I am cross. Much as I admire John Sergeant as a journalist and broadcaster, he has made a mockery of Strictly Come Dancing. Before I say anything further, I must declare a vested interest - I love the show. I knew almost nothing about ballroom and Latin dance before SCD, which has taught me a [...]
Baby P - some random thoughts
Published in November 18th, 2008
Not much to say, really. The papers are awash with news, views, op-eds and outrage. Ten days of coverage, more details unfolding daily on the catalogue of inaction. I couldn’t face watching Panorama tonight after reading today’s news. It would have been like getting an abuse-porn fix.
Like the rest of the nation, I feel angry, [...]
Dacre - out of touch, out of order
Published in November 10th, 2008
Early this morning I read the transcript of Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre’s speech to the annual conference of the Society of Editors. What has captured my attention is his views on privacy. On his own admission, Dacre knows that “sensation sells papers”. That has clearly been the basis for his particular brand of journalism [...]
Election? What election?
Published in November 4th, 2008
I hate elections. And I particularly hate the US presidential election. Try as I might, I just cannot work up the slightest enthusiasm for it. Or even the vaguest smidgeon of interest. I ought to feel guilty about that but I don’t. Try as I might to ignore the saturation coverage, it’s unavoidable, and irritating [...]
No orchids for Mr Brand
Published in October 29th, 2008
No question the hottest story of the week has been Brandgate, pushing Robert Peston and the recession off the front pages and onto the backburner. Things moved fast today when the BBC announced first the suspension of Brand and co-broadcaster Jonathan Ross, then Brand’s resignation. The fate of Ross remains unknown but Brand was always [...]
Held to account
Published in October 10th, 2008
Ever been without a bank account? With the turbulence on the global financial markets over the past few days, not having a bank account probably seems like a pretty good idea. BBC Magazine looked at the difficulties of surviving in modern society on cash alone. The story touched only briefly on the concept of so-called [...]
When hacks get sacked for blogging
Published in September 25th, 2008
Freelance journalist Nick Clayton got the boot last week for blogging. His firing has attracted a lot of media attention and he’s written up his experience on his own blog. Read and learn what a storm in a teacup it is - not for him but for The Scotsman.
No doubt Nick will be keeping the [...]
Dirty old town
Published in September 22nd, 2008
“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford”, Samuel Johnson famously wrote in 1777. I am neither a man nor tired of life, but I tired of London a long time ago.
Leaving London was one of my better ideas. I’ve already [...]
MEN behaving radically
Published in September 18th, 2008
It’s not often bloggers are offered the opportunity to have a look round a modern newsroom at a major regional paper, so when the Manchester Evening News announced it would host the latest meeting for Manchester’s blogging community it didn’t take long for the limited number of spaces available to be filled. The MEN recently [...]
Blogging the bloggers
Published in September 16th, 2008
Tomorrow sees me heading off to the nearby metropolis of Manchester for the Manchester Bloggers meeting. I’m not strictly a Manchester blogger but I might soon be, if all goes according to plan. I’ve been invited to about 3 of these over the last few years - each time I cancelled at the last minute [...]
