John Hartley- the father of student media in Cardiff

Hartley’s own journey during and after university carved out a path for Journalism and cultural studies in Cardiff.

He co-founded the Gair Rhydd which provided students that succeeded him a place to pursue their interests in journalism.

In 1997 he was also the founding head of the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies (JOMEC)—which he coincidentally named as well! Many present editors at the newspaper belong to the school; it is now regarded among academics as one of the best media research facilities in the UK.

When asked about his time at the paper, Hartley paints a vivid picture of the social and political landscape of the 1970s (which contains many parallels to today’s social and political climate).

“It was a time of political tension in Higher Education, with ‘Mag - gie Thatcher the Milk Snatcher’ as Minister of Education and then PM, so there were plenty of protests and demonstrations to cover.

Also, the University went into the crisis that resulted in the UCCUWIST merger, and a lot of money went into development and expansion, not to everyone’s liking.

It was an epic time for great music, which we covered enthusiastically if not well. Dave Aldridge had an immense (room-filling) record collection, so he did the gigs and interviews, and I took the photos.”

Hiccups may have been made along the way, but the paper was nonetheless an exciting project where students could try and capture what was happening in the world around them, either in writing or photographs.

Hartley’s own journey during and after university carved out a path for Journalism and cultural studies in Cardiff dents to raise money for various charities, and they usually contained humorous and purposefully incorrect information. From 1926 to 1965, The Wail was an annual tradition.

It was a time of political tension in Higher Education [...] so there were plenty of protests and demonstrations to cover.

John Hartley - co-founder of the Gair Rhydd

Newspapers: Source: Pexels (via Pixabay.com)

Gair Rhydd - a recent history

The Cardiff student media boom may have peaked in the 1970s, but students at Cardiff University have since established the university as the city's hub of student media, inspired by the long legacy of publications that came before it, and have continued to push for exciting developments.

Quench began as a magazine insert in the Gair Rhydd around the turn of the century. In 2003-2004, it broke away from the newspaper. However, it advanced under the watchful eye of the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, Gary Andrews, who served as executive editor of the magazine until Quench had its own official editor. His efforts were not unnoticed. The magazine won ‘best student magazine’ and the newspaper won ‘best student newspaper’ at the Guardian awards in 2005.

Also noteworthy, Taf-Od, the newspaper's first Welsh-language section, debuted in 2009. Previ -