Students and graduates from Liverpool John Moores University’s Journalism and Sports Journalism programmes have enjoyed a summer of remarkable achievements, securing jobs, internships and international opportunities across the media industry.
Sports Journalism graduate, Matthew Graham, has begun work as a reporter with the Cumbria News and Star, covering regional sport.
Matthew Bosano has taken up a role as Media Officer with the Gibraltar Football Association where he is responsible for managing digital content.
After work experience with The Times, Dec Patterson has secured a role with The Commonweath Games. From the Masters Journalism programme, Clare Tweed has joined Premiership Women’s Rugby as a Media Executive, supporting the league’s media strategy and content development.
Programme Leader Fran Yeoman praised the achievements, saying: “It is brilliant to see so many of our graduating students going straight into industry. Journalism is a competitive field and the fact that our students are so sought after is testament to their talent and also to the quality of the training they get from our team of expert journalists.”
Alongside these full-time appointments, current students also gained valuable hands-on industry experience. During her year in Liverpool, Masters student, Jenna Murff, worked with Everton FC and Warrington Wolves and travelled the country reporting on motorsport events.
Megan Carthew contributed to coverage of the Women’s Euros for sports website Vavel UK, before turning her attention to the Women’s Super League and the Women’s Rugby World Cup, where sports journalism student, Alfie Bugg, also built up his portfolio this summer as an intern working at the tournament.
Niamh McKay completed an internship with Victim Support gaining insight into public sector communications with the independent charity dedicated to supporting victims of crime in England and Wales.
For some, the summer provided international opportunities. Rayhan Bengougou and Joe Jones travelled to Canada to complete a month-long podcasting course at Humber Polytechnic in Toronto.
It was an experience Rayhan described as “unbelievable and inspiring”. He also joined a week-long programme with the LFC Foundation, exploring creative career opportunities.
Meanwhile, Joseph McLachlan spent time in China, helping to produce documentary material alongside local students, which he said helped him hone both his presenting and production skills.
It was not just current students making headlines. Among recent graduates, Zoe McGrady celebrated a milestone just a year after joining the BBC, as she was handed her own weekly show on BBC Radio Leicester, The Women’s Sports Show. Another graduate, Olivia Heslington, was part of the BBC Sport team covering transfer deadline day, working overnight on one of the biggest events in the football calendar.
From local newsrooms to international projects, and from broadcasting to digital media, their success showcases both the opportunities created by our programmes and the support offered by the academic team.