Gloucester Citizen editor Ian Mean has given a lecture to 80 school children as part of their literacy programme.

He explained to the eight and nine-year-olds about how stories are sourced, compiled and written. He also gave them tips about what makes a good story and what does not.

Teacher Becky Ballinger said: "The visit really brought newspapers to life for the children. They were very interested by what he had to tell us about the 24-hour world of news.

"Newspapers are a major part of our literacy curriculum.

"The children will now be studying articles a bit more before having to step into the reporter's shoes and write a story themselves."

And the pupils from Harewood Junior School are set to visit The Citizen offices later this month to see how a real-life newsroom operates.

Ian, who emphasised the importance of helping young people to enter the industry, said: "It is very important that children gain an appreciation for newspapers at a young age. The ability to assess the quality of journalism is a skill which will remain with them throughout their lives.

"They were a great group of children and they asked some very good questions. Among them I am sure there will be some very talented reporters of the future."

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