Getting onto a regional paper was the next step up for me, experience-wise. It's a paper with a bigger circulation and there's just more going on with it, so I was looking forward to it and was intrigued to see what would happen. The first day was more of an introduction. We were assigned to a journalist who would take care of us during our placement and give jobs to be getting on with. Ah, press releases. They are wonderful things. Granted, they teach you in an extremely simple way how to put a news story together, which is good. But once you've done a few they becoming a little bit soul-destroying. Fair enough, very. But then, we all need to work our way up in our chosen professions... and the next job... vox pops.
Any would be journalist knows what vox pops are. It is a term that translates as 'voice of people' and involves you walking up to members of the public and interviewing them about a certain issue. In this case, it was a 'street style', asking young people in Liverpool about what they were wearing, style inspirations etc. Unfortunately, Monday wasn't exactly the best day, weather-wise. It was shit. In fact, it was the shittest weather to ever to do a vox pop in, ever. Me and the other girl on work experience I was with decided it was best to lurk outside Topshop in Liverpool One. Oh God. The bitter cold of the wind made the whole experience so much more enjoyable. I thought I was not going to come out of this alive. We managed to interview a couple of girls which was great. But then, we needed to ask them if we could take a picture. Some refused eventhough we tried to persuade them, we finally managed to get what we needed, thankfully before dying a premature death due to hypothermia.
Tuesday was mainly centred about Kate Middleton's visit to the city, her second solo engagement without Prince William. Eventhough I asked if workies could tag along, the answer was no. Simply because of the tight security. Only one local and one national journalist were allowed to report when she visited dry bar The Brink, Alder Hey Children's Hospital and Ronald McDonald House. Not a great royalist but it was still nice to see her here. The journalist who was lucky enough to report said that she seemed really nice (despite not getting to speak to her). People in the office were commenting on the fact that she was very slight, which must mean she can afford an extra slither of banofee pie. However, the more interesting part of the placement came on Wednesday, when I got to shadow a senior journalist on a job. We went down to Liverpool's Heart and Chest Hospital to interview a lovely lady who was part of a new screening trial for lung cancer. She had a history of the disease throughout her family, and told us of her her son who suffered from the disease and died from it at the age of 45. I was just observing the interview and I got to see how the journalist conducted it, the way in which she put forward her questions and how she was apt in shorthand at recording the lady's responses. All of which was great for me to see and something which I got alot out of.
By Thursday, it was back to press releases but I got a chance to talk to the Regional Ed, Chris Walker. Mainly about what I should do next, with regards to work experience. He told me I could go locally or further afield and try nationals, but I needed to remember that it 's not neccessary about quantity but the quality of the work you produce on the placement. Also, he told me that at the moment, he isn't running the Newcastle bursary. Right. So I started researching Plan B, another journalism diversity bursary which you can get wiith any course as long as it is NCTJ accredited. (That's the National Council for Training of Journalists- A course from them is good one to take to help you get your first job in the industry). Options: Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester, London. Would very much like to move away if I do get the money. Would love London, but then it is whether or not I could find a job and afford to live there. Unless I learn to crap money soon, I think somewhere like Manchester is somewhat more feasible. As for that day, I just had the usual press releases....
Friday. Best day of the week, they say? Yes, it was. Switched on my computer and logged into Twitter (for news purposes...) and actually found a bit of breaking news, courtesy of my observant university friend. She speculated that a man had been found dead in her halls of residence, Grand Central. Wow. Sat on this for a while. Didn't say anything. Then the voice in my head was like "Come 'ed girl, you gotta do this, if not for you but for your mar and dar, they'll be made up. Don't be a mef!' If only that were true... Still, I decided to just go for it and the journalist I spoke to seemed really pleased. He asked me to phone the police to get confirmation and I was the first to break the story. From then on, I just got more information by phoning universities and going to visit the accommodation itself and looking on the internet for tributes. The result? A joint byline on PAGE TWO of Saturday's paper.
All in all pretty good. I hope to get more placements very soon. For now though, just want to go to bed.
Until next time
xxxx
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