A rich history of print student media in Cardiff

even the occasional crossword puzzle.

Gair Rhydd is Cardiff University's current student newspaper, which has been published since 1972. It has undergone numerous transformations as each editor-in-chief has passed the torch to someone new, year after year. Many aspiring writers, designers, and photographers who want to gain practical experience alongside their studies have used it as a steppingstone into journalism.

Whilst there is much to explore about the history of Gair Rhydd, a long history of student media in Cardiff precedes it. The most exciting of which happened between the 1960s and 70s; a time marked by economic turmoil, industrial strikes, and social change.

Journalism is a lifeline in times of political and social upheaval, as seen during the 2020 pandemic. It provides crucial information to keep people informed, on which the public is heavily reliant in times of uncertainty. Student journalism is no exception.

The explosion of student media around the 1970s shows the importance media had upon the lives of students—a section of people who often feel left out of the general media.

Cardiff University, as it is known today, was born out of a merger between University College Cardiff (UCC) and the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (UWIST). The merge was seen as a solution by the British government to UCC’s financial struggles. It officially merged with UWIST in 1988 and later adopted the name Cardiff University in 1999.

Broadsheet was a student newspaper produced by UCC students and is a direct predecessor to the Gair Rhydd (unlike the Gair Rhydd it was not free). The special collections at Cardiff University indicate that the paper was produced from 1946 to 1971. It reported local student news and featured articles on art, sports, music, politics and

The headlining article from a January issue in 1970 was entitled ‘make love not obstacles’. A spin on the popular anti-war slogan ‘make love, not war’, which was later made infamous in a song sung by John Lennon. It usually took a more serious tone than its competitor, Impact.

Impact was a free student publication founded by UWIST students. Copies date back to 1960, and production continued even after the two universities merged. The publication's exact end date is unknown, but it would have ended by the time the merger was completed in 1988. Each issue's cover featured an eye-catching, brightly coloured font spelling out 'impact' (very characteristic for the 1970s). The magazine's tone was often comedic, and it covered local student news, music gigs and events, sometimes politics, sports, and included the occasional recipe section.

In the publications own words from 1977, ‘Impact is essentially a non-political magazine […] It normally contains news features rather than “hot” news, essentially because Impact is published every three weeks. By which time “hot” news has normally gone cool.’—the satirical tone is self-evident.

In a letter to the editor published in an edition from 1977, one student vents the feeling all students have, old and new, when someone sets the fire alarm off in student halls in the early hours of the morning.

The merger gave birth to Colossus, a student newspaper that attempted to merge Broadsheet and Impact—but failed.

According to John Hartley, who co-founded the Gair Rhydd with his friend Dave Aldridge (both students at UCC studying English), the Y Gair Rhydd was born from the ashes of Broadsheet and the failure of Colossus.

To read Jasmine's article about the university's print history , turn to page 6