New media holds newspaper power to account

The Sun suffered a backlash this week for its agressive coverage of Gordon Brown’s handwritten letter to Jacqui Janes, the mother of guardsman Jamie Janes, who was killed in Afghanistan.

Roy Greenslade has done the legwork already here, noting the outcry by other newspapers and, most importantly, the adversarial comments on The Sun’s own website.

Comment boxes have for too long been a feeble throw away provided to give an impression of interactivity.

Maybe it’s high time for the newspapers behind these sites to take on-board the criticisms of their readers, and realise that the evolving media landscape is an interactive one which cannot be ignored.

In the past, newspapers were beyond reproach, and offending comments were often final, untouchable statements which the public could only stare aghast in silent rage at.

The noise generated by the multitude of online voices can at times threaten to drown out authoratitive, well reasoned arguments. Yet the fact that this new world finally gives readers a voice to challenge the offensive and outlandish comments of the normally rampant press, is no bad thing.

London Lite to be axed

Axed: End of the line for the London Lite

I’ve only just picked up on the news, reported in the Media Guardian last Tuesday, that Associated Newspapers, owners of The Daily Mail, are planning to close its London Lite freesheet.

The Guardian article also picked up on the interesting timing of the move, just two weeks after the Evening Standard went free and a month after News International’s London Paper closed.

The move to make the Evening Standard free has hotted up the freesheet market in London.

The quality of the long-running evening paper hasn’t dipped since it became free too, challenging the conventional thinking that free newspapers ought to be cheap to produce, no-frills products with a focus on popular culture and celebrity news.

Whether the high-quality freesheet  proves to be a sustainable business model remains to be seen but for now, it would appear that The Evening Standard has won London’s newspaper war.

Back Home

I’m now back from my trip around the old Eastern Bloc. It was incredible.

I’m now knackered and in desperate need of doing nothing for a couple of days. So I’ll keep this brief.

Last week I did however go flat hunting in London for a place to stay when I start at City University. There was to be four of us, though two of our number had somewhat of a falling out. And now there is only three of us .

Despite this setback, we found a great three bedroom flat in Bethnal Green – just opposite Cambridge Heath rail in an old hospital building.

I can’t wait to start at City. It’s going to be a massive drain on resources, though hopefully it will be worth it.

Roll on September.

Post Festival Fatigue

Today has mainly featured me falling asleep in uncomfortable places, capped off by the bliss of a bunk bed; a rarified object which I haven’t seen for almost a week now.

I flew in to the Latvian capital Riga at around 9:00am Latvian time, which was 8:00am Bremen time; a place which I departed at 6:30am. Far too early, particularly given a 5:30am check in.

Last night we had to beg our way into Bremen airport; pleading our case with, fortunately, quite a jolly German police officer. The airport seemed to shut come midnight, which is fairly useless for an international terminal. However, once inside we managed to find a half decent bench to sleep on.

Since arriving in Riga, after a quick snooze on the flight, I slept on a sofa for a few hours in our youth hostel before our beds became free.

In amongst all of this, we also found time to have a quick wander around Riga. We also found a way of buying overnight train tickets to St. Petersburg – our destination for Thursday night / Friday morning.

The reason why I’ve been so tired though, which perhaps ought to come foremost on the agenda, was Melt Festival.

The Trip So Far

We’re rapidly approaching the midway point of our adventure, and at the moment, I’m sat in a Budapest youth hostel.

I’ve not had much of a chance to blog all of my experiences so far, though I’m noting them down religiously so I’ll have a better account to upload once we’re done.

So far, we’ve experienced Istanbul, Sofia, Varna, Bucharest, Belgrade, Novi Sad (and Exit Festival) and now Budapest. It’s been a bit of a whistle stop tour and I’m thoroughly knackered: sleeping on trains is an economical and effective method of travelling, though for a nights sleep, it isn’t the best.

Travels

I’m now away on what is gradually becoming a yearly ritual. Me and my good friend Alex Hope have yet again hit the rails of Europe in search of sun, sea, music, alcohol, culture and much more.

Our first stop is Istanbul, before we head on to Sofia in Bulgaria, then Varna, on the Black Sea coast. We then head north to Bucharest, before returning west to Serbia and Exit Festival.

After a totally debauched former Yugoslav republic music fest, we will head north towards Germany, stopping in Budapest. Germany hosts our second music festival – Melt festival, before we fly from Bremen to Riga in the Baltic state of Latvia.

A quick replenishment in the beaches of the north-eastern European state will suffice before we head into Russia and a land of expense, corruption and a far-from-heart-warming welcome.

We will first travel to the northern jewel of St. Petersburg, where the days hardly ever turn in to nights, thanks to its proximity to the North Pole and 21 hours of daylight.

We will then take the train overnight to Moscow, an expensive captial steeped in significant 20th century history. After a breif stay, we will travel to Kiev in the Ukraine for a cheap flight to Luton.

The return to the UK isn’t the end though, as we hit Field Day in Victoria Park in east London on the 1st August. After this, Alex will leave for home and I will try to find accomodation in the British capital for my imminent return to tertiary education.

Well, at least that is the plan.

Follow the blog for more…

ITV without a paddle.

ITV seems dead in the water as a public service broadcaster, following the news today that its flagship arts programme, the South Bank Show, is to be axed.

