Journalism students report on General Election 2024

Journalism students from LJMU have been reporting on the general election for ITV, BBC and Sky News.

Students from all levels of journalism courses at LJMU were deployed to various counts across Merseyside and the North West to help the general election coverage for major outlets, in which the Labour government won, after 14 years of Conservative power.

Fran Yeoman, Journalism Programme Leader at LJMU, said:

“To have students working for the major national broadcasters on such a momentous news story is testament to how talented and industry-ready they are. They’ve had a chance to be on the front row of a bit of political history before even graduating, and the experience will stand them in great stead as they go on into their careers.”

First year student covers the count for Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC)

Rayhan Bengougou, a first year studying BA Journalism, covered the count in Wavertree for the BJTC. Rayhan said in one of his video reports:

"It's four in the morning right now and I've learnt so much. Even though I am tired I have learnt a lot, from having to interview people and MPs, to having to take down notes and report the story live as it happened.”

Emily Smith, a Masters student, was at the count in Rochdale for Sky News, she said:

"I had a brilliant time working with Sky News and was honoured to play even a small role in Sky's coverage of the 2024 General Election. A special thanks to LJMU Journalism for such a great opportunity and for helping me get my first experience in political reporting. Definitely something I’d like to do again, and it's reaffirmed for me that I do really want to go into political journalism." 

Michelle Ponting, Employability lead on the BA Journalism course, said:

“We are very proud of our students and the work they have done. Experiences like this are of great value for the students learning and development and for them to gain valuable insight and contacts.”.

You can read the full story as reported on JMU Journalism, LJMU's student journalism news site.

Find out more about studying Journalism at LJMU.