NewsBrands Ireland held the latest of their Pop-Up Newsrooms in Christian Brothers Cork on the 29th February 2024.
Speaking to a group of Transition Year students were Jill O’ Sullivan, Assistant Editor, Irish Examiner, and Lisa Buckley, Communications and Programmes Director with NewsBrands Ireland. The interactive session was designed to bring students behind the scenes of the journalism industry, explaining how news is sourced, fact checked, and delivered to audiences across multiple platforms including print newspapers, news websites, podcasts, and video. Jill O’ Sullivan explained the legal process behind the production of responsible journalism and the rules they operate under.
Among the questions and issues explored were the dangers of fake news and disinformation, defamation law, and how to structure an impactful opinion piece.
Speaking about the Press Pass programme, Edward Newsman, English teacher in Christian Brothers, said:
“The Press Pass Transition Year News Literacy and Student Journalism Programme can be linked effectively to Paper One in the Leaving Certificate. The Department of Education and Science LC English Syllabus states that Paper One is specifically aimed at ‘improving students’ composing abilities’. As an English teacher, I believe Press Pass is a very effective programme that helps students explore, develop and improve their writing skills.
“Through the Press Pass Programme one encounters the five language genres – information, narration, persuasion, argument and aesthetics – in articles, features etc. in both print and online versions. Press Pass helps to make the teachings of these language genres a very real and tangible experience. And, for the Press Pass Writing Competition, the variety of entry categories allow students to produce work that mirrors what they will encounter in responding to the Question B and Composing sections of Paper One in the LC.”
If your school would like to hold a Pop-Up Newsroom, please contact Lisa Buckley in NewsBrands Ireland for more details lbuckley@newsbrands.ie
