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Journalism students join tour de France coverage

The start of the Tour de France in Yorkshire has provided some memorable coverage for regional papers with both the Yorkshire Post and Northern Echo publishing wraparounds yesterday.

But not to be outdone, journalism students at a Leeds university have also gained valuable experience in covering the event.

For the past six months, journalism trainees at Leeds Trinity University have met on a weekly basis to plan and develop content for their www.LTjournalism.com website, making the most of the opportunity to cover a major sporting spectacle.

And, during the Yorkshire Grand Départ weekend, students were based at locations across the Stage 1 and Stage 2 routes, filing content live via social media.

Catherine O’Connor, head of journalism, media and business at the university, said: “Getting the experience of covering such a huge event has been fantastic for our undergraduate and postgraduate students. They really stepped up to the challenge and gathered some great pictures, videos and audio.”

“Making sure our students get professional experience is a key part of our courses, and their involvement in covering the Tour de France in Yorkshire is not only an excellent addition to their CV, it is an event they will never forget.”

Tom Feaheny, one of the student reporters who will graduate with a first in Journalism this July, added: “I have really enjoyed the whole process of being involved with working on this event and being a part of the team.

“I have been contributing articles onto the website since it started, so it has meant I have been able to attend many different events that built up to the first stage of the Tour De France. On the day itself, it was great to see so many people enjoying the event.”

The trainees’ coverage can be found on Storify and www.LTjournalism.com