Journalism & Communication

JUMP TV involves students from a variety of Media School courses.

Bournemouth University’s JUMP TV has scooped two national student television awards.

The station, founded by second-year BA Multimedia Journalism student Jasper Taylor, entered for this year’s NaSTA awards.

NewsLab’s coverage of the US presidential election won the best live show category, whilst Sports Locker received the award for best sports show.

The US presidential election coverage was also shortlisted for the best factual show category, and Jasper was up for best on-screen male presenter.

Jasper said he was proud of everyone who had contributed to JUMP TV and Newslab over the past year.

“It’s a huge achievement to have won two awards and be shortlisted for two others in our first year.

“We were the youngest station present at the ceremony and some have been going for over 40 years.”

This year’s awards ceremony and corresponding conference marked NaSTA’s 40^th anniversary.

Oscar Tollast, editor-in-chief of Newslab’s US 2012 presidential election coverage, said the award was worthy of the commitment and talent shown by all involved.

“It’s lovely to now be able to describe our coverage as ‘award-winning’, and it is well deserved.

“It was wonderful at the time to see Media School students, staff and technicians on a variety of courses working together to produce professional, accurate, and impartial coverage – and at a quick pace, too!”

JUMP TV is now planning a number of projects for the year ahead, and is already looking to build on its success for next year’s awards ceremony.

US 2012 – Bournemouth University’s Media School prepares for live coverage of this year’s US election night (Lee Giles)

Bournemouth University Media School is set to provide live multiplatform coverage of this year’s US election night.

Undergraduates, postgraduates and international students from different courses at the school will collaborate to provide live TV, radio and online content on the night of 6 November.

The university will also be linking up with the University of Massachusetts, who will have a news-gathering operation on the ground to provide live content.

A website will also be launched a week before the election between Democrat President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney, containing blogs, features and more.

The coverage is the brainchild of lecturers Dr Ann Luce and Mathew Charles, who are overseeing the student-led operation, acting as executive editors.

Dr Luce said it will give students the opportunity to feel what it is like to work in a real newsroom.

“Our students are doing what they do best: excellent journalism. It’s going to be a great night, and dare I say it, they may even rival a couple of TV and radio stations here in the UK!”

Co-executive editor and award-winning documentary maker, Mathew Charles, added: “It’s perfect preparation for trainee journalists. It doesn’t get more real than this.”

Those taking part will also experience a guest lecture from former BBC Washington correspondent Stephen Sackur tomorrow evening.

Editor-in-chief, Oscar Tollast, has been encouraged by the turnout and enthusiasm of those wanting to take part.

“It’s been heartwarming to see the amount of effort people have put in already, learning about the US political system and keeping up to date with both campaign trails.

“I have been flabbergasted by the number of people who want to be a part of this extraordinary event. It’s really refreshing to see and hopefully we’ll be able to make this something to remember,” said the third-year BA Multimedia Journalism student.

Students are now beginning to prepare TV, radio and online features, as well as a promo, coming up with a variety of suggestions to bring US politics to Bournemouth.

Journalism students from the BA in Multimedia Journalism have been taking part in the highly-acclaimed BBC project Britain in a Day.  The team joined students from across the country in helping to sift through thousands of video submissions by members of the public, before they are posted on a special Britain in a Day YouTube channel.

Journalism students from the BA in Multimedia Journalism have been taking part in the highly-acclaimed BBC project Britain in a Day.  The team joined students from across the country in helping to sift through thousands of video submissions by members of the public, before they are posted on a special Britain in a Day YouTube channel.

Britain in a Day has been is an extraordinary project to create the definitive self-portrait of Britain in the twenty-first century.  On Saturday 12th November 2011, film director and producer Ridley Scott and director Morgan Matthews invited everyone in the UK to capture part of their day and to upload it to YouTube.  The volume of submissions was overwhelming.

The BU students helped to check the videos for content that might make them unsuitable for a BBC audience and then selected their own playlist of favourites to share with the rest of the country.  The BU playlist is centred on different generations of people, documenting the memories and opinions of contributors at various stages in their lives, from the very young to elderly.  The BU playlist isn’t online yet, but you should be available here very soon:

http://www.youtube.com/britaininaday

Keep an eye on YouTube to see the videos or follow @britaininaday on Twitter, to keep up to date with all the latest news on the project.

MA students from Bournemouth’s International journalism, Journalism and New Media and Multi-media journalism courses went to London this week where they visited a variety of the city’s top newsrooms.

Students of the MA International Journalism course visited Reuters, the BBC, Sky and Al Jazeera.

The MA Multi-media journalism students also visited the studio of Channel Five’s The Wright stuff where they were able to sit in the audience for a show.

One student, Dominic Buchan even took part in the show – commenting in a debate surrounding a Daily Mail story on women who wear too little in the winter.

The students also visited Bloomberg, where Paul Addison, Head of News, told the group about their current training programmes. He said that every year at least one Bournemouth Media school graduate is recruited, and they have always done well within the company.

Students were able to gain lots of inside tips of all aspects of working in TV news, as Debesh Banerjee, a MAMMJ student explained:

“Overall, the trip was constructive and useful in giving us a first hand knowledge about how TV studios are operated, and how news is produced round the clock, across multiple platforms. What was particularly interesting from our perspective was to see how the online and digital platforms are getting integrated in the newsroom of today – and it is exactly what our course is teaching us.”

“The broad range of organisations chosen for the trip catered to a variety of interests among the students, from news, entertainment and documentaries. I think it has given everyone the impetus to work harder as we now have a taster of what TV journalism entails.”

Dr Einar Thorsen

A research grant was secured this week by Dr Einar Thorsen and Sue Wallace of Bournemouth University’s Media School.

The bursary, from the AJE (Association for Journalism Education) is for a research project into the use of news websites in journalism education.

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The Bournemouth Rock newspaper launch

The Bournemouth Rock – a brand new student newspaper was launched by Journalism students last week on Talbot Campus.

The 40-page tabloid was distributed across the campus with very positive feedback.

The paper covered a range of topics – both relating to the university and to the broader Dorset area with stories including a rise in phone thefts in Bournemouth nightclubs, to the success of students who talked their way across Europe for free in aid of the annual Leggit challenge.

Interviews are to be held this week to decide on editorial roles, which will come into action in the first issue of 2012.

Staff and students from the Multi-media journalism course have this week bought Band Aid to Bournemouth, releasing the first ever BAMMJ Christmas single.

The brand new rendition of the Christmas classic, re-dubbed ‘BAMMJAid’, is now on sale across Talbot campus with all money raised going to the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Transplant Charity.

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Bournemouth Multi-media journalism graduates have been praised this week for their outstanding work with one of the country’s biggest magazine employers – the IPC.

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Introduced only this year, Bournemouth University’s new MA International Journalism course has reported a very successful first term.

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Andrew Wilson, Sky News former chief foreign correspondent and now Sky News presenter came to Bournemouth University yesterday with Andrew Preston, reportage editor for the Mail on Sunday with international documentary makers for One World Media Day.

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