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In February 2010 local journalist Richard Jones setup the Saddleworth News, a hyperlocal news website and on Friday he announced that the paper which generates 22,000 unique monthly visitors would be handed over to the UK-based University Campus Oldham (UCO) where it will be run by students of their digital journalism degree course.
Jones who is returning to work full-time after running the site after raising his young daughter decided that the local digital paper would be better served by a dedicated staff learning the trade.
UCO, part of the University of Huddersfield will take over the site starting in the autumn.
According to Jones:
“I was worried about what might happen to the site if I went back to work and couldn’t give as much time and energy to it,” while he added, “I had expressions of interest from commercial companies, but I’m absolutely delighted to be able to hand the site on to the university.”
Jones concluded by noting:
“With the students providing original journalism, this is the best outcome for the community.”
In the press release course teacher Caroline Pringle added:
“The university is always looking for innovative ways to both teach our students, and get more involved in the local area… I’m looking forward to seeing how the project develops over the coming .”
It’s nice to see journalism students receiving an education in new media, hopefully other schools will follow suit and setup more hyperlocal outlets for their students to learn while growing their craft into the digital sector.
