Journalism students at the University of Worcester will be helping to deliver coverage of the General Election.
Around 20 students, from all year groups, will be reporting for ITV Central, Sky, ITN and the Press Association on Thursday, December 12. It is the third General Election in a row that the BA (Hons) Journalism course students have been involved with.
First year student Callum Jones, 19, will be conducting interviews and filming with ITV Central at the count in Pershore. “I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “It's my first bit of broadcast journalism in the actual world outside of campus and I’ll be learning new skills as well. To be able to put you have worked for ITV on your CV is good.”
For many of the students it will be their first time voting in, as well as reporting on, a General Election. They will cover as far north as Birmingham and as far south as Malvern, helping deliver the results but also in some cases with interviews, pieces presenting to camera and filming of the count.
First year student, Shnae Harrison, 19, who will be working for ITV Central at the Redditch count, is researching the candidates to ensure she has the right questions. “It’s my first time voting too so it’s really important to me,” she said. “I’m just looking forward to the atmosphere – you always see it on TV, but it will be nice to be around that.”
Lauren Chivers, 20, a third year student will be at the Malvern count working for Sky News. “I’m nervous but excited,” she said. “This is going to be the first major election I have both voted in and worked on. It’s intimidating to do it in the real world, but it’s good fun though. I’m a night owl anyway so it’s not going to be too bad in terms of lack of sleep.”
Tom Lowe, Planning Editor at ITV News Central, who had come in to talk to the students in the run up to the coverage, said this was an invaluable experience. “I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for them to be involved in such a huge story and great that the University supports them to do that as part of their training,” he said. “From our point of view, seeing how keen and enthusiastic the students are to learn and be part of such an important night, is great news for the future of the industry.”
Claire Wolfe, Principal Lecturer in Journalism at the University, said: “This is the third General Election our students have been involved with, gaining both valuable experience and actually being paid for their input. Many have gone on to have successful careers in the media, including the broadcast sector. Involvement with live projects like this definitely makes their CVs stand out while also being a huge confidence boost.”