Farming show tests student journalists

Turn two-dozen student reporters and photographers loose for four days at the largest agri-business show in the Southern Hemisphere and what do you get? For readers, a daily magazine, Fieldays Exhibitor, full of news, features and photos. For the students, an unmatched hands-on experience.

Waikato Institute for Technology (Wintec for short) has one of ten accredited journalism programmes in New Zealand. It’s based on a compact urban campus in downtown Hamilton. But during the third week of June, the journalism students and staff move to the sprawling Mystery Creek Events Centre near the Hamilton Airport.

That’s the scene of the New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays, now in their 42nd year. Imagine an American county fair on steroids: more than 1,000 exhibitors displaying tractors, fencing, milking equipment, four-wheeled ATVs (called quad bikes here), and of course, rubber gumboots in all colors and sizes. The site is huge; in three days I never made it to the south end of the grounds. More than 120,000 people pass through the gates over four days.

For aspiring journalists, the story possibilities are practically endless. Ceana Priest, a Wintec student, told me: "With so much media coverage, the challenge of Fieldays is finding an untouched story or uncovering a new angle." She turned a feature about the Golden Pliers fencing competition that also ran in the local daily, The Waikato Times.

Instructors Charles Riddle and Jeremy Smith direct coverage from the Wintec van, a mobile classroom with 16 computer work stations parked on the Fieldays site. Stories and photos are sent electronically back to campus where Venetia Sherson (a former Wintec editor-in-residence) and graphic design instructor Georgie Gaddum supervise a team of four student designers who put together each issue -- printed on glossy paper with full color on every page.

I watched both ends of the process and came away impressed with the real-time, real-life nature of the learning. My favorable impression would stand even if Charles hadn't offered me a four-day media pass (and free coffee) along with an invitation to submit an article for Saturday's edition.