Beyond the Byline: The Trials of Running a Student Publication

• Reporter: Ruben Biaou
• Editor: Nadeen Ghoneim
• Photographer: Zainah Alagbari

Student-run publications have for decades been a staple reflecting the vision and core values of the American University in Cairo community.

From AUC Times and Avant Garde to Insider AUC, their influence went beyond the headlines and offered students a platform to express concerns, be informed and connect with the community. 

While the number of student-run publications has waned in recent years, the Political Science Student Association’s recently-launched PSS Journal promises to take up that mission.

Hana Gad, press director of the PSSA, told The Caravan that the association spent most of the first semester just planning out the logistics of running a publication, including questions about authorship and where they would publish their content.

“We even experimented a bit, some digitally, then through PDF, maybe a website, we then finally settled on physical publications,” Gad said.

“An editor has nothing to edit without a writer, and the writer can’t really publish their rough ideas without having someone go over it, to make sure it fits with the stylistic theme of the entire publication, as well as maintaining the individual voice of the writer,” she added.

But the publication process is not without its challenges. Gad expressed her concerns about the feasibility of student-run publications, having also been a member of the press board committee of the AUC Student Senate.

 “Some people can’t maintain a website, which leaves them with no platform to publish, or they don’t know any printing shops to publish physically,” explained Gad, referring to the complexity of the logistics behind it.

Gad also criticized the marketing efforts done by student-run publications, claiming that often, they fail to “give themselves that space for marketing within their planning” which, according to her, makes the entire publication feel like an echo chamber.

“They’re not getting a lot of exposure, they’re not giving themselves that space for marketing within their planning, so they start to resemble a group of friends working together, and once they get bored of that, there’s really no one else to hand the torch over to,” Gad said while referring to her time with the senate. 

Professor of Practice and Associate Chair of the Journalism and Mass Communication department Nadine El Sayed, believes that maintaining professional standards at the outset is critical for any campus publication.

“Following a set of standards and really making sure that you are holding every single person in your crew, in your newsroom, in your editorial team, accountable and holding them to that standard. And that standard needs to be set early on,” El Sayed, who served as the faculty advisor of The Caravan in 2023-2024, said.

“I think The Caravan is a very unique case because of the history that it has. It has a very unique system in place and that ensures credibility, it ensures professionalism that no other publication enjoys at this point,” Sayed said.

The Caravan has been around since 1921, earning the luxury of having had time with trial and error to know what works and what doesn’t, what areas to improve in and how to adapt properly to the changing media landscape.

Another key aspect is that The Caravan has an established style guide, which helps maintain its own voice and identity year after year.

This year, the AUC Student Union (SU) also launched their own online student-run publication, the SU Newsletter, designed to keep students informed about campus happenings and beyond.

Taha Ouda, Chairperson of the Student Union’s Public Relations Committee, says the newsletter is designed to give students a boost of confidence. 

“That’s why we’re starting with a controversial topic like Trump’s stupendous Gaza proposal. We want to expand the scope and push the boundaries,” Ouda said.

He also highlighted how the main vision behind the newsletter is to give a platform for students that do not belong to any publications to publish their work.

 “The newsletter will be delivered to students on Instagram, Gmail, Linkedin and on the SU website. All platforms that people easily access every day.”