Website review
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What is The Badger?
The Badger is the student news outlet for the University of Sussex and its surrounding community, published at The Badger. Its coverage centers on campus and Brighton-area news, student politics, and local events—the kind of story that matters first to people living and studying in that area.
If you're checking whether it's relevant to you, look at its current story mix: student-focused news, university issues, and local Brighton coverage. That makes it most useful for Sussex students, staff, and local readers. For national or international news, a general outlet will serve you better.
Is The Badger affiliated with a specific university or student union?
Yes. The Badger is a student publication based at the University of Sussex and is associated with its Students' Union. Its coverage focuses on campus and local Brighton news, with student-oriented stories such as protests and university life.
A useful next step is to check the publication's "About" page or masthead for its current editorial structure, funding and any formal Students' Union relationship.
How can I submit a story or pitch an article to The Badger?
You can pitch or submit a story to The Badger by contacting the editorial team directly, but the exact route depends on the kind of piece you have in mind.
The Badger is a student publication covering campus and local news, as shown by its reporting on a student arrested during an abortion debate protest near Falmer Station. That tells you the news desk is the natural first stop for anything with a concrete event, arrest, protest, policy change or campus development at its centre.
What to send
- A short pitch of two or three paragraphs: the story in one sentence, why it matters now, and who you can quote or what you can verify.
- For news, lead with the facts you already have: what happened, where, when, and who is affected.
- For comment, features or reviews, state your angle and why you are the right person to write it.
- A line on your availability, since student news moves quickly around term dates.
Where to send it
Check the contact or "get involved" section of the site for the current editor's email. If the site lists section editors, send news pitches to the news editor and features or comment pitches to the relevant editor rather than a general address. If you are a student at the institution it covers, mention that; it helps an editor judge whether you can report from inside.
Practical next step
Before pitching, read three or four recent pieces to see the house style and the kinds of stories it runs. Then send one tight pitch, not a finished draft, unless the editor asks for the full piece. If you do not hear back within a week during term time, a single polite follow-up is reasonable.
Decision criterion
If your story is time-sensitive, pitch it as news and offer to file quickly. If it is evergreen, pitch it as a feature and offer a rough word count and deadline. Either way, be clear about what you can prove and what is still a claim.
Does The Badger cover local Brighton news in addition to student issues?
Yes. The page evidence shows The Badger covering a protest and arrest near Falmer Station, which is local Brighton news with a student angle. That suggests it does not limit itself to campus-only stories.
For a reader deciding whether to use it:
- Brighton residents: useful for local events that touch the universities, such as protests, transport disruption or housing.
- Students: useful for stories where campus life and city life overlap.
- Local news readers: it may not match the breadth of a dedicated city newsroom, so treat it as one source among several.
A practical next step is to compare its coverage with a dedicated Brighton title, for example The Argus, to see whether The Badger adds student perspective or original local reporting.
How does The Badger handle corrections or complaints about its reporting?
The Badger does not publish a dedicated corrections or complaints policy on the page evidence supplied, and the site's own name and description give no stated process for requesting a fix. The Badger appears to be a student-run publication, so the practical route for a correction or complaint is usually the editorial team rather than a formal standards department.
What to do if you need a correction
- Identify the specific article, date and passage you believe is wrong.
- Say plainly what is inaccurate and what the correct information is, with any supporting document.
- Ask for a correction, clarification or right of reply, and give a reasonable deadline.
- Send it to the publication's editorial contact rather than posting only in comments or on social media, so it reaches someone who can edit the piece.
Likely trade-offs
Student newsrooms often have small, part-time teams and turnover each academic year, so responses can be slower and an individual reporter may have moved on. That makes a short, factual email to a named editor or the general editorial address more effective than a long grievance. If the complaint concerns something more serious than a factual slip, such as privacy or harassment, the university's student union or the institution's media office may be a parallel route, since student publications are frequently affiliated with a students' union.
A useful next step: check the site's contact or about page for an editorial email, then send a dated correction request that quotes the exact sentence and states the outcome you want. If no contact route is visible, ask the students' union that oversees the publication to pass the request to the current editor.
Can I join The Badger as a student journalist or volunteer?
Yes. The Badger is a student-run outlet, and student journalism operations of this kind typically recruit contributors who are enrolled at the university it serves. If you are a current student there, contributing is the normal route in; if you are not a student, your options are usually limited to occasional tips or freelance pitches rather than ongoing membership.
H3 Practical ways to get involved
- Pitch a story. Read the site first, then email an editor with a specific angle, the people you would interview and a rough word count. Concrete pitches get answered; "I'd like to write something" usually does not.
- Start with news. News and student-life reporting is the easiest place to prove reliability, because stories are assigned and deadlines are fixed.
- Offer a beat you already know. Societies, sports clubs, housing, course administration or campus politics are all areas where a student contributor can out-report a generalist.
- Try non-writing roles. Student papers need photographers, illustrators, social media posters, sub-editors and podcast or video helpers. These are often less competitive than opinion columns.
- Check the site footer and social accounts for a "contact", "get involved" or "work with us" page, since that is where recruitment calls normally appear.
H3 What to expect
Student newsrooms are volunteer-run, so editors are also students with essays and exams. You will likely get real editorial feedback and a published byline, but not payment, formal training or a guaranteed volume of work. That trade-off is usually worth it if you want clips for a journalism application or a portfolio.
H3 A quick decision guide
| Your situation | Best first move |
|---|---|
| Enrolled student, no experience | Email the editors offering to cover news or events |
| Enrolled student, some clips | Pitch two or three specific features with named interviewees |
| Enrolled student, not a writer | Ask about photography, social or production roles |
| Not a student | Send a tip or a fully reported freelance pitch; expect a lower chance of a reply |
Next step: draft a three-sentence pitch — the story, why it matters now, and who you would speak to — and send it to the editorial address listed on the site.
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