editor, who then has a little less than a week to edit, format, and review before the issue goes to the printer. Because the Features section focuses mostly on international events, I usually research my articles by reading up on the topic as much as possible. For my last article, I read a lot from the New York Times and Vogue, actually. For another, I looked to profiles in The New Yorker and The Guardian.
Why did you choose The Saint and not another student paper or magazine?
I do love newspapers, but I didn’t consciously choose The Saint over other publications. I signed up at the Fresher’s Fayre and went to some early meetings and was hooked.
How would you describe the entire collection of staffers and editors that create The Saint?
From those I’ve met (writing is kind of a solitary activity), The Saint team is really professional, passionate, and charming. They create a really well prepared student resource on the regular and really deserve credit for that.
What are you future goals in terms of writing?
Hopefully I’ll become more involved with The Saint over the next few years as well as some of St. Andrews’ other publications. I’d love to intern at a magazine like Vanity Fair or New York or with the communications team for a politician. After university, I want either to be a reporter for a national newspaper or a features writer for a magazine. Wish me luck!