Yoosk Gets Youth On Board

Media students have been gaining online experience by working on an innovative citizen journalism project.

Journalism.co.uk reports that the group from the City University helped out at Yoosk.com, a website which prides itself on helping readers get answers straight from the horse’s mouth.

Students were tasked with taking the most popular questions submitted by users on a given news topic and putting these to the relevant people - known as the players.

So for example, a story about media coverage of the Madeline McCann case had a cast of five players, including Steve Bennedik and Simon Bucks from Sky and a spokesperson from a missing persons’ charity.

Visitors can submit their own questions as well as vote on ones from others, with Yoosk pledging to put any questions with over 100 votes to the players.

“This project will give City students real experience in web-based journalism,” noted Neil Thurman, senior lecturer at the London university.

“Our link-up with Yoosk.com will give them the opportunity to learn key skills in online publishing, not only by working with an innovative new journalism site, but through meaningful interaction with Yoosk.com’s growing audience.”