Transition Year students from Coláiste Cholmcille, Ballyshannon, this week met with Sunday Times Ireland editor and Buncrana native Kieran McDaid for a journalism workshop.
The event was organised by NewsBrands Ireland as part of their Young Journalist Ireland school programme. It gave students the unique opportunity to discover what happens behind the scenes in a newsroom.
Kieran spoke about how he got into journalism and how the industry is innovating to reach younger audiences through a variety of platforms. Topics covered included: how journalism is attracting younger readers in an era of TikTok; the rise in citizen journalists; ethics and regulation of the press, and tips for students who wish to pursue a career in journalism.
Students from the class were also lucky enough to get advice on unique news angles for their entries and tips on what makes for a good story.
Ballyshannon has a proud history of producing journalists such as Irish Times US correspondent Keith Duggan, Irish Daily Mail sports journalist Mark Gallagher, Fiona Dillon (former assistant news editor for the Irish Independent), Katie Gallagher (Showbiz reporter with the Irish Daily Star), and Shane Dillon (deputy editor of The Impartial Reporter).
Speaking about the workshop, English teacher Tara Dillon said Kieran delivered an engaging and insightful talk about the world of journalism.
“With a perfect mix of humour and expertise, he emphasised the importance of storytelling, accuracy and staying curious when writing,” Ms Dillon said.
One of the students added that: “Kieran McDaid was very interesting. He used real-world examples and personal stories to bring his job to life. He explained how media has evolved and will continue to do so. He answered all our questions and gave us great advice for our competition entries. “
Mr McDaid has been a reporter for more than 20 years and has worked at a number of publications both regional and national. He began his journalism career in 2001 as a reporter with The Irish News in Belfast before moving to the Press Association news agency. He also had stints as Deputy News Editor at the Irish Independent, Assistant Editor (Head of Content) at the Irish News of the World, and Editor of The Irish Sun.
The Young Journalist Ireland programme ( formerly named Press Pass) was devised by NewsBrands Ireland in 2012 and, to date, has been completed by approximately 130,000 students nationwide. The initiative is a complete journalism and news literacy module with several free resources provided to schools.
Feedback from teachers indicates that the need for news literacy education in our schools has never been more urgent. As young people are bombarded with a constant stream of news and information that can frequently contain fake news, propaganda, and hoaxes— often masquerading as credible journalism — it is becoming more and more difficult for people to distinguish fact from fiction. The YJI programme aims to address this, by developing critical thinking skills in students. Through the programme, students become familiar with a variety of language types (information, argument, narration, persuasion) that they will encounter during the Leaving Certificate English programme. Students also learn to analyse content and are asked to think and form opinions about important social issues. They are encouraged to engage with the journalism in the classroom, to analyse articles and news stories and then to create their own original journalism, the best of which is entered into a national competition. Categories include School Newspaper, Features, Sport, Opinion, and Photojournalism.
NewsBrands Ireland is the industry body for national news publishers.
For further information, please visit www.newsbrands.ie
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