Tag Archives: Politics and Media

Who Cares? BU students do!

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Students from Bournemouth University have staged a topical comedy panel show to try and get young people interested in politics.

The Who Cares? show was organised by first year students on the BA (Hons) Politics and Media course, and featured up-and-coming comedians Chris Turner and James Loveridge alongside a student host and panellists.

It was filmed in front of a live audience of around 100 people on Talbot Campus and featured rounds where panellists had to decide whether headlines were real or fake, and had 15 seconds to come up with solutions to problems like binge drinking and the North Korean nuclear threat.

The aim of the show was to present politics in a more accessible and exciting way to increase interest and engagement in 18-25 year olds.

“The brief was to put on an event that appealed to younger people and we could do whatever we wanted from that,” said Robbie Gavin, who was one of the team captains for Who Cares?

“We ended up with a comedy show as we thought it would engage people who might not normally be interested in politics or think politics is that funny.”

Robbie, 18, who is in the first year of the BA (Hons) Politics and Media course, added that he felt they had learnt a lot through organising the show.

“I think that we have learnt how to work as a team very well,” he said.

“We did a lot of things that might not have done before – like producing, getting the set together and making contacts. It was a really good life experience.”

Award-winning comedian James Loveridge said he was happy to get involved with the project.

“The students got in touch and I thought it sounded like a really fun project, and something really different.

“You can tell that they have worked really hard on it. I had an amazing time.”

The panel show was filmed for a DVD and the students will be assessed on the project for the Experiencing Politics unit of their course.

BA (Hons) Politics and Media Course Leader Dr David McQueen said: “The unit is about looking at links to everyday life and the ways in which people are turned off politics.

“Something like this is a way of connecting and it shows that people are more interested in politics than they even know.”

He added: “I’m really proud of what they have done. It had a level of professionalism you’d expect from final year or Master’s students and they have utilised the resources of the Media School.

“All of the first year students were involved in different aspects of it and had to work as a team. They have picked up so many skills, like problem-solving, and worked really hard through the holidays to make sure it was the success it was.

“I hope they will look back on it and be really proud.”

Deputy Editor of Channel 4 News gives masterclass at BU

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The Deputy Editor of Channel 4 News visited Bournemouth University to give a media masterclass to students.

Felicity Spector, who has worked for the news organisation for the past 24 years, spoke to students about her experiences – particularly those covering US Presidential Elections.

Felicity is now Deputy Programme Editor for Channel 4 News, with responsibilities including writing the show’s script, but has also acted as a political correspondent on the programme, as well as writing for the website.

She said: “I went into journalism because I like writing people’s stories – there are so many people who have really great stories.

“I still get excited every day because it is a job where no two days are ever the same.”

Felicity added that she was in the USA during Barack Obama’s 2008 Election Campaign, and also dealt with coverage of his 2012 re-election.

She said: “It was the most astonishing election campaign. The whole atmosphere across the country was unprecedented really. People were partying in the streets in Washington – it was the most amazing feeling, it really felt like something had changed.

She added: “This election was not as exciting, as it was not as close, but it was really fascinating in terms of what it has shown about the system.”

David McQueen, course leader of the BA (Hons) Politics and Media course at BU, introduced Felicity.

He said: “It is a real privilege to be able to hear from someone working right at the heart of one of Britain’s biggest news providers.”

Felicity, who studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at university, joined Channel 4 News as a scriptwriter on a graduate training scheme and has been there ever since.

“I was very lucky that I stumbled into this job. I think now it is all about trying to get experience,” she said.

“Even if you can’t get a placement, have a blog and just be curious about what is going on.

“Just do something interesting and different to make yourself stand out. You just have to have the initiative to find something which you’re passionate about and badger people with it.”

Felicity said that she hoped students – who came from a diverse range of courses including journalism, politics and marketing to listen to her talk – would take away the realities of being a journalist.

“When you study media as an academic subject, it is quite different than when you actually work in it,” she said.

“I just wanted to talk about how you are always learning when you’re a journalist, and you never know it all.”