Dale McEwan

Dale’s career in journalism began when he was editor of the Students’ Union newspaper. Since graduating with a fist class honours degree, he’s gone on to pursue a successful career in bold, investigative journalism, featuring in Private Eye, The Lawyer, The Press & Journal and Gay Times.

I knew I wanted to attend university outside of my home city, and Stirling felt right for me. I visited for an open day and saw first-hand how ideal it would be to have my teaching, accommodation and leisure activities all on one campus. This made the move from home a lot easier. The beauty of the campus was enchanting and inspiring as a learning environment.

I was also drawn to the flexible degree structure, which allowed me to study various subjects and change my path accordingly. Originally, I had signed up for a degree in English with Film and Media Studies, but I was able to change that to Journalism Studies very easily. Before making that change, I had become heavily involved in the student newspaper, Brig. The student media groups were very active, and the best decision I made was to combine my new degree subject with my practical involvement in the newspaper. I ended up being elected as Brig editor further down the line, which was a fantastic experience.

The lecturers on my Journalism Studies degree were very supportive and approachable. The combination of theory and practical elements worked really well. In particular, I enjoyed modules such as magazine journalism, which was very hands-on and we had to launch a new magazine. We also had to conduct a ‘celebrity’ interview, and you’d be surprised who you can find without venturing too far off of the campus! We had an inspirational guest lecture from Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow. I always enjoyed developing stories in class and then seeing them published in the student newspaper, thus building a solid portfolio. Involvement in student media definitely added to my degree, and I would encourage new students to find a club or society that makes them passionate and boosts their studies.

The University changed my life in many ways. It really brought me out of my shell and improved my confidence. It felt great to be a part of so many clubs and societies at various points over the years and to share ideas with likeminded people. I had the privilege of being an LGBT+ equality officer for the students’ union and running LGBT+ campaigns and a social group. I had a part-time internship with student enterprise at the University in collaboration with the Scottish Institute for Enterprise. They even sent me to an enterprise conference in Australia for two weeks! I enjoyed my part-time role as a live-in hall warden in student accommodation. I worked as part of a team to help students facing mental health issues, homesickness or loneliness. I was also part of a People and Planet society and we ran environmental campaigns. I visited the University recently and was so impressed to see a new swap shop to help reduce waste. It always felt great to be a part of something bigger and know I was giving back to the University.

Sometimes I look back and wonder how I managed to juggle all of those commitments. I suppose that’s my other advice: go for it, don’t think about it too much at the time, grasp every opportunity and enjoy every moment!

My degree opened doors for me and allowed me to gain a place on a competitive investigative journalism master’s course in London. Stirling laid all of the foundations and more. It was a stepping-stone that, little did I know, would ultimately help me be a news reporter in Iraq. None of my journalism experiences would have been possible without my degree from Stirling.