Journalism & Communication

(From left) Marta Clayton, Simon Bates and Derek English, at the BJTC Awards

Two MA Multi-Media Journalism graduates have received awards from the Broadcast Journalism Training Council in competition with accredited courses across the country.

Marta Clayton and Derek English who graduated from the course last year both picked up the highly sought after BJTC prizes at a ceremony held at Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication on Tuesday 24^th April.

The awards were presented by veteran broadcaster Simon Bates, whose work as a presenter has included BBC Radio 1, LBC, Classic FM and Smooth Radio.

For her project on the effects of the Localism Bill on gypsies and travellers, Clayton was awarded Best Website of the Year. The project looked particularly at the evictions at Dale Farm, which she was working on before it was picked up by the national news media.

She said of the project: “for me it was all about bringing together everything I’d learned on the course – investigating a controversial subject, presenting the narrative across a range of media and engaging the target audience whilst showcasing the core skills of journalism, such as balance, impartiality and objectivity”.

Derek English also won the hotly-contested award for TV News Item, for his reporting on wind farms. His project was praised for covering “a range of the issues reflecting the concerns of the community.”

English credited his skills in making the TV piece to those who taught him as part of his MA course. He said the finished piece “was only that good because of some of the tips and knowledge I’d gained during the first couple of months of my BU journalism course. My package on Purbeck Wind Farm in many ways is the result of what I’d learnt in just a few weeks at the start of the course”.

Click here to watch the final TV package by Derek English. You can see the final package here.

Katie holding the cover of the book, designed by the students, and which was particularly commended by the judges.

First year BACOMM students were praised this week as fantastic ambassadors for the course at a Dragon’s Den style event to test their pitching skills.

The students were tasked with pitching their book ideas (complete with synopsis/book jacket design/press materials and marketing plan) to a formidable team of “Dragons”.

Making up the panel was MD of Atlantic Books, Toby Mundy, Assistant Manager of Castlepoint Waterstones, Katherine Jennings, and author/publisher John Jenkins.

Mundy in particular who has visited Bournemouth for this event for the past three years commented that they were the best presentations he had seen so far.

Dragons spent some time, and had some heated debates, deliberating over who should be the overall winner as it was a very close call between four groups.

After some time, and heated debate the Dragons eventually came to the unanimous decision that the winning team were Katie North, Matt Knight, Emily Simkins, Christian Newman and Taylor Niall.

The team pitched Katie North’s idea for a black Northern comedy novel called Bucket Kicking, about a funeral parlour, run by a family who are driven to murder in their attempts to keep their business alive.

Waterstones and Atlantic Books generously awarded them with a combined prize of £100 of Waterstones vouchers.

John Jenkins has also just sent us a note of congratulations on the standard of the students’ work.

NCTJ-Logo

Bournemouth University’s BA Multi-media journalism was described this week as a “flagship course” by the NCTJ.

The National Council for the Training of Journalists were visiting the university to assess the course for re-accreditation, and left glowing feedback for staff and students alike.

While at the University the NCTJ panel unveiled the BAMMJ Hall of Fame, admired the pages of the latest edition of ‘The Rock, moved between newsrooms on another impressive converged news day and welcomed former editor of ‘Today’, Kevin Marsh,  to talk to the third year students about investigative journalism.

The panel also met with students in a private meeting, after which they applauded their dynamism and commitment. Michelle Lewis of the NCTJ said “it was clear the students were passionate about journalism and loved the course”.

In their feedback the NCTJ team particularly praised the teaching of Shorthand at the university, the use of converged news days to teach core skills and the school’s policy of having a journalist in residence (currently Adam Lee-Potter).

Ian Murray and Michelle Lewis cut the ribbon to the BAMMJ Hall of Fame

A hall of fame, celebrating the success of BU Multi-media Journalism graduates was opened this week.

Ian Murray, Editor-in-chief of the Southern Daily Echo and Michelle Lewis Head of Accreditation from the NCTJ cut the ribbon to the wall which marks 20 years of the renowned BAMMJ course.

