Dominic McGrath is the uncontested candidate for Editor of The University Times in this year’s Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) election. McGrath is the current Deputy Editor of The University Times and a third-year law and political science student.
McGrath describes the core mission of The University Times as “holding power to account and covering college in the best way we can”. With this mindset, McGrath is is running on three main platforms. He promises improved coverage, greater outreach and a better use of technology.
The role of Editor of The University Times is unlike any of the other positions that are funded by TCDSU, as the editor is not a sabbatical officer. Speaking to The University Times, McGrath described the role as being “multi faceted” – “You’re in charge of content, you’re in charge of articles, you’re in charge of writers, and your team of editors”. On this, McGrath says that “you’ve got to manage them make sure they’re happy, make sure they’re working hard, but obviously of course, you’re also in charge of making sure The University Times is surviving and is afloat with its finances”.
When asked why he was the person to fill this role, McGrath referenced his experience. Since his first year in Trinity, McGrath has been involved with the paper in a number of capacities, working his way up from contributing writer, to staff writer, to News Editor and finally to his current position as Deputy Editor. McGrath referenced the breadth of stories he’s covered: “I’ve been involved with some of the biggest stories from divestment to the higher education funding crisis to in depth look at university rankings.”
It is by increasing the number of writers and why McGrath hopes to improve coverage
However, while McGrath outlined his vast experience with The University Times, and said he thought it would be beneficial to him knowing the operating system within the paper, he didn’t think experience within The University Times was a prerequisite for candidates. McGrath went on to stipulate that a lack of experience with The University Times should not exclude anyone from getting involved. It has a been a talking point, however, that the race for the position is always uncontested, and that it has always been the deputy editor that has ran.
When discussing the responsibilities of the role of editor, McGrath said that it was important to “[look] after your staff, if they’re having a good time and they’re working to their best potential as well”. The University Times staff hold an important place in McGrath’s manifesto. It is by increasing the number of writers and why McGrath hopes to improve coverage. He will introduce new sports correspondents as well as creating a new position of Innovation and Research Correspondent.
However, the same point of wanting to increase staff numbers was raised in current Editor The University Times Sinéad Bakers manifesto, and both Baker and McGrath’s manifestos cite The University Times staff as being 60. McGrath says he intends to increase the number of writers by “promoting the paper online, having more workshops earlier in the year [and] having more events, whether it’s more masterclasses or open evenings”. McGrath went on to say: “I think the talent is already there and especially the new roles I want to create I think the talent is already there, whether it’s sport or startups. I do think it’s just telling people you of the ambition of the university times and encouraging people to take part.”
McGraths manifesto specifically marks out sport as a section of the paper that he hopes to expand. When asked why sport in particular, McGrath said: “I think Radius has done an excellent job over the last couple of years of covering society events and what students are involved in. And traditionally The University Times wasn’t amazing at sport, we’ve come on leaps and bounds and really raised the game, excuse the pun, in the last couple of years, but I think we need to get better.” McGrath said he hopes to establish a network of correspondents among sporting teams and clubs, similar to the network of contacts which The University Times Radius supplement boasts. When asked exactly how this network would be established, he said that “it’s about starting early to build relationships just making sure there’s a regular establishing of the contact we need, of information we need. Just setting that precedent for a relationship”. More correspondents, McGrath notes, would also help to increase the number of The University Times staff.
McGrath also hopes to introduce an entirely new role of of Innovation and Research Correspondent to the paper. This role will be concerned wholly with covering the entrepreneurial and startup culture in Trinity. With the rise of Blackstone Launchpad and an Entrepreneurial and Innovation Hub being built in College, McGrath contends it is important to have a correspondent who is familiar with this aspect of Trinity in order to better cover the area in the future. McGrath said “our staff and students are so successful and if it’s a trend happening in higher education and in Ireland then we should be covering it”.
McGrath intends to improve the use of technology within The University Times. He not only hopes to reintroduce podcasts to the papers repertoire but also to educate the papers staff on graphic and website design. He says this is important because journalism is moving in a direction where there are more podcasts, more video content, and that currently The University Times are lacking in this area. Videos have been a near-constant on the manifestos of would be editors of The University Times, and podcasts were something that the paper once introduced, only for them to fade. Why will McGrath be the one to make it happen? He says it is about being “dedicated at the start of the year, reaching out to people, putting a team together early, and I think we can put together podcasts that are of sufficient quality and are regular”. McGrath promises a passion for this medium of journalism, supported by a summer internship with BBC Radio, and says he has already spoken to people interested in taking on a podcast programme.
According to McGrath, there would not only be podcasts next year, but also an Irish language podcast. The University Times have expanded on their Irish language pieces in recent times and McGrath says that “it’s really important to have more content through Irish and if we’re having a podcast then why not work this cummann na gaelach or other societies to put out something”. McGrath says that despite not speaking the language himself he considers this to be extremely important.
McGrath hopes to expand the LGBT focus of The University Times. McGrath commended the paper saying that it had already done a good job on covering LGBT issues so so far, but that it could still do more. McGrath explained that “gender-neutral bathrooms is the big thing.” But while he said this was a headline which grabs attention it is not the only issue. “I think we’ve been too guilty maybe of focusing on one area and then others go unreported.”
On this ever-contentious point of funding, McGrath promises to both maintain current advertising and also to increase the paper’s income
One of McGrath’s more ambitious manifesto points is that he hopes to create an annual writing competition in which children from socio-economically challenged areas can participate. Out of this competition would come a week-long transition year work experience programme. During this week of work experience, McGrath will spearhead a one day journalism conference. The writing conference and work experience will target children from disadvantaged areas because McGrath holds that, as a TCDSU-funded body, it is important that The University Times give back.
The journalism conference would feature guest speakers and panel discussions, which would focus on careers in journalism and the media and would be open to Trinity students and staff, but also to members of the public.
When asked about the fact that the writing convention would inevitably mean further costs for the paper McGrath promises he would email different organisations looking for support as soon as he is elected. Even s,o McGrath says: “I don’t think there’s a massive cost involved if it’s just a one-day conference, in lecture theatres, probably in Trinity”. He also hopes that, as the convention aims to support students from disadvantaged areas, people wouldn’t want to charge to much for that: “I understand there will be costs but I think we can cover most of those through advertising.”
On this ever-contentious point of funding, McGrath promises to both maintain current advertising and also to increase the paper’s income. When asked on how he plans to do this, McGrath explains that he will reach out to alumni, something the paper has never done before. McGrath also hopes that his plan to hold a writing conference would raise The University Times’s profile, thereby attracting advertisers. He goes on to say: “I think it’s going to raise the profile of The University Times and at the same time establish a relationship with advertisers”.
The University Times, as Mcgrath sees it, is moving in a direction where it will cover more of campus: “I’ve been there with Edmund first, and then Sinéad and I’ve been there when difficult editorial decisions were being made when the most important challenges we’ve faced have arisen. I’ve got the most experience to deal with UT as it expands and grows in the future.”
McGrath, considering what the responsibilities of The University Times Editor are, concludes that: “I think you need to be focused on maybe the core mission of The University Times which is holding power to account and covering college in the best way we can.”
