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‘News on the Street’ – a live journalism event at Nottingham’s Speakers' Corner

Women journalists will be in Nottingham next month to share their unpublished stories with the public, face-to-face, in a unique live event near the Old Market Square.

    A generic image of a female journalist
    A generic image of a female journalist

    ‘News on the Street’ – a live journalism event at Nottingham’s Speakers' Corner

    Women journalists will be in Nottingham next month to share their unpublished stories with the public face-to-face in a unique live journalism event.

    Six female reporters will stand on soapboxes to tell their exclusive stories to passers-by and answer questions from 12-2pm on Saturday 18 May at Speakers' Corner, in front of the Brian Clough Statue in King Street, just off the Old Market Square.

    Journalists will bring the audience real breaking news, in person, as town criers used to do there hundreds of years ago.

    'News on the Street' is part of a research project into public engagement and journalism, called News on Stage, which was co-created by  two academics at the forefront of the growing international live journalism scene: Catherine Adams from Nottingham Trent University and Dr Glenda Cooper from City, University of London.

    In an era of ‘news avoidance,’ ‘filter bubbles’ and growing distrust of journalists, the researchers are investigating what happens when journalism presents its human face in a public space.

    "We hope people going into town on a Saturday stop for a moment to listen to these great stories told by women journalists," said Ms Adams.

    "We can’t have good democracy without good journalism. We want to see whether direct interaction between journalists and their audience encourages people to engage more with what’s going on in the world around them."

    Dr Cooper added: "One of the biggest challenges for journalism today is people’s lack of trust in it. By bringing journalists and their audience together we hope to break this disconnect and allow people to hear new and important stories."

    People attending are invited to chat to the journalists as part of the project’s aim to democratise the news. The organisers also hope that the event encourages women in journalism and raises their profile.

    Louise Third, Chair of Speakers’ Corner Trust and a founder of Nottingham Speakers’ Corner, said: "I am delighted to confirm our involvement in the News on the Street project as event host in Nottingham.

    "As a national charity, we are passionate about improving the public participation in open discussion, debate, and wider civic involvement in the issues of the day.

    "Our aims are to advocate for freedom of expression, to promote and deliver debates of a high standard, and to educate the next generation to have the confidence to speak and express their views."

    The event will be British Sign Language interpreted.

    • Notes for editors

      Press enquiries please contact Chris Birkle, Public Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 2310, or via email.

      Nottingham Trent University (NTU) received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2021 for cultural heritage science research. It is the second time that NTU has been bestowed the honour of receiving a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its research, the first being in 2015 for leading-edge research on the safety and security of global citizens.

      The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent. 86% of NTU’s research impact was assessed to be either world-leading or internationally excellent.

      NTU was awarded The Times and The Sunday Times Modern University of the Year 2023 and ranked University of the Year in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023. It was awarded Outstanding Support for Students 2020 (Times Higher Education Awards), University of the Year 2019 (Guardian University Awards, UK Social Mobility Awards), Modern University of the Year 2018 (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide) and University of the Year 2017 (Times Higher Education Awards).

      NTU is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with approximately 40,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across five campuses. It has an international student population of 7,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.

      Since 2000, NTU has invested £570 million in tools, technology, buildings and facilities.

      NTU is in the UK’s top 10 for number of applications and ranked first for accepted offers (2021 UCAS UG acceptance data). It is also among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and was the first UK university to sign the Social Mobility Pledge.

      NTU is ranked the second most sustainable university in the world in the 2022 UI Green Metric University World Rankings (out of more than 900 participating universities).

    Published on 18 April 2024
    • Category: Press office; Research; School of Arts and Humanities