PA Media Centre Experience

To most teenagers at school, newspapers probably represent old media. The iPod generation has been brought up on broadband Internet, 3G telephones and 24-hour rolling news on TV.

But challenge them to produce their own journal on real newsprint and they appear every bit as enthralled as Rupert Murdoch on his first day at work.

That’s the findings from a new project launched last year by The Press Association aimed at 14-19 year olds.

The PA Media Centre Experience challenges students to produce their own eight-page, full-colour newspaper.

The entire project lasts six weeks, but most of that time is spent trying to write stories while continuing with their general school timetable.

That means break and lunchtime meetings, and if they are lucky, a few lesson slots to research and write the stories that will fill their title.

Alison Trueman, PA Training Manager, who runs the scheme at PA’s operations centre in Howden, said: “It is a real challenge for the students to get themselves organised to produce the content. But they are real journalists throughout that time.

“They have to decide very early on what sort of stories they want to be on their pages.”

The project starts with Alison or Phil visiting the school or college to brief the students.

Alison said: “I explain to them a little about styles of newspapers, lead a discussion on what sort of newspapers they like or don’t like to read.

“Then we try to decide what kind of stories they think will interest the people the newspaper will eventually be sold to.”

And sold is the right word, because in most cases, the schools turn the experience into an

enterprise project as well as a media one, including selling adverts in to the product.

The school gets 2000 copies of the newspaper.

They also have to choose an editor, news editor, picture editor and sports editor, just like in a real newsroom.

The final two days are spent in PA’s Bishop’s Manor training centre in Howden, or Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, putting the paper together for real.

Alison said: “The two production days are really hectic. Designing eight pages, writing headlines and captions and getting the look of the paper right takes a lot of crafting.”

The pages are produced using InDesign – cutting edge software used in many real newspapers.

The editor of one of the newspapers, aged 16, said: “I have had a brilliant time. I loved working on the newspaper, it was exciting and great fun.

“When the paper arrived everyone felt really proud of their achievement.”

Alison said: “All the teachers who have brought students here have been really impressed.

"By the second day in Howden the students have become a tight-knit team working with an editor, chosen from among themselves, who is prepared to take real decisions."

As well as doing the work, they go on a tour of a giant media company’s offices – a unique experience for most of them.

Top of page