By Chris Wheal
Student members reporting at the National Union of Journalists’ annual delegate meeting (ADM) in Southport did a professional job.
I give them my heartfelt thanks and my congratulations on proving themselves worthy of being called journalists – forget the student bit. They also get thanks from delegates and from the hundreds of members not at ADM who used the website.
Elinor and Kat hard at work
Elinor and Kat hard at work
Dynamic duo
But the biggest thanks of all go to managing editors Kat Lay and Elinor Zuke. They spent the entire ADM in our windowless HQ, the “nuclear bunker”. Their fingers were literally on the button, authorising publication challenging, chasing deadlines and cajoling copy to come forward.
Kat and Elinor took the order papers and fringe meeting timetables and organised
- which reporters would be twittering
- who would record the motions for each order paper
- which person would live blog
- who would be doing follow-up interviews, for print, audio and video.
They also authorised publication, checking with me when necessary. They were in at 8.30am and never left before 7pm. They remained calm, and polite (but firm) throughout. They were outstanding.
New media, new NUJ
My best guess is that more than half the delegates to ADM started conference believing blogging, Twitter, putting photos on Flickr and videos on Youtube was not proper journalism. Even as student Lizzie Houghton spoke, early Saturday, a sizeable majority sniggered at the mention of social media.
But by the end of ADM, in just two and half days, I believe the students proved that the media does not dictate the quality. Thorough, thoughtful journalism is as at home on the net as on paper. I hope all at ADM and in the wider NUJ now see that.
The fact that the new editor of The Journalist and the leadership of the NUJ asked to reproduce the student’s material – and rightfully pay the students for their work – is testament to this. The NUJ is the union for those working online as much as it for those broadcasting or in print.
Student stats:
- We had 24 students, half men – half women, three black (12.5%), several others of non-UK or Irish nationality, aged between 20 and 48.
- 6 photographers, 1 TV specialist, 1 radio, several print or multimedia students. Three not studying journalism but working on student media.
- Google Analytics tells us we had more than 1,100 unique visitors during ADM and just after.
- Our Twitter feed alone, which limits reports to 140 characters, produced more than 10,000 words.
Work Experience guidelines
Each student had their full expenses reimbursed and was given a small amount of cash for incidentals. Each is to receive some payment for their work appearing in The Journalist. And each will receive an individual written report on their work experience.
The NUJ has demonstrated that work experience can be professionally managed and prove a valuable learning experience for student journalists.
We have shown that abiding by the NUJ’s work experience guidelines (link opens new window) gives the best experience to students and gets the most out of them.
