Student journalists offered insight into media
Top media professionals will share their journalism expertise with an audience of student journalists on 3 March 2010, at a seminar organised by charity YouthNet at BBC Broadcasting House.
The event is hosted by former BBC broadcaster Martyn Lewis CBE, YouthNet’s Founder and Chairman, with speakers including Ben Gallop, Head of Interactive and Formula 1 at the BBC, and David Seymour, former Political Editor of the Daily Mirror.
Other speakers come from the Times, the Independent, the National Student and TheSite.org, YouthNet’s online guide to life for 16 to 25-year-olds.
Martyn Lewis, says: “This seminar is a great opportunity for students interested in a career in journalism to hear what it’s actually like when you leave university, and pick up some of the best advice on how to get ahead.
“It’s not an easy climate for young jobseekers at the moment, particularly those who want to work in the media, but events like this are one way we can help.”
As the nature of journalism changes rapidly, while the number of jobs for those starting out declines, organisers from YouthNet hope the seminar, entitled ‘Turning student journalist skills into a career in the media’, will help journalists of the future break into the market.
Emily Birch, Editor of University of Bournemouth’s Nerve magazine, says: “So many of the students on our magazine have ambitions to become top journalists, but it’s hard to know where to begin when you’re starting out.
“We’re hoping to learn a few tricks from the people at this event who have made it and also meet new contacts, after all, we’re the next generation of media leaders.”
The young journalists will hear talks on how the internet has transformed journalism, how to promote your work through freelancing, carving a niche and setting up your own publication, amongst others.
Journalists from TheSite.org will also run a workshop to help the attendees think creatively about putting together stories, demonstrate how to source accurate facts, and how to find spokespeople when writing about issues that affect young people.
More information about the event is available at: www.youthnet.org/mediaandcampaigns/studentjournalistsseminar
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Media Enquiries:
For further media information, images, or to arrange interviews, please contact Gabriella Jozwiak or Kate Walker at YouthNet on 020 7250 5716 or out-of-hours on 07766 660 755. Email media@youthnet.org
Notes to editors:
- Run by young people’s charity YouthNet, TheSite.org is the online guide to life for 16 to 25-year-olds. With over 2,000 articles written by experts and journalists, a series of blogs, podcasts and videos, a bespoke question and answer service (askTheSite) and a thriving online community, TheSite.org is the central place for young people to turn to for sound, straight talking, anonymous advice 24-hours-a-day
- Every month, TheSite.org is visited by over 500,000 unique users, and receives around 800 questions on issues ranging from relationships to advice on housing. Content on TheSite.org is also available on mobile, at TheSite.org/mobile
- YouthNet is the UK’s first exclusively online charity and was founded by Martyn Lewis CBE in 1995. It aims to create a socially inclusive environment where all young adults are engaged, informed and inspired to achieve their ambitions and dreams, and does this through two award winning websites, TheSite.org and the UK’s leading volunteering website, Do-it
- The seminar is a free event organised for university student journalists across the UK.