Student media festival brings world to MediaCityUK

A still from The Changing Face of India, a film by University of Salford Documentary Production postgraduate Will Hartley, which was funded by One World Media and has been entered in the BBC North Education Partnership Awards.

The world will come to MediaCityUK this week when students, academics and media professionals will learn more about how journalism and media production can bring nations closer together at a special one-day event.

Organised by One World Media, a charity which promotes media that contributes to global dialogue and understanding, in partnership with BBC North and the University of Salford, the One World Media Student Festival will explore the many ways in which international stories and the developing world can be highlighted and explained to UK audiences.

The festival will involve leading broadcasters and journalists including BBC Radio 5Live’s Peter Allen, Nicky Campbell and Eleanor Oldroyd; ITV reporter Elaine Willcox; and seasoned correspondent Fergal Keane. There will be workshops and sessions on a broad range of issues including Burma’s attitude towards journalists, the impact of social media on international news reporting and sports stories from around the world.

Five teams of students from the University of Salford will also be set a live challenge by the BBC Newsround team, being given just a few hours to develop a story or idea before pitching it to an expert panel and an audience of around 200 people. The winning team will enjoy a day behind the scenes at the BBC Children’s news programme.

The day will conclude with a showcase of journalism and production work made by students from across the UK, including student media covering stories from the developing world – all of which has been funded by bursaries from One World Media. The day will also feature the presentation of the BBC North Education Partnership Awards in the categories of journalism, production, innovation, achievement and writing.

Marion Bowman, Director of One World Media, said: “It’s great to be working in partnership on this exciting festival. We're now working with over 20 universities around the UK, inspiring the next generation of media professionals to cover the developing world, and this event will be a great opportunity to bring many of those universities together. 2012 is One World Media's 25th anniversary, and this is one of a number of events celebrating our achievements and future plans.”

Ken Lee, HR Director BBC North, said: “World-class journalism has always been at the heart of the BBC, and BBC North is proud to be a part of that. We are committed to developing new talent, and past experience tells us that building relationships with lecturers and students is essential to connecting emerging talent with development opportunities.

“Partnering with external organisations – including One World Media and the University of Salford – helps us to convert those ambitions into reality. These events work best when there is real diversity of expertise and opinion, so the agenda includes speakers from a wide range of organisations and backgrounds. It’s not just about learning from the experts though – we’ll also be celebrating the skills and achievements of students from our educational partners via the fourth BBC North Education Partnership Awards.”

Beth Hewitt, Director of Graduate and Industry Development for the University’s School of Music, Media & Performance and Senior Lecturer in Media Practice, said: “This is a fantastic example of a truly collaborative partnership between three organisations to produce a high profile event held in both the BBC and University at MediaCityUK.

“The Festival will welcome higher education institutions and media practitioners from across the UK and the BBC Challenge offers a great opportunity for cross-disciplinary students to work closely with BBC executives, developing their creative and technological pitches.”

The One World Media Student Festival will take place at the BBC Philharmonic space in the Studios at MediaCityUK and the University of Salford’s MediaCityUK building on Thursday 17 May. For further information visit www.oneworldmedia.org.uk/activities/student_project/student-festival-2012.

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