Last week, The Cheese Grater contacted the candidates for Media Rep, asking them to provide us with a 500 word pitch for why they should represent you at the Students’ Union.
Responses are presented in the order we received them. We heard from all three candidates by press time.
You can vote for the next Media Rep here.
What does the Societies Rep (Media) do?
The Media Rep represents and advocates for student media societies at the Students’ Union, particularly during the Activities Zone meetings. There are eight of these societies (and The Cheese Grater is one of them).
All eight societies have a focus on printed media like journals, zines, magazines, and newspapers, whilst sometimes creating in other formats like podcasts, graphics and arts, and broadcast journalism.
Media Reps play a big part in managing our printing budgets, obtaining us press and media passes, and generally upholding the strength and integrity of UCL publications.
Who are the candidates?
Robert Delaney is the incumbent Media Rep and a fourth year History student. He is the Treasurer at The Cheese Grater and has previously been Editor-in-Chief, Investigations Editor, and Online Editor. In 2025, he won Media Personality of the Year at the Students’ Union Arts Awards. He was Editor-in-Chief at The Cheese Grater when it won ‘Best Publication in London’ at the Student Publication Association Regional Awards.
Altay Shaw is a final year Medical student. He is the current Managing Editor at Kinesis Magazine and the Welfare officer at Pi Media, and has held multiple committee positions at Kinesis in particular. He has also written for Science Magazine and Analogue. In 2024, he won the Best Contributor to the Media at the Students’ Union Arts Awards.
Sabrina Devji is a first year Global Humanitarian Studies student. She has currently been involved in meetings at The Cheese Grater.
Robert Delaney:
As many readers may know, I am quite into the history of political thought. Perhaps I sinned in a past life, or simply enjoy paying nearly £10,000 a year to perform mental self-flagellation in the library. Either way, this peculiar interest of mine has proven useful for this article.
UCL alumnus (and one-time child prodigy turned burnout), J.S. Mill, claimed that “the worth of a state in the long run is the worth of the individuals composing it.” But what does Mill have to do with student media?
In our situation, the “state” Mill speaks of is UCL. For far too long, neither the Union nor the University has made substantial efforts to uphold the crucial part of Mill’s declaration – that it is us, the students, who matter most. We are the crucial constituents of this UCL “state,” for it is we who give it worth.
Student media plays a key role in realising that worth. Our diverse and award-winning publications – from the cutting-edge science journalism of Kinesis and UCL Science Magazine to the political-cultural commentary of Women’s Wrongs, Era Journal and Analogue to name but a few – make life at UCL richer and more engaging for all.
This is why I ask you, dear voters, to re-elect me as your Media Representative. I want to ensure our student media community continues to flourish in its diversity for the benefit of the entire university.
As Rep last year, I introduced new measures allowing SU publications to be distributed in cafés and bars through “dump bins,” giving our community’s fantastic work wider visibility. I also helped bridge the gaps between TeamUCL, ArtsUCL and Student Media through the creation of press passes for major events such as Varsity and the Union Awards. These not only showcased student achievement but also gave our journalists valuable experience in sports and events reporting.
Moreover, I spearheaded the nation’s first IPSO policy to maintain high publishing standards across all publications. This policy provides clear legal guidance for journalists and straightforward pathways for those wishing to lodge complaints. I also created the fortnightly editors’ meeting and co-hosted the SPA nomination workshop with the SU, offering advice and support for editors and writers alike.
Throughout the year, I attended every Activities Zone meeting, consistently
advocating for student media. While I was unable to secure a permanent printing grant fund, I succeeded in obtaining more Union funding for printing across all publications than ever before. If re-elected, I will prioritise establishing a stable and transparent funding structure for all publications.
In sum, I will continue my mission to facilitate the thriving of student media through stronger finances, clearer communication with the SU, and improved collaboration across our community. Having been deeply involved in student media since 2022, I’ve seen how transformative it can be. This community has shaped my entire UCL experience – its people have made my time here meaningful, motivating me to ensure UCL and the Union truly value and support them.
Altay Shaw:
A student media for all.
To our Great Student Media Community.
In my seven years at UCL, I have had the pleasure of being a student journalist. From holding roles in Pi and Kinesis, delivering guest speakers and training sessions, and lobbying for increased grant funds and digital licences for software, it has been a pleasure to help prepare and nurture the next generation of journalists across campus.
The last year was filled with multiple promises. Better accountability from the Sabs, access to scrutinise them, and the ability to find affordable printing. As a very active part of Kinesis, it is with immense shame that I report that none has made its way to the smaller publications.
Printing budgets have remained the same, with no subsidised printing in sight. All publications have struggled this past year with little offered in the way of a reprieve. On that note, if I were voted in, I would clarify the stance for funding and work with our members to determine if there was a way to offer affordable printing.
Accountability must remain a part of our identity as student media. We cannot just accept parts of the SU and university, choosing who to respond to based on whether or not they have “friends” at a certain publication. Democracy and our processes should be something every member of the student media community has access to.
For this, I want to ensure all publications have the chance to engage with the democratic process at UCL, enquire and have their questions answered. I will provide direct links to the Zones for all editors of our publications to ensure that no opportunity is missed. I also wish to introduce press releases and direct opportunities to ask questions of our elected officials within the Student Union, avoiding any issues of availability with the Zones or events on campus and formal introductions to the Media Communications Team and department-specific personnel for all of our member publications.
Finally, we are headed into a landmark of UCL’s history, the bicentenary. The expectation is that we produce special issues, but limited guidance and feedback have been given to our smaller publications, where it takes a whole committee effort to produce our amazing issues. As such, I want our publications to have a presence in all meetings – providing links and seeking the most opportune time for all publications to come together and make democratic decisions about our future.
This includes deciding whether to push for publications to become part of societies instead of the arts, whether we want to host a media ball, or what training we wish to receive. I particularly want to ensure that all publications thrive, receive local and national awards, and have their ideas heard rather than dismissed as “uninteresting” simply because a specific publication rejected an idea.
If I am elected and given the honour to lead Student Media in the year ahead, I will do everything possible to deliver for our publications.
Altay Shaw