Featuring in the Media building of Bournemouth University’s Talbot Campus, the wall hosts a huge range of big names in the journalism industry who began their careers in the very building.

Mark Russell of GQ, Steven Corbett of The Sun, Sarah Farmer of the BBC, Ryan Lovejoy of Sky and Andy Jones, a highly successful freelancer all feature.

Senior Journalism lecturer Dan Hogan gave a short speech to mark the event.

“It’s not just about what happens when students are here.  We want to celebrate the fact that our guys go on to greater things.”

He described a feeling of ‘great pride’ towards the graduates from the course, talking animatedly about each of the individuals pictured on the wall.  The BAMMJ course has produced successful journalists who have gone on to work on a range of titles, including Nuts Magazine, GQ, Reuters and BBC.  Hogan called the new installation “a permanent reminder of what we are about”.

Vin Ray, renowned journalist, past BBC foreign editor and first Director of the BBC College of Journalism gave a guest lecture this week entitled ‘The Art of Original Storytelling’.

Speaking to BA Multi-media Journalism students at Bournemouth University, Ray, who is now a Visiting Professor at BU asked the question: “What is original journalism?”

In the interactive session, he then provided students with many helpful tips and advice on how to be original and creative.

“Ask the disruptive questions”, said Ray for example. “Ask questions which go against the default narrative and against the media herd – What’s wrong with whaling? Do bankers deserve more pay? From looking in the opposite direction you might find a completely different angle to the story.”

“A good journalist is not just a journalist when they sit down at their desk in the morning” he also advised. Instead he encouraged all to remain constantly vigilant for stories – what annoys or amuses you on the way to work, what are people talking about at the pub? “There’s a good chance that what interests you and your friends will also be interesting to a large audience.”

Fundamentally Ray urged the final year journalism students to think outside the box, to be creative, to be different and to be bold.

Vin Ray provided the final guest lecture of the BA Multi-media Journalism course’s Professional Perspectives unit. Throughout the term, this has seen a huge variety of working journalists impart their knowledge, advice and experience on the final year students, about to enter the industry.

Pete Clifton, Executive Producer, MSN UK, lectured third year BA Multi-media Journalism students this week.

Clifton, who was previously Editor of the BBC News website, joined Microsoft in May last, and has overseen a complete re-launch of the MSN news site.

He explained to students the changes that both the site and its journalists have undergone in the past year – altering the look, the content and the delivery of its media.

Emphasising the importance of utilising new digital platforms, Clifton described how MSN UK had altered its output to create tailored, quality media, not only for its website but for its mobile site, iPad app and Xbox page.

The key skill required from his team of journalists is adaptability and a multi-media skill-set, said Clifton, describing how reporters will often be expected to film, interview, and tweet live events at once.

Clifton, who also acts as an external examiner for the BA Multi-media Journalism course, offered students a fascinating insight into how news sites are adapting to new technology and how these advances require a whole new approach to media production.

Joe Casey graduated from Bournemouth University in 2006

A BA Multi-media Journalism graduate has been named Young Journalist of the Year at the RTS Television awards, which took place on February 23.

Joe Casey won the award for his work in the undercover investigation into abuse in a Bristol care home for a BBC Panorama programme.

Alongside the title, Casey was also awarded a bursary from the John Schofield Trust, designed to help talented young journalists.

Associate Dean, Karen Fowler-Watt, who attended the event as a judge in one of the news categories, spoke to Joe after he had received his award and he said that was very happy to say that “it had all started with the BAMMJ course at Bournemouth and investigative journalism is what I have always wanted to do”.

Casey will also now have the benefit of a mentor, and support from the John Schofield Trust which was set up in memory of a young BBC Radio producer who lost his life in Croatia in 1995.

John’s widow, Susannah presented the award which was set up in 2006 to recognise and aid the development of the potential of top young journalists.

Casey joins an illustrious group of past winners, including BBC Europe Correspondent Matthew Price, Channel 4′s Faisal Islam and Cary Johnstone of Russia Today.