The other week, Sky Sports presenter Steve Lee visited Kidderminster College to lead a ‘mock press conference’ with Level Two Sports Learners . Students were them a taste of how to handle one and how it all works.
Press conferences are used in sports to get across news, information and control the flow of information. However. they can be tricky to navigate on both sides. Hosts occasionally have to deal with journalists throwing out difficult and uncomfortable questions in search of a story; and journalists can struggle to get their hard-hitting questions answered. The Learners got chance to play both roles in the mock conference and were able to experience the challenges faced by both sides.
Program tutor Verity Perry said:
“Steve is well known in the media world and has worked in television and radio for over 30 year’s, he now works for Sky Sports. Learners were able to question Steve about the demands of working as a journalist. They discovered that he had interviewed the likes of David Beckham and Margaret Thatcher! Steve also spoke about the stresses of broadcast journalism, notably when covering high profile crime stories such as murder cases. Caught up in a violent rally during the minors strike, Steve was able to give first hand advice on how to deal with the downsides to journalism.
Students found the experience to be incredibly valuable, it opened up their minds to the opportunities that journalism can bring. “
Steve has had a long career in journalism and has previously worked with the BBC. He now freelances for Sky Sports and other media outlets.
You can follow Steve on Twitter here