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What a Journalist Isn't

I'm sick and tired of the abuse journalists are getting at the moment. They don't deserve it, at least real journalists don't - ...

23 February 2013

Radio People

Jeremy Paxman's wound me up this week.

I know that's what he's paid to do, and to be fair he did a good job in his prime of cutting through the arrogance and moral certitude of TINA-era Thatcherite politicians, those whose stock reply to every challenge was 'there is no alternative'. In recent years he appears to have become a caricature of himself.

We must be careful not to confuse the man and his screen persona. However, one would assume off-screen evidence given to the Pollard inquiry (the investigation into why a report on alleged paedophile Jimmy Savile's activities by Newsnight was dropped shortly before it was due to be transmitted) would be free of any of the posturing and stagecraft required by television.
 
It got to me when he went on about 'radio people'. And it got me thinking about them too.

16 February 2013

Waking Up to Leeds Local TV


I’m guessing there’ll be a few sore heads this morning down Chapeltown Road, and more specifically at the Savile Road studios of Made in Leeds TV, the proud new holders of a licence to broadcast a local service to the city on channel 8 of the region’s Freeview Digital TV.

Not only because winning any franchise battle against stiff opposition deserves a celebration, but also because the directors, staff and community collaborators involved in the bid will be waking up to the hard realisation that local television for Leeds is no longer just a dream, but something very real they must deliver within two years, and ideally by the target launch date of November this year.

That's a tough challenge.

01 February 2013

Left Behind By Diversity

I am, and have always been, a huge advocate for diversity in journalism training.

Over the past twenty years I'm proud to have worked with trainees from a wide range of backgrounds 'not currently fully represented in newsrooms', and to have seen many such trainees go on to successful careers in the BBC, Sky, ITV and commercial radio.

However, with recent, separate, developments in higher education and in the broadcast industry I'm worried that a void is opening which may have serious unintended consequences for future newsroom recruitment.