Budding newshounds given expert advice

23 July 2010

Kensington pupils quiz Newham Recorder reporter Eleanore Robinson

Wannabe reporters at an East Ham school learnt about life in local journalism when the Newham Recorder paid them a visit last month.

Pupils at Kensington Primary had been taking part in a project looking at how newspapers are put together.

But the pupils got the chance to grill Recorder photographer Steve Poston and senior reporter Eleanore Robinson during a "press conference" at the school in Kensington Avenue.

Armed with their Press Gang pencils and notebooks, the students fired off a barrage of tough questions, from where the Recorder's stories come from to the dangers of the job.

The class were told tales of the Recorder reporter who was held hostage for his notebook and how the school itself had featured on the newspaper's front page earlier this year.

There was no shortage of volunteers when Steve asked who wanted to take a picture with the cameras he uses to capture life in the borough and Eleanore was thoroughly interrogated on the workings of the Recorder newsroom.

She said: "It was strange having to answer the questions rather than putting them to people and there were a couple that really stumped me.

"The class clearly were curious about life working on a newspaper and it was great to give them an insight into how interesting, challenging and fun the job can be.