Press Pass

Press Pass Student Journalism and News Literacy Programme

Press Pass is designed specifically to enable students and teachers alike to learn all about newspapers and the writing, analysis, preparation and photography that’s involved in putting one together.

Students become familiar with the five language types which form the basis of study for Leaving Certificate English paper one in a very practical way; the languages of Information, Argument, Narration, Persuasion as well as the Aesthetic Use of Language.
Press Pass also introduces students to a variety of texts – among them interviews, news reports, feature articles, sports commentary etc. By reading these texts students will become alert to different language registers and styles and will gain an awareness of language in context.

Press Pass also provides students with an opportunity to focus on current issues, current affairs, current trends – which can lead to interesting debates in the classroom.

Feedback from teachers suggests that Press Pass motivates students to become more critical of the material they read, and, consequently, become more critically aware of their own writing style.

Each TY English class is participating again for 2022/23!

Schools can submit entries in 6 categories as part of Student Journalism Awards:

• News
• Sport
• Features
• Comment
• School newspaper
• Photojournalism

Along with encouraging the next generation of journalists through the Student Journalism Awards, the main goal of the Press Pass TY Programme is to help students make informed judgments about the news they read and share online. It is vital that young people are encouraged to develop their news literacy skills and Press Pass plays a positive role in this respect by providing schools with a free and very practical set of resources.

This year’s programme commences on 23 January. The closing date is 20 March 2023 with the finalists to be announced on 28 April 2023.