A university has started a hyperlocal news website run by its media and journalism students.

The STANDF1RST news magazine will report from Bournemouth University’s campuses and will run three pilot ‘editions’ this summer before officially launching in the new academic year.

It will be produced mainly by students from the BA Communication and Media degree, along with some who are studying Multimedia Journalism and Computer Animation.

STANDF1RST will aim to publish weekly and will focus on features, interviews and columns, rather than breaking news.

Journalism lecturer Chindu Sreedharan, who co-supervises the website, said: “It is an online-only campus news magazine, aiming to serve the BU community – staff and students – in two ways.

“One, it provides students an additional avenue to get their journalism published, and two, it offers the BU community an alternate platform for news and features about campus happenings.”

He added many of the student journalists were working full-time or on placements so they were writing stories in their spare time – sometimes filing or checking copy in the middle of the night.

The online magazine’s first edition includes an interview with outgoing vice-chancellor Paul Curran and another story giving details of his replacement, John Vinney.

It also aims to promote wider participation by using ‘civilian journalism’ to report on news.

The website adds to the current publications already serving the university campus.

It can be viewed by visiting standfirstonline.co.uk.