Student news website archived for generations to see

Jacquelyn Curtis

31 October 2006: An on-line news source produced by journalism students has been recognised as a website of national significance by the National Library of Australia.

The National Library is committed to preserving electronic publications of lasting cultural value and will archive NowUC onto the PANDORA web archive. The archive is designed to preserve and provide long-term access to online publications of significance within an Australian context.

Editor Andrew Carr and predecessor Paige Darby browse NowUC Photo: Kimberly Douglas

NowUC is a news and current affairs publication that is produced by journalism students. Incorporating text stories plus audio and video streaming technology, the website provides print and broadcast coverage of campus, local and national news events.

Convenor of NowUC and print journalism lecturer Crispin Hull said the website provided ‘immense practical help to journalism students’.

“NowUC ensures that the discipline of publication to the world at large is applied to journalism students’ work,” he said.

“Now their work goes public and it is subjected to the scrutiny of the public at large.”

Journalism course convenor Jennifer Kitchener said NowUC provides students with the “opportunity to gain the sort of professional experience employers are looking for”.

“Rather than just filing stories that only their tutors and classmates see, their work now has a much wider audience,” she said.

A former editor of The Canberra Times, Mr Hull said the opportunity to be published beyond the classroom helps students to “learn the importance of fairness and accuracy in reporting” as people in the community can comment and challenge their work.

Several hundred stories have been published since NowUC was launched in 2004. Previous editors have included Katina Curtis and Paige Darby. Current NowUC editor and final year student Andrew Carr said the inclusion of NowUC on PANDORA was a credit to the hard work and persistence of journalism students and staff.

"It's been a great incentive for journalism students to be included in the PANDORA project.,” Mr Carr said.

“Knowing that our work will be preserved and read for years to come for years to come has really inspired us to make our contributions as good as can be.”

Check out the news on NowUC