Week 1 Term 1 2025 Minutes

  • Date: 18/02/2025
  • Start time: 5:00pm
  • End time: 6:10pm

In attendance

  • From Noise: Pepsi, Mia, Luke L, Francis, Billy, Luke S, Marcus, Ren, Joseph, Alice

Agenda Items

Discussed Noise background, mission, structure, publishing guidelines to help introduce new people

  • Background:

    • Noise@UNSW is an independent student publication, which has been going since April 2024.
    • Our core values are Transparency, Equity and Accountability. These mantras extend beyond our content and into our internal processes. All our meeting minutes, and expenses (via Open Collective) are published and publicly avaliable for transparency.

  • Internal Structure:

    • Noise is based on a meritocracy model, whereby those who meaningfully contribute have a say to the direction and input of the publication, unlike some other student publications.
    • Noise has three elected Coordinators acting as the executive officers and company secretaries of Noise. Below that, the “board” of the publication consists of the Voting Editors, being people who meaningfully contribute to the publication as outlined in our Constitution.
    • Those eligible for Voting Editor status are not mandated to take it, although the role does come with some benefits, including the opportunity to vote for constitutional amendments, and partake in Coordinator elections.
    • Coordinators are elected at the end of term 3 each year. The coordinators for 2025 are Pepsi, Mia, and Alice.
    • In addition there are three appointed subcommittees. These currently include the Grievance subcommittee, the Print Edition subcommittee, and the Technical subcommittee. The grievance subcommittee is strictly defined, whilst the other two may be changed where practical.
    • These are largely yet to be implemented.

  • Publishing Content:

    • A termly Publishing Schedule is the core document referring to the day-to-day authority on what is published and when.
    • Our Target is to put out 5 articles per week (one per weekday), plus 1 podcast episode every other Monday morning during term. Some weeks will be more content heavy than others (i.e. election periods), and some lower when high commitments on contributors (i.e. exam periods, holidays).
    • Articles are typically published at 8am or 4pm, where we’ve found that this period has the best engagement. Additionally, articles should ideally be under 1000 words if at all possible. This is not a hard rule, but the aim is for quality over quantity.
    • All published content needs a minimum of 2 approvals from voting editors, which must be two people who did not write the piece, and who do not have a conflict of interest involving the piece (i.e. members of the SRC are not allowed to approve pieces discussing the SRC). This rule applies to all articles, podcast episodes and segments, and social media posts.
    • Other members may chime in for minor edits, such as grammar.
    • Most internal discussion takes place through Discord, and articles typically written and edited in Google Docs to allow for collaborative editing.
    • Larger admin infrastructure (i.e. emails) will be changing in the coming weeks/months.

  • Publishing Schedule:

    • If people have an idea for an article, they are free to pitch in on our internal Discord server, and add it to the Publishing Schedule If a spot is free. The only real restrictions on content are if something is bigoted, or has a defamation risk. Deadlines for specific articles are to be in a timely manner according to their importance, which will aim to be kept to once set.
    • Given the nature of journalism and covering breaking stories, the publishing schedule may be frequently and/or significantly changed.

Future Print Edition:

  • Following success of T1 print edition, aim to have one at start of each term.

  • Discussion held about possibility of supplementary mid-term print issue/s.

  • Many had concerns about feasibility of time constraints, including other commitments.

  • Noted that main time-intensive and logistically challenging for the T1 print edition was graphics, typesetting etc. not writing and approving articles.

  • For future editions, Alice outlined a wish to stick away from republishing old articles, which will extend turn around time (up from roughly 2 weeks for T1 edition).

  • Alice noted to be in discussion with other societies and collective about doing thematic editions (i.e. International, Creative Writing, Queer), some of which have already expressed interest.

  • To avoid extra workload, idea raised to delegate most of the work (i.e. writing, graphics, editing) to the Collectives, with Noise mainly acting as the publisher.

  • Feasibility of Federal Election special issue was raised. With the election date yet to be confirmed, hard to commit to timetable.

  • Pundits’ predictions suggest election in Late March to Mid April, while possible an election in May is seen as very unlikely.

  • Election can’t be held in 3rd week of April (Week 9) because it overlaps with Easter Holidays. Anything earlier than that risks being too tight for us to do a turnaround.

Week 2 Podcast:

  • Podcast segments for Week 2:
    • Coordinators introduction
    • Silly hour
    • SRC thing

Actionables Carried Forward

Sending Print Copies to certain people

A number of print editions have been set aside to university officials, friends of the publication, and other student publications. Typically those who cannot receive a copy via conventional means.

Mia’s list included: 1x to Wendy Bacon 1x to Shelley Valentine - Arc CEO 2x to Woroni 1x to Honi Soit 1x to Pulp 2x to UNSW Archives Craig Roucassel From ABC Radio.

Following suggestion for others to include, proposal to send copies to Craig Reucassell from ABC Radio and Daniella White from SMH, as thanks for their role in interviewing us early in our history, and giving our first major public exposure and subsequent raise in following. The proposition was generally agreed to. Pepsi noted copies have already been given to Neil Morris, Attila Brungs, and David Gonski.

Constitutional Changes

Briefly touched upon, with specific mention of adding further criteria to be eligible as a Voting Editor (i.e. hosting/editing podcast segments). Coordinators to hold meetings in to re-work constitution. Proposed changes to be motioned in coming weeks.

Approvals

  • Luke L (author)
  • Ren
  • Pepsi

Approved and published on 27/02/2025.