Students from the HNC/D Practical Journalism with Libby Brooks from the Guardian
Journalism students at Fife College were treated to some words of wisdom from Guardian journalist Libby Brooks, who came to give them a talk about her career this week.
Libby, who is based in Glasgow and is the Scotland correspondent for The Guardian, gave the students on the HNC/D Practical Journalism courses advice about getting started in the industry.
She was transferred to the newspaper’s Scottish office in 2014 to provide in-depth coverage of the independence referendum and enjoyed it so much, she decided to stay here.
Libby told the students: “I feel so lucky to be doing what I do – it’s the best job in the world and I would encourage anyone to follow this career path. Write about things you care about, fact check everything and work hard on your shorthand – it’s invaluable!”
Libby spoke at length about politics, Scottish culture and the impact of social media and also revealed how it felt to cover the recent Alesha MacPhail case in Glasgow:
“I sat through every day of that trial and it was, without doubt, the worst story I’ve ever had to cover. I felt, as journalist, I had to act as a filter and keep most of the more horrifying details out of the public domain, but there’s no denying that what I heard will stay with me forever.”
The students asked lots of questions and enjoyed hearing about the day-to-day challenges of being a busy reporter.
Class lecturer, Marie Penman, was impressed with the way the students interacted and said:
“The students asked some excellent questions, and really quizzed Libby about her career, which suggests they’ll make great journalists once they finish at Fife College.”
Fife College is committed to ensuring that students gain as many opportunities as possible to benefit from external visits and gain experiences which will enhance their studies over and above what they are taught in class.
For further details about Journalism courses at Fife College visit our course page or call 0344 2480115.
