Wannabe journalists from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) have been breaking stories across Leicestershire in a day of real-world reporting.
Students on the Journalism BA course at DMU had to put skills learned in the classroom into action for Journalism Day.
And this was no training exercise - like professionals, the students were given free rein to reveal exclusives and sniff out scoops wherever they could, practising the same legal and ethical considerations observed throughout the industry.
Working to tight end-of-day deadlines the hungry hacks conceived, developed and wrote their pieces, publishing them on DMU's bespoke news website The Leicestershire Press.
Stories included the revelation that an allotment is to use recycled human waste as a fertiliser, an expert prediction on the EU referendum and a call for volunteers to help research a life-saving finger prick blood test.
It was a flavour of the newsroom pressure they could face in the media, working against the clock to publish accurate, balanced and compelling stories about the world around them.
Nathan Rodrigues, 19, was intrigued on his way to class by a group of students sitting outside Campus Centre on some sheets. His curiosity led to a story.
He said: "I was wondering what they were doing, it looked unusual. So I looked into it and found out they were students on the Fine Art course, creating art for their Degree Show.
"I think observation is a key skill in journalism, following up things around you which catch your attention. The pressure of putting the story together in a day and publishing it online is tough but enjoyable."
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Joel Wood said he was using a range of skills.
The 20-year-old said: "We are expected to sort the copy, pictures and upload it ourselves, which a lot of modern reporters need to be able to do.
"I've been doing a story on University Mental Health Day; I spoke to managers and they said they wanted to get away from naming people with mental health, instead looking at it more broadly."
Journalism lecturer Brian Dodds said the onus was on the students to work independently.
He said: "Some of them come in with their own stories, others we have leads for them to develop. But they all have to rely on their skills to get the story into a publishable state.
"It's a real world test for them and hopefully gives them the appetite and understanding of how reporting works, what to look for and, ultimately, the experience they need to get that first break in the field."
Posted on Thursday 10 March 2016