Jutland Station – A student driven, online, national news platform

As a Mundus Journalism student starting out in Aarhus, there is a plethora of options for you to flex your journalistic muscles and hone your skills alongside fellow students and seasoned editors. One of these options is Jutland Station, writes Gustav Højmark-Jensen.

“You are part of the only English-speaking media site that focuses on news from this region in Denmark.” This is how editor-in-chief Madalina Paxaman starts off the first of many editorial meetings in Aarhus with us, the new team of Jutland Station writers.

Along with several classmates, I’m part of Jutland Station’s current editorial team, which is regenerated each year when a new batch of students arrive in Aarhus and apply to take up the helms of this platform, which is fast becoming a Mundus Journalism institution.

And it’s true, even though Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark, there is no English-language media reporting on or from the region. This is partly what makes Jutland Station special, and it also ensures a large audience. More than 20.000 expats live in Aarhus, and it seems that Jutland Station is their go-to site for news in the region.

This means that we, as students, are pushed by the editors and each other to create great articles for a broad readership, and we learn to improve our work every step of the way. From pitch, to draft, to interview, to final outline and finally to publication.

As part of the Jutland Station-team I have the opportunity to write about a variety of topics. The section range is broad and covers subjects such as: Society, Culture, Business & Tech, Sports, Photo, Audio & Video and many things in between. The options are plenty, and in my experience; if I can pitch it successfully to the editor, then there is little limit to what stories you can do. Often the editor fits the story to a section only after it has been written. Therefore, there is little restraint if you are creative enough. 

This makes Jutland Station a great platform for me and the other Mundusians to keep in touch with “real” journalism while studying the academic aspects of the field.

It is a great relief to write without having to adhere to the academic writing style that is otherwise predominant on the course! 

The seasoned editor-in-chief for Jutland Station, Madalina Paxaman, has more than 10 years of experience in the field of journalism: seven years as a journalism lecturer and before that three years for Radio France International Romania and three years for the largest NGO in Romania, InfoONG.

“Jutland Station offers the Mundus students the possibility to showcase their writing abilities and expand their network by interacting with influencers and decision-makers from Aarhus and the Jutland area. Furthermore, the members of Jutland Station team can boost their CVs and receive strong recommendation letters,” says Madalina and even though she can be a tough editor, an article is always improved when it has been through her attentive critique.

Currently, many exciting pieces are in production at the Jutland Station, among them are: A monthly recap of Danish politics and economics with a satirical twist, feature articles from many of the communities in Aarhus and the list goes on.

The current team of mundus writers will ensure that the platform is ready for the next team of new students, when they embark on their Mundus Journalism adventure here in Aarhus. Until then the hard work taking place at Jutland Station can be followed here:

www.jutlandstation.dk