Cop this trailblazing news
by Silvana Arena
More than 40 UniSA and TAFE students joined forces last month as the news crew reporting from the 2007 World Police and Fire Games (WPFG).
Film and video production and journalism students from the University produced TV news stories for broadcast at the event which boasted some 9000 competitors – more than the Commonwealth Games.
News reports produced by the students were shown on large screens in the Games Village nightly and on television station C31 Adelaide.
WPFG general manager Bob Ormston said he was delighted to have UniSA and TAFE SA students involved in the media management of the event.
"We do everything to encourage students and we were highly supportive of providing this important opportunity for them," he said.
Project coordinator for Games TV and UniSA Lecturer Dwayne Blee said students from both multimedia and journalism backgrounds had to work together to provide coverage for a large scale media event.
"For many of them, it’s the first time they’ve worked on such an all-encompassing project," he said.
"It gives them the understanding of what it is going to be like for them in the workforce."
Third-year journalism student Kirsty Bennett said the student news crews initially did not realise the magnitude of the sporting event but were grateful for the opportunity to meet and work as part of a news team.
"We didn’t realise how big the event was, but it was a good
experience to be thrown in the deep end," she said.
"It’s not dissimilar to what industry will expect of us when we
graduate," Bennett said.
"We also worked with experienced reporters from industry on this project, and you can’t buy this kind of knowledge – it’s very hard to come by, so we were excited to be part of it."
The World Police and Fire Games involved competitors from around the world in 79 events over 10 days.