To celebrate Brig’s 55th anniversary, I decided to delve into the archives and explore the student relationship with the paper.
Dating back to 1969, there was plenty of material to scour over. I wanted to determine what kind of student issues were published, and if by publishing these problems helped to solve them. Interestingly, after looking over old issues of Brig, many problems and topics that were discussed are still topical today.
Among these issues are the topics of sexism, women’s rights, issues at university, budget cuts, education, and political issues.
Something that I found particularly interesting was Slagheap – as the name suggests it was dedicated to slagging topics (with language that we probably couldn’t publish today). Slagheap held the university accountable for changes to campus in the fifth issue of Brig in 1979.Protests have also been reported in various editions of Brig, another issue that is still reported today. And the protests are about similar things – pay raises, lack of funding, budget cuts, and other university issues.
The fact that Brig continues to report on such subjects today shows that it has maintained a student focus – reporting on what affects students and what they will find interesting.
Looking at the old editions and comparing it to the new, it looks like Brig still has a strong relationship with readers. Students are quite open to being interviewed or giving statements on topics for the publications. So, Brig continues to nurture the relationship with its readers 55 years later. But what has changed?
Looking back on Brig, you can see a clear evolution that led it to where it is today. Technology, of course, has advanced and styles have changed, although issues remain similar. One thing that was charming about the older version of Brig was the comics they included. That, and the overall style, is astoundingly nostalgic to a time when I wasn’t even alive.
As with all things, Brig has developed and evolved over time – along with its readers.
Featured Image Credit: Lucy Jackson
Fourth year student journalist studying Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Journalism Studies.
Words at Brig, The Daily Evergreen, Alloa Advertiser, Discovery Music Scotland, and The Mourning Paper.
