An online journalism student has been offered a job at Childrenís BBC to work on its CBeebies web pages before he has even finised his course.

Dom Atherton will work as a researcher for the website, providing content and working with the CBeebies interactive television team.

He applied for the job whilst working freelance for BBC Sport where he had completed a work placement during his Masters in Online Journalism.

Shocked

Dom said: ìWhen I read the job specification it covered everything I had learned in my Masters so I just went for it. It was my first attempt at applying for a job with the BBC and so I was really shocked when they offered it to me.î

He admits his interests never lay in working in ìgritty journalismî but in working in the online medium itself.

He said: ìThe BBC is the leader of everything online in this country and so this is a fantastic start to my career.î

Dom starts his job on the 24th July and says he is looking forward to the freedom and creativity the job will involve.

ìThe focus will be on coming up with the best ideas because there is no commercial pressure on the BBC. It will be nice to work with creative like-minded peopleî he added.

He came to the MA after first completing a degree in German in Leeds. Though it sounds like a career leap, Dom says he did his undergraduate in languages simply because he enjoyed it and then wanted to gain a more specific vocational qualification.

He said: ìMy brother had done the MA in Online at UCLan four years previously and he now works on the Match of the Day website. His job sounded like something I would be interested in and so that persuaded me to go on the course.î

Though the MA isnít a web design degree, Dom said he found the design elements useful because they provide background understanding of how to write for the web.

ìIt is important to have an understanding of the design aspects because things are presented differently on the web. I learned how to make a website user-friendlyî he added.

Dom swatted up on how kids surf the net by speaking to family and friends. It is necessary that he is aware of childrenís issues in terms of what content can go on the web, but to also consider them as consumers.

ìI needed to know what kind of websites children look at and what kind of games they play. Kids always want what ever is the latest and the coolest.î

He is excited about his job and seeing how the speed of internet connections and the growing use of multimedia affects the web journalistically.

Dom added: ìI think the most important thing to consider is what a generation that has grown up with the internet expects from it.î

More info
MA Online Journalism
CBeebies

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