European journalism conference coming to Lincoln

By Shane Croucher | Published On February 20, 2009 | In Local

The Forum for European Journalism Students (FEJS) will come to Lincoln from the 2nd to 7th of April, hosting lectures and workshops on the topic of Transferrable Media. Guest speakers from various media outlets, including the BBC and the Guardian, will share their knowledge of the industry with journalism students from across the EU.

Gina Davies, finishing her Journalism course this summer at the University of Lincoln, is organising the conference after 18 months of joining the FEJS. | Photo: Samuel Cox

The FEJS is a not­­-for-profit independent organisation that aims to bring together journalism students and those who work in the media industry. It was started in 1986 and now spans 27 European countries, boasting over a thousand members.

Gina Davies, head of the organising committee for FEJS 2009, managed to persuade them to come to the UK for the first time since its creation. She has been involved in European journalism organisations for about 18 months and claims that whenever she visited various associated countries, she received “some vague contact details, an unexplainable map taking you to a very basic hostel, food so inedible you would come back thinner if it wasn’t for the amount of beer you drank, and basement lecture theatres miles away from your accommodation.”

It was from her experiences that she was able to convince the FEJS to come to Lincoln. She said: “It wasn’t hard to sell to an audience once they realised they’d be getting a decent hotel, great facilities at the university and a historical city that is dead easy to get around – not to forget the abundance of bars.”

Gina also explains why this is a great event for Lincoln; “Everyone thinks if you want to talk about media you have to go to London – this event proves that’s not the case. For years now, Lincoln will be seen as a front runner in European media – it’s a great legacy to leave behind”.

The success of FEJS 2009 is very much dependent on financial backing. However, with big names such as Coca-Cola and Routledge offering sponsorship, as well as funding from the University, Gina is optimistic that it will be a big success.

Gina first pitched the idea of bringing FEJS to Lincoln in October 2007, so it has been a long time in the making. She is still looking for ideas, though, so anyone wishing to offer help of any kind should contact info@fejs.co.uk.

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