Your Election 15 will bring you coverage right up until the big day in May
Hello, readers!
Welcome to our editors’ blog. Over the coming weeks, each of our section editors will share with you a post or two about their coverage. As Editor-in-Chief, I’ll kick things off with an overview of our coverage and the election.
This website is part of an ambitious, multimedia approach to reporting on the UK election in all of its debate-avoiding glory. We’ll be covering all aspects of the election campaign until May 7th, when a government will be formed – we’ve been missing one for about eight years.
We’ll also be providing live TV coverage throughout election night, as well as live radio thanks to local station Hope FM, who are perhaps naively trusting a bunch of media students for the evening.
We’re pretty serious, though, and are offering an alternative experience to the general election, produced and presented by students for you – the people. After all, it’s your election. Our approach will be a little quirky, such as this article on Zayn Malik rocking up to the first debate, but it will also be informed, knowledgeable and impartial.
Our coverage will also be diverse. Everything you see, hear, read or watch will have been the work of hundreds of students, all with different backgrounds and from opposite ends of the country.
Mainstream media, we’re coming for you.
In fact, some areas of the mainstream media are so scared of our threat that they’re calling us the Ukip of the media world. But we all know that’s the Daily Express and their daily weather-warning, diabetes-curing and all-round fear mongering recycled front pages.
Joking aside, this election is more exciting than any other in recent history. Everyone is shouting about it. They’re also shouting about immigration, the NHS, the economy, austerity and a referendum on Europe. Issues are dividing parties, families and even countries.
Alongside this, the rise of the smaller parties has opened up the UK political scene like never before. It’s a struggle to know who to vote for. With so many options, I find it easier to pretend each party is a ship, equipped with crew, captain and weaponry.
A heavily guarded purple border patrol ship has blasted its cannon and blown a hole into Captain Cameron’s blue luxury liner.
The Lib Dem crew are in a panic, throwing themselves off their small rowing boat into the freezing waters below, yelling “anything but Clegg”.
The solar powered Green boat has crashed into an off-shore wind turbine and is slowly sinking. Captain Bennett could shout to the lifeguard but she seems to have clammed up.
Suddenly, a bright red former fishing vessel tries to act victorious, and hoists a flag emboldened with the phrase “Hell Yes”. Unfortunately, it has an Ed Miliband sized hole at the bottom which is letting in water out voters.
Meanwhile in the distance, escaping from the chaotic scenes, a yellow longship sails triumphantly off into the sunset. On-board is a triumphant Captain Sturgeon, albeit with Alex Salmond carefully steering.
This is Your Election 15… we hope you enjoy it.
Joe Nerssessian
Editor-in-Chief
Great to see the first of the editorial blog posts from the captain of our ship, Joe N – here’s hoping that it’s plain sailing for YourElection15 and thanks for keeping things afloat through the Easter break — it”s going to be exciting!!