Sometimes the fight for press freedom starts in a Dartford car park
Submitted by Ian Reeves on 3 May 2019 - 10:01pm
Today is World Press Freedom Day.
Pity nobody told Dartford Borough Council Press Officer Lewis Kirnon.
As the clock struck midnight to usher in the day on which we honour those who fight for the right to bear witness to democracy, Mr Kirnon was ensuring precisely the opposite happened – by refusing two of our students entry to the borough’s election count.
Covering a count is something of a rite of passage for CfJ students. Through the years, hundreds of them have done that familiar all-night stint at general elections and local elections across the county. They have provided footage for ITV, the BBC and KMTV, as well as copy for newspapers and web sites across the county. They are well trained in the dos and don’ts, both technically and editorially. They know what to film and what not to film. They understand the law and Ofcom’s regulations inside out.
So it was with a degree of excitement that third year undergrad Jessica Sharp and her second year colleague Chloe Rose set off to cover the Dartford count as KMTV interns yesterday night.
