An event hosted by Bournemouth University and BBC Young Reporters gave young people the opportunity to develop their skills and find out more about careers in journalism.
40 sixth form and college students visited BU for the Real News Project event - a range of talks and workshops to develop digital literacy, learn journalistic skills, and find about more about careers in the media.
An interactive presentation helped the students in distinguishing fake news and learning how to check facts and sources, before a video skills workshop led by BBC trainer Marc Settle in which they were shown the best ways to capture breaking news on their phone.
The day ended with a careers panel, featuring two of the BBC’s young reporters - Dan Ayers and Logan Lawson – alongside BU’s Dr Karen Fowler-Watt, herself a former BBC journalist, and the BBC Academy’s OpenMedia trainer Zoe Millett.
The students – who were from Barton Peveril College, The Burgate School and Sixth Form, and Parkstone Grammar School Sixth Form - had the chance to ask questions to the panel about career paths in journalism. Advice included being confident, passionate and keeping your options open.
Dan said: “Being passionate about telling stories is a brilliant thing, if you work hard and want it, you will definitely get it.”
Logan told the students to keep their options open: “Remember, you don’t always have to have a set thing you want to do. But try to get your foot in the door, everything will come from there.”
Beth Matthews, Schools Liaison Officer at BU, said: “We were delighted to welcome the BBC Young Reporter Team onto campus to work with students from local colleges and sixth forms.
“The aim of the event was to help students gain insight into journalism and media, try it out for themselves, and consider the pathways and progression routes available to pursue a successful career in the industry.”
