Peter Meech
As I’ll not be able to do so again, I’m blatantly exercising my prerogative to reflect here on my years as founder-editor of the Intelligencer.
Since 1993 many alumni and members of staff have responded to requests to write for the annual publication. Some undergrads have also contributed, interviewing former students who have made a name for themselves in the media.
The regular ‘Where are they now?’ section has provided yearly updates on the professional and personal news of over 600 alumni – a number of them on several occasions. It has recorded every year’s graduating students together with all staff changes and other Departmental news. It has also covered all ten Hetherington Memorial lectures and three graduate reunions.
The Intelligencer remains the only departmental publication of its kind in the University.
In the early years it was a monochrome publication – a different colour each year, admittedly, but still starkly monochrome. It also ran to only eight pages. In time the pagination increased by 50% and, having passed briefly through a duotone phase, the newsletter eventually blossomed into full colour.
Not all the content has been serious or worthy; there have been occasional humorous items too, including cartoons. In one edition a technical glitch resulted in an absence of apostrophes. This had the unfortunate consequence of suggesting that someone who graduated in, say, 1996, i.e. (‘96), had almost become a centenarian (96).
One intentionally amusing item concerned the report of the move to New Zealand of the excellent Dr Kay Weaver (‘89), someone not noted at the time for her spelling. The headline, a variant of the ‘Someone/something rules OK!’ graffiti, read: ‘NZ LURES OUR KAY!’
From the start the publication’s main purpose was to keep graduates in touch with the Department and with each other. In addition, we felt that getting copies into the hands of current students would make them conscious of the value of their degree through reading about the achievements of their predecessors.
We also hoped that including senior figures in the media industries on the distribution list would enhance their awareness of the Department’s record of producing high-quality research and excellent graduates.
From the feedback I’ve had over the years, all these aims appear to have been fulfilled.
That’s very gratifying, but I’ve probably derived most pleasure from celebrating the success of former students in winning Emmies, BAFTAs, Sony Radio Academy Gold and Silver Awards, and producing an Oscar-winning movie.
Editing the Intelligencer has been a lot of fun, if far more time consuming than I had bargained for initially. Above all, though, it’s been a privilege to be the intermediary between the Department and so many of its talented graduates.
Back numbers, from the 2000-01 edition on, can be accessed on the Film, Media & Journalism website (www.fmj.stir.ac.uk/social-media/intelligencer.php/).
