THE Department of Journalism at the University of Limerick (UL) has put out the call to General Election 2024 candidates standing in the Limerick City constituency to take part in a live public debate to be held next week.
The UL debate, moderated by UL journalism lecturer Dr Kathryn Hayes, will be held next Wednesday (November 20) at 1pm in front of a live audience.
“With political observers predicting a highly competitive race for the four seats in Limerick City, the event is designed to highlight the issues facing the constituency,” a statement from UL Journalism said.
The university highlighted the “continued pressures on services” at University Hospital Limerick as one of the driving issues for voters in the upcoming election.
“The need for social and affordable housing is also high on the agenda along with the cost of living, policing in Limerick city centre, and commercial vacancy rates, which are among the highest in the country.”
The debate is being organised by the UL journalism department with the help of undergraduate and masters students, who will also be involved in live coverage and analysis of the live event, as part of their coursework.
The debate will be streamed on Limerick Voice digital news platforms with full reports on the day.
“The journalism department in UL aims to inject new energy into the political conversation by providing Limerick City candidates a platform to present their policies and visions for the city, and we are hoping to hear from as many candidates as possible,” explained Dr Hayes, adding that “the event provides our journalism students with a real-world opportunity to practice their craft while reporting for Limerick Voice, UL journalism department’s award winning news platform”.
