I went to cJAM, Preston’s biggest event for future journalists, and met Lancashire’s reporters of tomorrow

Back in the heady days of 2015, at a time before Covid, Brexit, and Donald Trump, I can remember doing work experience with the Lancashire Post. Perched nervously in my chair, trying to stay out of the way of the busy folk bustling around the cavernous old offices in Fulwood, the whole concept of being a working journalist seemed so far away.

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Fast forward to the present day, and I’ve worked for the Lancashire Post and various sister papers for almost a decade. It seems surreal; those bustling journos from 2015 have largely moved on and been replaced by me and my colleagues. We’re the ones from whom the next generation are now learning.

Which brings me to cJAM. A wonderfully busy, charmingly chaotic, runaway freight train of an event hosted by the University of Central Lancashire each year, it brings together dozens of industry professionals from every nook and cranny of the media to speak to and advise the next generation of journalists learning the trade at university.

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Representing their local paper, this year I was joined by an eclectic bunch of wizened old pros from every kind of outlet imaginable: from Sky Sports and Warrington Wolves to the Farmers Guardian and even gaming journalism reporters, the event was a wonderful melting pot of media pros keen to offer the odd tidbit of advice.

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It was inspiring to experience the passion and enthusiasm of each student as they pitched story ideas, video campaigns, and different potential angles to explore. Each one came armed with developed and concrete concepts for stories which not only had merit as articles in their own right, but which demonstrated their local knowledge and eye for a news line.

Journalism can be a tough business, particularly in a modern era defined by the propensity of free but inevitably trashy social media stories produced by amateurs. As the old adage goes, you get what you pay for in life, and news is no different - a social media tale produced by someone with no accountability and ulterior motives is fast food news nonsense.

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But there is still a desire for good reliable stories. People’s desire to know what’s going on has never dimmed, it’s just that finding that truth has been made harder. But seeing how dedicated the next generation is, it’s gratifying to know that the industry is in good hands going forwards. Best of luck to them all, they have the potential to be great.