City students link up with new citizen journalism website

From the City University Website

Yoosk collobaration produces City's new citizen journalists

Students from City University London are collaborating with new citizen media website Yoosk.com to create interactive and innovative news features.

The students, all on City’s MSc Electronic Publishing, have created their own features for Yoosk.com on subjects such as the proposal for a third runway for Stansted Airport, the role of journalists in the Madeleine McCann affair and the inclusion of female boxing in the 2012 London Olympics.

Yoosk.com provides a forum for ordinary members of the public to post questions to the people in the news. The questions can be voted on by other users and if they gain enough support, Yoosk uses its network of journalists to get the questions answered.

The City students’ features are now live on the site and the site’s users have been invited to submit questions, which will be answered by leading public figures relevant to each story. The students have been responsible for contacting the leading figures involved in their stories and obtaining a commitment from them to answer questions. Those who have agreed to questions include senior MPs, business leaders and top TV editors.

City is the first university in the country to take part in such a venture. This project once again places City’s Department of Journalism and Publishing – which runs the MSc together with City’s School of Informatics – at the forefront of training for the industry, at a time when journalists are interacting with their readers more than ever”.

Neil Thurman, senior lecturer at City, says: “This project will give City students real experience in web-based journalism. Our link-up with Yoosk.com will give them the opportunity to learn key skills in online publishing, not only by working with an innovative new journalism site, but through meaningful interaction with Yoosk.com’s growing audience.”

For press enquiries relating to this story, please contact Neil Thurman on 020 7040 8222 or neilt 'at' soi.city.ac.uk

Note to editors:
City University London's Master's in Electronic Publishing is one of the longest-established and best recognised courses of its type in the UK.

Students are taught by a unique combination of experts with specialist knowledge in areas such as: design, publishing, technology and content production.

City University London was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute and was awarded full university status in 1966. Today the University is renowned for its international focus, the employability of its graduates (5th in The Times Good University Guide 2008 for graduate prospects tables) and its links with business and professions.

The University is made up of seven schools based in and around the City of London: School of Arts, School of Informatics, School of Social Sciences, School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, Cass Business School, The City Law School and City Community & Health Sciences.
During the 2006/07 academic year City University London attracted over 23,000 students from 157 countries, while teaching staff are drawn from 41 international locations, ensuring that the University has a truly international outlook.