On November 6th, the students on the MA in financial journalism course at City University of London (which is financially supported by the foundation) took part in a live news day. The exercise simulated a day in the life of a newsroom, covering breaking news in the world of business, economics and finance that day. Each student was allocated a specific role to perform—whether that be retail correspondent, social-media manager or print editor—but everyone contributed to editing articles before they were published on The City Post website.

At news meetings all the students got the chance to pitch ideas to the two editors-in-chief and to discuss the breaking stories that had come in through the newswires. There was a lot to cover, including Softbank’s lacklustre earnings and the first day of Britain’s general election.

A print version of The City Post was produced on Indesign, a specialist software system that the students had been learning how to use in class. The print edition contained the most important business stories of the day. Students also made short videos for The City Post’s Twitter feed, covering stories that day including Marks and Spencer’s disappointing earnings.

With everything published online first, as it neared 5pm there was a flurry of activity as students tried to meet the print deadlines for The City Post. Despite some technical difficulties, a print edition of the paper was ready by 6pm—at which point everyone retired to the pub for a well-deserved drink.