Here’s a bit of a satirical, tongue in cheek aproach to the whole thing on my other site…

London, swine flu and the Scott Trust

City University

It has been a couple of days now until I’ve been able to isolate the necessary, dual requirements of spare time and a co-operating computer in order to blog. This has not been for no meagre reason, however, as I’ve been really quite busy.

I had an interview last Thursday with the Guardian’s Scott Trust at City University, to see if they would grant me a bursary to do my masters degree in September.

The interview was exceptionally gruelling. There was a friendly woman from the Scott Trust (who was the nicest of the lot), a Guardian journalist and the City University course leader on the panel. There was no holding back when it came to the asking of difficult questions, and the panel doggedly pushed further and further, not taking any answer without asking yet a further probing question.

They asked me why I wanted to become a journalist. That was easy enough:

• To stay in touch with society, art, culture and current affairs. The fast changing world around me.
• To have a hand in how others percieve the fast changing world around them – for the better. To make sure that the communication of information is not skewed to cast favourably those who should not be cast in a favourable light. To quote Lord Reith: to ‘inform, edcuate and to entertain’.

Though after that, it became harder. These generalised ideals were squeezed down to the practicalities of working as a low paid journalist; being responsible for a smaller, arguably less worthy, audience.

I reacted in the way I knew was right. What they wanted to hear, yet also what I believed (within reason). I told the panel that I would work for a low paid local publication because I was realistic that it is difficult to break into the nationals; though that I would enjoy such a role all the same, as journalism was my passion.

The questions then moved to current affairs. I felt I spoke well on the news agendas of the day, though obviously not as admirably as a fully fledged Guardian journalist would demand.

He asked me what agendas I would push. Though not having the same channels of information, contacts and day-to-day awareness of what is, and what isn’t, a good agenda and a good angle to push, as he did, I struggled somewhat.

I just hope they were being particularly harsh with those questions, though admired my current affairs knowledge and appreciated the fact that I really was ‘on the spot’.

After what was perhaps twenty minutes I was finally allowed to go, with my nerves feeling utterly shot. The Scott Trust co-ordinater told me I had ‘done well’ – though whether they were looking for someone who did exceptionally well remains to be seen. I won’t find out until late May whether I get it.

And god knows, I need it. They would pay for my fees and give me a subsistence fund on top. Without it I’ll be going cap in hand to the bank, begging with them to let me have a career development loan. Dire straits indeed.

After the interview I went by tube to meet some friends in east London. There was a man who coughed at one point. Not the done thing during the time of swine flu. It was funny to see the poor mans face curl up with embarresment and to see the worried looks of those sat nearest to the infected individual.

There was probably nothing wrong with the man, though in a time of moral panic, us Brits certainly don’t know how to cope with any potential outsiders.

In all, this trip shows up the harsh realities of the capital. Am I going to make it in a city where you get a grilling like you’ll never believe? Or will I be made an outcast for having a sneeze?

It remains to be seen.

Twitter at a rather politicised BCC conference

Today I was in my work guise for the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) annual convention, at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Birmingham.

It was an eye opening experience, I’ve never really done any high level conference type stuff before. I felt like my dad, carrying around a free, branded conference bag (made out of recyclable materials don’t you know) full of pages of corporate collateral and agendas.

The day was fascinating for two reasons: firstly, I was reporting live from the scene for Liverpool Chamber’s Twitter feed (which seems to be taking off apace under the e-content officer’s inspired direction), and secondly, due to the politics involved with a high profile business event just a week after the budget announcement. Timing indeed.

The Twitter coverage has already seen some interest being developed in the Chamber, with Twitterer marylkurek commenting, “You guys do a great job to staying connected. Like bullet hi-lites from conf. when done — make report available? @LpoolChamber”

Great stuff then already. I think my coverage was really quite good, I hope. Makes me feel this Twittering malarky is at least a little bit worthwhile too.

On to the heavy weight stuff…

One thing I heard, from an anonymous source at the convention, was that Ken Clarke – the Conservative economics supremo and speaker today -  had done a little bit of political dirty work over Labour’s speaker, Baroness Shriti Vadera.

Apparently, the seasoned politcian refused to speak before Vadera, despite the day’s planned programme. He even allegedly fiddled around in the toilets until it became too late for Vadera not to speak first.

As it was, an apology was made by the chair of the conference, BBC journalist Martha Kearney, that Clarke had been delayed by traffic (sic). This left Baroness Vadera to take the stage, whilst Clarke allegedly took notes in the ICC’s media suite – ready for him to change his speech accordingly.

This is all probably really unsurprising for hard-nosed-hacks and weather-worn politicians, though for me, this was a real life slice of small-scale scandal, right in front of my nose.

As a result of Clarke’s political games, it was obvious that he then had the upper hand to come on stage, all guns blazing, and take pot shots at everything Shriti Vadera said. And, with the assembled group of relatively right wing business folk, it probably had a massive impact.

However, to me, it sounded like Clarke was just peeking over the parapet, sniping at Labour from the safety of a shadow government who, at current, doesn’t have to deliver any concrete policy.

It will however be interesting to see, come the next election, whether the tories start to come out with some more concrete stuff, and stop sniping from their safe zone.

Good Day

This is soon to be my personal blog. As a career diary and a place for observations, it may not be your cup of tea. I’m going to start writing on it soon enough, so check back when you can and see if anything has changed.

For now, check out my more active joint venture, at www.asifforlife.wordpress.com

Or follow me on Twitter, at www.twitter.com/littletitch

Or drop me a comment on here.

Yours,

Richard J Partington