Wessex Scene facts for kids
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| Type | Student online newspaper and published magazine |
|---|---|
| Format | Compact |
| Owner(s) | University of Southampton Students' Union |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Political alignment | Independent |
| Headquarters | Wessex Scene, University of Southampton Students' Union, Building 42, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ |
| City | Southampton |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Circulation | 100,000 unique monthly visitors (est.) |
| Sister newspapers | The Edge |
Wessex Scene is a student news magazine and website. It is made by students for students at the University of Southampton. It has been printed since 1936, making it one of the oldest student publications in the United Kingdom.
Today, Wessex Scene is an online news site and a monthly magazine. The University of Southampton Students' Union publishes it. You can find the magazine across the university's campuses and student homes. The website has won awards, including the Guardian Student Media Award for best website in 2004.
Since 2013, Wessex Scene has won many awards from the Student Publication Association. In 2015, it was praised for being "Best Designed magazine." Individual writers have also won national awards. For example, in 2014, a story by Bridie Pearson-Jones was chosen as one of The Huffington Post "Student Journalist Stories of the Year." In 2015, Toby Leveson won "New Deal Student Journalist of the Year" for his reporting on the 2015 UK election. In 2018, Wessex Scene and The Edge won "Best Collaboration" for a magazine about mental health. In 2021, Wessex Scene was named "Best Publication in the South East."
Contents
History of Wessex Scene
How Wessex Scene Started
Wessex Scene began as Wessex News on February 25, 1936. Students at the University College published it. The Students' Union was growing at this time. The paper was printed regularly as a newspaper.
In 1996, the name changed to Wessex Scene. This showed that the publication included more than just news. The online version of the publication started in 2001.
Challenges and Growth
The Students' Union owns Wessex Scene. Sometimes, this has caused disagreements between student writers and Union officers. The Union officers are also Editors-in-chief, but they have a small role. There have been claims that the Union stopped stories they did not like. Because of this, a Code of Conduct was created for the writers to follow.
In 2013, Wessex Scene and The Edge helped create the Student Publication Association. This group was started by David Gilani, who was a Vice-President at the Students' Union. He was also the Editor-in-chief of both publications. The University of Southampton hosted the first conference for this group in April 2013. They also hosted the conference again in 2015.
Famous Former Writers
Many people who worked at Wessex Scene later became famous. Some of them include:
- Jason Cowley (Editor of New Statesman)
- John Denham (UK politician)
- John Inverdale (Works for BBC)
- Dominic Mohan (Editor of The Sun)
- John Sopel (Works for BBC)
- Alan Whitehead (UK politician)
Who Runs Wessex Scene?
The Scene is run by an editorial team. The main leader is the Editor, currently Emily Dennis. The Editor is chosen in elections held across the campus each spring. Their term lasts for one year.
Wessex Scene is part of the Creative Industries Zone of the Students' Union. The Vice-President Activities oversees the publication's work. This person is a Sabbatical officer in charge of the zone and acts as Editor-in-chief. Currently, this is Corin Holloway.
The Editor gets help from a Deputy Editor. There is also a team of editors for different sections. These sections include News & Investigations, Features, Creative Writing, Politics, Opinion, Pause (Satire), Lifestyle, Science and Technology, Travel, International, and Sport. There are also leaders for Design, Marketing, Events, and Imagery.
About The Edge
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| Editor | Callum Joynes |
|---|---|
| Deputy | Susanna Robertson-Sheath |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | University of Southampton Students' Union |
| Founded | 1995 / 2011 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Based in | University of Southampton |
The Edge is the University of Southampton's entertainment publication. It started in 1995 as a part of the Wessex Scene. Since autumn 2011, The Edge has been published on its own. It is now a separate department of the Students' Union.
The Edge focuses on entertainment news and reviews. It covers local and national theatre, live music, and new releases of records, films, and TV shows. Online content is published every day. Eight print magazines are published each year.
In 2014, The Edge won an award for Best Design at the Student Publication Awards. In 2015, Hannah Mylrea, their Records Editor, was highly praised in the Best Entertainment Piece category.
Who Runs The Edge?
The team that runs The Edge includes an Editor, a Deputy Editor, Section Editors, and Department Heads. As of 2023/24, the Editor is Callum Joynes. The heads also include Design and Publicity.
The Editor position is a "Student Leader" role. Students choose the Editor in elections held by the Students' Union in early spring. The rest of the team is chosen at the publication's yearly meeting, usually in late April.
Currently, there are Editors for News, Records, Live, Film, and Culture. There are also officers for Fundraising, Events, and Publicity. Other roles include Design, two PR officers, and an Online Manager. The main leaders are chosen each year. The Vice-President Activities oversees the work of The Edge. For 2018/19, this was Corin Holloway.
See also
- Surge (radio station)
- SUSUtv
