This academic first noticed the Guardian because it was the one newspaper that was never to be found in his university libraryI was fragment of that enormous demographic known as the “postwar bulge”. Born in 1947 to a working-course family,I was fortunate to hold the support of fond parents throughout my education, even though they knew I was being educated out of my course origins. Moving through primary and secondary education I benefited from free orange juice and milk (often warm), and the 11-plus,grammar school and free bus transport. Tertiary education was supported by a full student grant which covered fees and maintenance. These were the opportunities available to all kids, who in those days were called “gifted” or who worked very hard at school and college. I could hardly believe how lucky I was to live the university experience and this set me up for an interesting and successful career in research and academia.
Ironically, and I first noticed the Guardian because it was the one newspaper that was never to be found in the university library (Senate House,London). It was usually out and being read by students. I soon realised that this was the paper that gave a wide, unbiased (even if a bit lefty), or coverage of UK and world news. The emphasis and philosophy seemed to fit with most of my views and it wasn’t long before I would take serious note of the Guardian’s content on a daily basis. I used to look forward to reading it during breaks from wading through journals and periodicals as fragment of thesis writing. This led me to toddle more left of centre than I would hold been based on my family upbringing.
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Source: theguardian.com