“Smash Elitism in Journalism with Creativity” argues Award-Winning Student Presenter

Daisy Cox, Per Capita’s Magazine Editor, is one of the top three best student radio presenters in the UK, receiving an award from the Student Radio Association last night (14/11) for her show “Daisy’s Magical Mystery Mix” on Cambridge’s Cam FM. We spoke to Daisy about radio, music and the importance of student-led creative and journalistic spaces, like Per Capita and Cam FM.

Daisy wholeheartedly believes student journalism should amplify voices as much as possible. “I think letting everyone publish whatever they want, as long as it’s not offensive” should be the way student media is run.

A Free Student Journalism Environment can make the Industry less elitist

“A culture of creativity and being open to all ideas could help make the journalism industry less elitist. Giving people freedom and creating a welcoming environment will attract more people to student journalism and media,” Daisy told Per Capita last week, ahead of the 2023 Student Radio Association awards.

“I could not be more proud, and need someone to pinch me so I wake up from this radio-induced-success dream quicker!”, Daisy shared this morning after “incredible wins at the 2023 Student Radio awards last night”. Cam FM scooped up a Gold award for Diversity, Inclusion and Equality for Melanin Queens presented by Cam FM’s Deputy Head of Access, Sarah Akande– marking the station’s “first Gold award for over a decade”– and a coveted “Best Student Radio Station” nomination. Daisy, as Station Manager for Cam FM, told Per Capita that she was “absolutely overwhelmed” with Cam FM’s continued “streak of success” this year, following from 2022 where they won their first award in over a decade (a Silver Award for Best Producer, won by Olivia Copeland).

“Student journalism can get a lot done”, particularly “in a university town like Cambridge where the university dominates 90%” of the city. It “makes people much more aware of what is going on in their community … When you’re actually contributing” to the journalism cycle, your awareness of what goes on around you is so much greater,” Daisy told Per Capita‘s Finley Brighton.

“If I want to write an article about fuzzy hats in films, I think damn right you should be able to do that!”.

Daisy said that Per Capita is “so refreshingly creative and self-driven”, against the sprit of muckraking traditionally embraced by student journalism– a progressive form of journalism focused on exposing wrongdoing, corruption and scandals to hold institutions to account and encourage institutional reform. Student journalism harbours elitism, insofar as it it a symptom of an elitist industry. Student newsrooms, particularly in traditionally elitist universities, can become shaped by well-connected student voices who have family connections or experience in the industry or ambitious students vying to get a ‘scoop’ that can be picked-up by a national in the hope that it can help them forge valuable industry-connections, and perhaps even a coveted internship or job. As a new student paper, Daisy is “particularly keen on how Per Capita allows submissions from all students at every university and school across the country”.

“You do not have to have a scoop, university is a time to explore things”

“If no one reads your article, who cares, it’s student journalism. If you can’t experiment now, then when can you?”. Encouraging diversity of thought within student journalistic output is valuable, as the journalism industry suffers from a huge representation problem. Daisy’s thoughts align with the key takeaway from the National Council for the Training of Journalists’ report in 2021, authored by Mark Spilsbury, that “under-representation of diverse groups in journalism and reliance on graduates continues”. The report suggests there are not swift enough changes in the “proportion of journalists coming from BAME groups or from lower social groups,” although there is a trend of increasingly female and younger journalists. Daisy firmly believes that “you do not have to have a “scoop”– rather, “university is a time to explore things”.

“Student journalism then becomes journalism, and a more diverse range of voices will hopefully then enter the industry,” Daisy argues. Cam FM, like Per Capita, is unique in the Cambridge media space for allowing students to have complete control and freedom over their shows and content– refreshing when student media can sometimes be geared towards sensationalism to get a coveted byline.

Radio is what “I want to do for the rest of my life”

“Radio is so creative”, Daisy told Per Capita. It is “impromptu” and “here and now”, allowing for a lot of freedom. “If you enjoy projecting yourself” and your ideas and interests, it is the thing to do. When Daisy applied to university, she “knew I was going to do” student radio. Since then, radio has become “the thing I want to do for the rest of my life”. Amidst May Week celebration in Cambridge, Daisy helped organise and present Cam FM’s charity broadcast in aid of Ukraine, featuring Ukrainian music, features and interviews.

The structure of Cam FM is also designed to welcome a wealth of creativity – hosting students from across the two universities in Cambridge, along with alumni from both. The committee that manages the station is entirely student-run. Daisy told me about how important she thinks this bottom-up structure is.

The committee allows for a broad “plethora of content” and creates a “soothing” atmosphere where people “don’t have this fear of is this going to get rejected”. Ofcom compliance, which helps make content “cater for everyone”, is the only content-hoop radio hosts have to jump through at Cam FM, giving “broadcasting experience” to anyone who wants to work in the industry post-university. Maintaining editorial integrity and independence from Cambridge University and the Student Union is at the heart of Cam FM’s ethos– it also underpins Cam FM’s expansion with the opening a new studio at Jesus College later this term with the support of Jesus College Master, Sonita Alleyne.

An Award-Winning Show with Music at its Heart

Daisy’s show, aptly called “Daisy’s Magical Mystery Mix”, has music at its heart. It involves Daisy speaking freely to listeners that write in, and playing a fun and eclectic selection of music. Daisy stressed that radio is great especially if “you love music” – from sound effects to the songs that make up shows – it is absolutely central.

Tuning into the show is like catching up with a close friend– featuring her friends as guests, its warm and endearing atmosphere is what gives Daisy’s show such a special quality.

And the critics clearly agree– celebrating Daisy’s “huge confidence– lovely energy”. “I loved the creativity … I could definitely hear Daisy on the BBC in the future”, remarked the first critic. The second judge simply remarked “Daisy is brilliant!”.

Daisy’s 5 Desert Island Discs

Dare by Gorillaz– Daisy’s “favourite song of all time” and she likened listening to it from a musically critical perspective as “like gaining consciousness”.

True Love Waits (the “Live in Oslo” version) by Radiohead would provide some “emotional release” while alone on an Island.

Him, Lily Allen’s speculative song on what God is like would also join Daisy on a desert island

Oblivion by Grimes.

Finally, and most eccentric, Daisy would pack the forty-five minute long, ambient Sky-rim Atmospheres by Jeremy Soule, from the game “Skyrim”. The ambient noise track is “gorgeous” and even managed to make her Spotify Wrapped one year.

/nautilebleu