Editorial: #282

Onwards and upwards! Getting things wrong and learning to move on

We all get things wrong. The Saint gets things wrong. The Sun definitely gets things wrong. Heck, BBC News gets things wrong. Our first issue of the academic year was, in the eyes of Riley and I, higgledy-piggledy. Last week, after enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the weekend, I returned to Issue 281 with a black biro in hand, circling misspellings and aggressively underscoring incorrect information. 

Our predecessor Amelia warned us that the first issue would be a “bloodbath” and to be perfectly honest, it was. Doing the final rounds of copyediting and design is not for the faint-hearted, and after nearly twelve hours of working in our tiny office, I found myself asking: “All this work for 32 pages?” along with my ever-present thought: “Am I really meant to be Editor-in-Chief?” 

But quickly I’ve learnt that while these temporary defeatist thoughts serve little good, we all have them. Yet, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Producing 32 pages of newsprint every two weeks is incredibly rewarding and even though I may doubt myself, being in charge of a newspaper is an immense privilege, and I have to do my bit for it. Even though Issue 281 might’ve not been perfect, it was an emblem of the tireless dedication from all staff members, whom I will always celebrate. 

There is always room to improve, The Saint has three more Martinmas issues to go. If you receive a bad grade on your first assignment, remember that you have plenty more to improve upon. Everybody makes mistakes. With sour milk, comes yoghurt. And I love yoghurt. 

While far away from the end of the tunnel, Issue 282 is a little light that has put me at ease. In this issue, we have reported on the new Tom Morris statue, asked whether small talk is valuable in society, and given you a 36 hour travel guide for the Lake District. This issue contains quality content, alongside the stellar work of our illustrators and photographers. Riley and I are incredibly proud of it.

So enjoy Issue 282, it’s a cracker.