BRUNEL University students will have a ringside seat covering next month’s election count live from the Prime Minister’s Uxbridge constituency.
More than 50 students from across degrees in Journalism, Politics, and Film and TV Production will work on a rolling news programme live-streamed from their Uxbridge campus.
Boris Johnson has the smallest majority of any sitting Prime Minister since 1924 – 5,034 – which makes his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat one of the most high-profile races in the election.
“Our plan is to have our student reporters holding round-table discussions and analysis with politics students as the results from around the country come in,” said Rachel Sharp, senior lecturer in journalism.
The TV studio will cut live to the count for results and interviews while newsroom-based students also write for their online newspaper and post on social media.
"This is a seismic election and for us to offer our students the chance to take part is extremely exciting,” said digital film technologies lecturer Niki Ashby. “We have covered general elections in the past because our campus is where the count for three constituencies takes place, however this election puts us in the unique position of being the count for one of the most important seats in the country – the Prime Minister’s."
For many of the team covering the 12 December count, it will their first chance to vote in a general election. "I feel like a lot of people who aren’t usually engaged with politics have started to realise the weight that the result of this election will have," said final year film and TV student, Tamara Williams, 22.
“I just want to raise awareness to my age group about voting and being actually influential in the general election,” said politics student Malachi Hamden, 22.
Reported by:
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