Since our classes don’t really involve any practical journalism experience, and we’ve got a lot of free time on our hands, some students have taken matters into their own hands and started their own media platforms.

I joined Jutland Station back in October. Jutland Station is an online, English-language platform with news about Aarhus and Jutland “from the outside looking in.” There are very few Danes on our staff so it is mostly a chance for foreigners like myself to write about Denmark (specifically, Aarhus) from an outside perspective.

I recently wrote two articles and took photos for them, which was fun since I’ve been on such a hiatus from writing and photography since graduation. The first was on a concert to raise interest for Amnesty International. The second was on a “neo-burlesque” show at a local arts venue. Check them out if you get the chance. It was tons of fun for me getting to know the performers after the show. There is some real talent in Aarhus! It was great too to get a chance to practice my photography skills, but man, I forgot how much work selecting and editing photos is.

Some other articles that I didn’t write but think are really good include a piece about university reforms, a photo essay on the Institute for X at Godsbanen, and a profile of a prostitute.

Other students have taken the initiative and started their own podcast called Planet Mundus. It’s particularly impressive because they started it on their own – it’s not sponsored by the university or affiliated with another publication. So far they’ve produced two full-length podcast episodes, one on the protests in Hong Kong and another on IS. I just listened to the second one and was surprised at how professional it was. It’s cool seeing your classmates produce something of real importance, and hearing familiar voices talking about global politics instead of whose turn it is to buy beer. They interviewed a journalist from Syria, the leader of a mosque that’s been accused of radicalizing young people, and a human rights expert from Amnesty International. There was also some intentional comic relief to lighten the mood. I encourage you to give it a listen.

Sorry for the shameless self-promotion, but I thought this stuff was too good not to share.