-Student-powered Gen Z media platform, Offcut, will challenge stereotypes and report on the unspoken issues affecting young people
-The launch follows a study conducted by true student, which reveals 39 per cent of young people in the UK feel that mainstream media fails them
-The team are based at true student Salford, which is being dubbed “Student Media City
-"So many people of our generation don’t have a voice. We want to change that” - Annie Holt, English and History student at University of Liverpool
Meet the students making their voices heard with the launch of their very own Gen Z digital media platform Offcut. The launch follows new data* from true student, which reveals that 39 per cent of young people in the UK feel that mainstream media fails to accurately reflect and report on issues that matter most to their generation.
Aged between 19 and 23 years-old, the Offcut team comprises reporters, presenters and videographers who bring both expertise from their studies together with their passion for journalism and a keen eye for future trends in news.
Jonathan Kenwright, a 20 year-old broadcast journalism student from the University of Salford is a presenter for Offcut. He says the platform will celebrate the diversity of opinions, values and cultures that make up Gen-Z: “I wanted to be a part of Offcut as it is an exciting new platform and caters to the interests and stories that my age demographic really cares about. Most media outlets assume that all young people have the same views on topics and believe the same thing, but we don’t, we do often have opposing views on topics and I think that is underrepresented massively.”
The platform, with the slogan ‘Life Unfaked’, is designed to challenge the status quo and provoke educational and progressive conversations on the unspoken issues that matter the most to Gen-Z. Raw, real and relevant issues will be brought to life by original social media content and relatable hosts who will ask provocative questions tacking taboo subjects such as; is coming out even necessary? would your friends still accept you if your sexual orientation changed?Are you predjudiced with who you're mates with? Are we all too sensitive or not sensitive enough? Are sex and drugs really a rockstar combination? Do equal opportunities even exist?
Aliya Machat is a 21 year-old sociology student at the University of Manchester and a presenter for Offcut. She said: “I wanted to express my opinions and ideas on some important topics to better represent the younger population. I think the younger generation is seen as a problematic group that is blamed, or are victims of, a lot of societal ills; the media creates a lot of moral panic and the younger generation is usually the scapegoat. I would like to see young people not being blamed for certain events and problems within society.”
Annie Holt is a 21 year-old student English and History student at the University of Liverpool and is a writer for Offcut. She said: “I wanted to be a part of a group of young people who aren’t scared to share their opinions on topics that aren’t really discussed in mainstream media. I think there is a lot of stigma surrounding the ideas and opinions that young people have, and I am really excited to be part of a group that is working on telling the truths of our generation! So many people of our generation don’t have a voice. We want to change that.”
Vuz is a 19 year-old Biomedical Science student at the University of Salford who has been creating content since he was 12 years old. He said: “Content creation is a huge passion of mine and I’ve been creating content since the age of 12. However, society nowadays has a way of suppressing people’s opinions and viewpoints and that’s why joining Offcut was a no brainer for me; a fresh, youthful outlet who are not afraid to say what needs to be said.”
Other members of the Offcut team also from the University of Salford include Tia, a 20 year-old Television and Radio Production student and Luke, a 21 year old Film Production student.
Sponsored by true student, Offcut will operate from its base in Salford, Manchester, billed as “Student Media City”. For more information, visit https://offcut.media