A North East daily is signing up a team of reporters to help it cover deadline day for this year’s January football transfer window.

Up to 50 print and broadcast journalism students from the University of Sunderland will join reporters from the Sunderland Echo next Monday for what could be very hectic ten-hour shift producing news for sunderlandecho.com.

Transfer deadline day is traditional a very busy period for the media as reporters file breaking news copy about the rumours and stories surrounding possible player moves between clubs.

The team will be based at the university and keep visitors to a string of websites across the network owned by the Echo’s parent company Johnston Press with up-to-date news using live blogging software CoverItLive.

This follows on from last September’s deadline day coverage at sunderlandecho.com which was viewed by 7,000 visitors who left 2,700 comments.

Students will be handed assignments from monitoring newswires to reporting in the field and video and audio content will also be available, with reports and round-ups covering the various deals.

Echo digital editor Lee Hall said: “Last deadline day the response to our coverage was phenomenal – we had more comments from visitors in one day than in any full month previously.

“This time we’ve stepped up our game and plan to provide an engaging one-stop-shop for transfer gossip, news and banter.

“In Sunderland University’s media department we have found the perfect partner to help us deliver a comprehensive, interactive service.

“February 1 will be the most exciting day in the football calendar and thanks to this partnership we’ll be at the frontline to inform our users of every breaking transfer deal.”

Programme leader John Price added: “This will be a great opportunity for our students to experience the excitement and challenges of live coverage.

“We hope the day will be a fun one, but we also want the students to take professional pride in what they do and produce a great quality product.”

Comments

David House (25/01/2010 11:40:11)
Journalism going to the dogs getting non experts to deliver on a day when experts are required. Cheap.

John (25/01/2010 13:19:38)
Ha. Come on David, be fair, the Echo are giving youngsters a chance to get involved and get some real experience. Fair play to them.

Lee Hall, digital editor Sunderland Echo (25/01/2010 14:37:14)
The experts will be on hand – Sunderland Echo SAFC writer Graeme Anderson and Shields Gazette Newcastle writer Miles Starforth will be present. Plus, pros in other centres will be involved remotely. Our students will be using expert sources to inform their work too. But don’t run them down too much – they will bring plenty of insight and enthusiasm to the project and will hopefully gain valuable experience of a live news environment.

Exiled fan (25/01/2010 15:08:51)
Lee, the question I have is what is the real value here for your users? If they’re monitoring the wires, then all they will be doing is repeating what everyone else is saying. Is there any real value in football rumours to your website? Does it keep real users coming back again and again? I look at Sunderland ECHO for Sunderland FC stories, because it is what you are expert in. I don’t look at your site for Liverpool or Arsenal stories, and those who do won’t be specifically looking out for your site. People won’t be fooled by just having those ‘experts on hand’ and using students, keen as they are, the rest of the time.

Lee Hall, digital editor Sunderland Echo (25/01/2010 15:26:43)
It’s not just for Sunderland fans, but Black Cats supporters will be well catered for. The idea is that we aggregate news and gossip in an environment that encourages responsible debate. We’re celebrating one of the most exciting days in the footy calendar with our users. Our team will aim to stand up stories and provide insight and analysis. Many are fans with a deep knowledge of their club, others have excellent contacts. Towards the end of our coverage of the last window we asked our users to rate our service – 91% gave us 4 or 5 out of 5 (72% 5/5). I’d settle for that again. The bottom line is – our users want this, so we’re doing it again. Only better.

Mr Angry (26/01/2010 10:50:10)
91% gave you 5/5. That’s a very good statistic but it’s probably from a self-selecting survey, based on the fact those that didn’t like it had probably long gone earlier in the day. If people want a national rumours and gossip service they can go to the BBC or Sky Sports News. What actual newsroom experience do the students get other than providing a service which id detached from your newsroom and which you can’t staff yourself? What’s the value to the Echo for doing this? How do you make money from those people who visit? Wouldn’t you be better of putting your efforts into covering local news better online, instead of being beaten by local blogs run by local students? http://joshhalliday.net/?p=540

Lee Hall, digital editor, Sunderland Echo (26/01/2010 12:11:34)
In some ways our service could be better than the BBC’s as we will have better ways for users to interact thanks to coveritlive.
It’s great experience for the students as they will be working with professionals and trusted to carry out key newsroom roles on the desk, in the field etc.
It’s great for the Echo as we can connect with our audience in a way we can’t in paper. Frankly, it will generate plenty of traffic too.
Love Josh’s blog – it’s a fantastic experiment in hyper local.

Mr Angry (26/01/2010 14:04:53)
Students pay attention – a masterclass in avoiding answering the question there. No point having an audience if you can’t make money out of them. Meanwhile, you get scooped by “experiments”

Lee Hall, digital editor Sunderland Echo (26/01/2010 15:37:56)
Mr Angry – don’t get hung up on the commercial side of things. That’s not why we are doing this project. We’re out to produce the best possible content which our audience demands. We have an entire commercial division devoted to making money. We might take on a sponsor to cover the cost of the sausage sandwiches we are providing for the students! Who are you, anyway? Why am I getting drawn into this? Shouldn’t I be working? … The positives far out-weight the negatives on this project. If you can’t see that you will forever be ‘Mr Angry’.

John (26/01/2010 18:18:36)
No wonder the industry is in the state it’s in if journalists still go around saying: “We have an entire commercial division devoted to making money.” One of the biggest problems in newspapers over the years has been editorial and advertising not working closer together. It’s sad to see that same approach is being repeated by those who should know better.

Lee Hall, digital editor, Sunderland Echo (26/01/2010 19:01:02)
You’re picking up on my over-simplification of a complex argument there John. The goals of many digital staff are intrinsically commercial, in a sense. We are concerned with being good journalists by delivering the information people want and exposing it to our audience in the most attractive, engaging and efficient ways. Basically we are providing a platform for commercial people to sell onto, so that’s where I draw the crude distinction. I also don’t think everything we do should be judged in commercial terms. As someone who enjoys a lovely cut-out on a page I don’t buy the argument that ‘cut-outs don’t sell papers’, for instance … in that great design contributes to a stronger product. I’d like to think that by delivering quality, journalists will keep their audience, whether its online or in print. Projects such as this, if well-managed, can deliver on quality. But they also contribute to the feeling of community that should be at the heart of good websites, whether that’s community through location, or a shared passion such as football.