Creative Media students grill Hastings MP and cabinet minister Amber Rudd

Creative Media students from East Sussex College Hastings travelled to parliament to interview their MP and cabinet minister Amber Rudd earlier this month, just hours before she faced tough questioning from the Work and Pensions Select Committee.

The students, who study at the Ore Valley campus, honed their journalistic and film making skills to quiz one of Westminster’s biggest media performers, to gather content and footage for documentaries that they are currently making.

Five students were selected from a class of 30 on the popular Visual Effects and Creative Media Production course and travelled to London for the day on Monday 11th March. They were able to research and collect material about a range of different topics including the ownership of Hastings Pier, homelessness, cannabis legalisation, global warming, and student debt.

Creative Media student Leo Jackson took the former climate change minister to task on a range of environmental issues ranging from plastics in the sea to what she thought of school kids in Hastings going on strike over climate change.

“She quickly removed her plastic cup for the table after I raised that issue,” said Leo, who has also travelled to Tenerife to investigate ocean pollution.

Steven Lewis interviewed the MP on the ongoing closure and private ownership of Hastings Pier and the subject of a Brexit People’s Vote. Having agreed with much of what she said, Steven may well be inclined to vote for Rudd when he is given the opportunity.

But while 26-year-old student Christine Anne Horsley enjoyed the trip to the heart of the Britain’s democracy, she said “I don’t think she was prepared to take onboard any of my points about Britain being the only country in Europe where students are forced to pay tuition fees.”

Creative Media lecturer and former BBC journalist Jake Bowers organised the trip for his students to demonstrate how becoming a journalist can get you access to the heart of the corridors of power.

“The students were amazed to be entering the now highly secure Palace of Westminster on the day before the last dramatic Brexit vote. Whilst not agreeing with all the answers that Amber Rudd gave them, they were amazed at the access having a broadcast quality camera and enquiring mind can get you.”

Once the students have collated and edited their footage they will submit their documentaries for one of their course work units and also make them available to view online via the college’s social media channels.