Ailbhe Noonan has been elected editor of The University Times, beating the paper’s current Deputy Editor Mairead Maguire in a bye election.
As the paper’s current Deputy Radius Editor, Noonan’s victory represents a break in a tradition of Deputy Editors being elected editor.
“I just want to thank everyone who put their faith in me, who put their support in me. I know this is a completely unprecedented election result and it means a lot that people have chosen to put their faith in me.”
“I’m going to do my absolute best, my very best”, she said.
Throughout her campaign, Noonan pledged to scrap the paper’s print edition – which it is currently constitutionally mandated to produce – was perhaps her most ambitious commitment. She intends to develop a University Times app similar to the Trinity Live timetabling app.
She has said a shift to online-only would also offer The University Times the opportunity to cut ties with the Irish Times and allow Noonan to fulfil another commitment she made throughout the course of her campaign.
Noonan’s other promises centred heavily around improving transparency within the paper and increasing the use of social media. She plans to use online platforms to not only bring awareness to the paper’s internal structures but also to increase the visibility of staff and to help “put a face to a name”.
Noonan’s victory comes after students voted to re-open nominations (RON) for editor in March, defeating Maguire, who ran uncontested. Some 1,074 voters opted for RON, while Maguire received 733 first-preference votes.
RON’s victory came after allegations against Maguire of journalistic misconduct were published by Trinity News. Maguire has continuously denied such allegations, describing them as “wholly false and defamatory”.
