A DREGHORN student is set to launch a new publication targeted at young people along with classmates from the University of Strathclyde.

Emma Malcolmson, 22, will serve as deputy features and social media editor of Aff The Record – a site which aims to make news engaging, relatable and accessible.

The idea for the site was conceived after students on the MLitt Digital Journalism course found what they believe is a gap in the market for young readers.

Emma said: “We did some research and found a couple of statistics, and the basic consensus was that young people feel overwhelmed by the news and they don’t really understand it a lot of the time.

“What we’re trying to do is break that barrier and be that place in the market for young people.

“We want to have data journalism that’s not confusing, and we want it to be accessible more than anything.”

The students hope to convey the news in a manner which excites young people rather than bombarding them with facts and figures.

Editor-in-chief Anna Bryan added: “Life is rather chaotic and difficult at the moment, especially for young adults.

“We hope that by providing them with catered news and accessible data-journalism, we will make life less daunting for them and help them to make informed decisions about their future.”

The site will be run by 12 prospective journalists, with frequent publishing of content and weekly deadlines set for the students.

It will also provide them with a chance to regularly publish their articles after the pandemic halted most work experience opportunities.

Emma hopes to take advantage of the platform and use it to improve her social media skills, saying: “It’s entrepreneurial journalism, so it’s actually bit more work than general work experience.

“Journalism isn’t necessarily a straight route anymore and it’s not really a case of just getting into a newsroom.

“I think social media is good for exploring different forms of communication and journalism.”

An online launch event will take place on Thursday, February 25, with a talk being delivered by Downing Street Press Secretary Alastair Campbell.

Once launched, the team are keen to hear from communities about issues they believe need more coverage.

Emma said: “I’ve always had a passion for local stories and getting to know my local community, so I can’t wait to bring a wee bit of Ayrshire to a wider Scottish audience.”

Follow the publication on Facebook and @afftherecord1 on Twitter.