More or Less

We had the pleasure of a talk from the Real Life editor of More magazine, Helen Roberts yesterday. The main things that came out of the talk was her obvious enthusiasm for her job, but more so was the ruthlessness with which she does her job and the underhand tactics required. Be that from drinking alone in pubs to try and get talking to Kerry Katona's friends or lying to people to guarantee stories.

The moral issue of all this is debatable. But if people didn't want their stories published then people like Helen wouldn't have a job. Journalism has many strands. From the FT, the Guardian, Word Magazine, or More; each does its job for its audience as well as it can. It depends on the strengths and desires of the journalists who work for them.

It was a very interesting afternoon and underlined the hard work required on any type of magazine, as well as the diversity and satisfaction the job can provide.

Hamster

Crazy Story time

And special note to this part of the story.

"After the RSPCA failed to reach him, help was sought from two council wardens who tied a number of hamster ladders and Curly Wurly bars together."

Where did the two council wardens get the Curly Wurleys from? Were they in the van? Or did a kind local shop owner donate them? And what the (expletive) are "hamster ladders?" Are they specially designed for this type of emergency? So many questions...

Another good quote from the story...

"Finally, a narrow attachment on the vacuum was used to retrieve him."

So that's what those attachments are for...

A Rolling Stone Gathers No Joss

A brilliant review here from The Times on Joss Stone's new album. I think the following line might just be one of the most cutting, accurate and downright brilliant put-downs of an album and its potential market:

"Let’s not deny, then, that fortysomething female marketing executives in elasticated trouser suits need something to listen to while they wait for their M&S Gastropub meal to ping."

T.V. Pickings

The recent scandal over the fixed phone-ins on quiz shows highlights some of the problems of this supposed new e-democracy we've heard so much about both in mainstream media and on our course.

It's all dressed up as "audience interaction" and "you, the VIEWER, are in control" but in reality, as now shown, it's nothing more than the continual control by the media barons. (Hmmm I have a feeling I've typed this sentence before...)

However, is this a cloud from which a silver lining shall emanate?

If these T.V. shows can become a thing of the past then perhaps those in charge will be forced to spend some more time in board rooms high on the 14th floor of river fronted buildings actually commissioning new, dynamic and intelligent shows. The less of Fame Academy, X Factor, Dancing on Ice, Strictly Come Dancing, When Will I Be Famous, I'm a Celebrity, Love Island... the better for everyone.

Kernow Bys Vyken

A happy St Piran's Day to one and all. I wish I was at home today so I could celebrate with a proper pasty...

Art

I watched the BBC show on L.S. Lowry and they showed a clip of the video for the song Masterplan by Oasis. It's a mix of Lowry scenes and styles blended into a moving video image of the band's rise from the streets of Manchester to the world stage. It's bloody brilliant.

Word Play

How to confuse people, and possibly yourself, with one word...

Born to be Wild...

We finished our first edition of Wild magazine today (the website should be up by Friday) and it's a great feeling. After several weeks of gathering stories, taking photos, getting quotes, facts and information to finally see all that work beautifully laid out in colour is very satisfying.

From the initiation of the concept, the first meetings through to the final page being proofed and finished, for about the fifth time, it's a long process, but hugely rewarding. And we're already designing the pages for issue two which features mountain boarding, skiing, rambling and camping.

Given that we have made this entire 28 page magazine without any finance or backing and all without being able to promise outside contributors any visible means of their help apart from on the website, it makes me wonder how good it could be with financial revenue and a published product...

An Unclear View...

Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian, was this weeks (very well attended...) lecturer on the R&R series.

Although he too spoke about the threats to print from online and UGC he did it from more of a perspective of someone at the very top, the front line and who was as in the dark about the future as anyone else.

He was open and honest on both the opportunities this new wave of Web2.0 has created for the media, and the downright annoyance at the loss of the old, top-down and basically all-powerful media world that existed just five or six years ago.

From the dramatic rise of The Huffington Post in the USA, a website with a far higher hit rate than the NY Times website, (and which bizarrely was started on May 9, my birthday, and features a blogger named Dan Worth, my namesake...), to the Independent's re-interpretation of a newspaper as a "viewspaper" it was an interesting look at the changing world of the newspaper. A world on which even Rupert Murdoch has said "I can't predict five years ahead."

He discussed the unique perspectives offered by their "Comment is Free" section and the way the instant responses that can be posted on commentators posts has helped improve the quality of journalism. The instant response has created a fear of being jumped on and criticised by the mass army of readers and bloggers out there who are just waiting for a reason to attack.

The newspaper people shifted uneasily at his frank and discomforting reply to a question about being worried at the decline of newspaper sales with the response of "Yes, yes I would be worried."

On one level it was a fascinating look at the future, or possible lack of, for newspapers and on another it made me glad I'm studying magazine journalism...although it's not all good news for magazines either...

Nice...

Last night I got to interview the jazz pianist Jack Reilly. It was a highly enjoyable interview and it was fascinating to be able to chat with someone who has led such a rich and varied life.

From touring with John Cleese, dining with Bob Hope and releasing his own CDs, it was a constant series of interesting stories, ideas and opinions.

Before interviewing Jack I was off taking photos of a fellow course member dry slope skiing for our course magazine WILD. It's a busy life, but a varied one...

Hot Fuzz Review

Turning to the film world...

Hot Fuzz, the latest effort from the team that made Spaced and Shaun of the Dead, is a cop-buddy movie with a classic, rural, Wickerman style spin. (The classic, British film, not the bizarre, bee based, American remake...)

Full of comedy violence, a la Final Destination, great dialogue, homages to numerous films in the same genre, namely Point Break, and yet all driven by the unique style that Simon Pegg has created and used so well throughout his career, it's the perfect comedy/ drama mix.

Timothy Dalton is superb as the blatantly evil, and yet somehow charming, supermarket owner, while Nick Frost is perfect as the slightly incompetent yet likable sidekick to Pegg's character, Nick Angel.


Some have criticised Pegg for playing such a straight character, but by the time he's leaping through the air to kick an old lady in the jaw, and the audience react to this with laughter and even cheering, it's hard to know just how straight his character really is...

On another point it's nice to have a film that manages to mix violence, comedy, good characters, a far out storyline and great scripting and still treat the audience with a level of respect and intelligence. So many "comedies" these days are nothing more than a pathetic plot, stretched out with tired and predictable sexual jokes and gross out scenes.

And special mention must go to the Swan which plays a minor, yet vital role, throughout the film...

Just when you think you've know it all...

Horizon
Originally uploaded by Dan Worth.

Isn't the internet fantastic? It still amazes me.

Not only can you order food, DVDs, CDs, and anything else you could possible think of from eBay, you can also upload photos, tag them, share them with the world, click on a map where you took them, and then, just to get really fancy, you can export them to your blog, write the blog post on another page, and it will post it for you. Phew...

6.07am

Today was the second lecture from Richard Tait. And very insightful it was too...

He went into great depth about the Andrew Gilligan, BBC, Lord Hutton, Dr David Kelly, 45 Minute "sexed-up" claim and the rather shocking failings that led to the BBC being dragged across the coals in the Hutton inquiry.

It was fascinating hearing how a short "two-way" between Gilligan and John Humphreys at 06.07am on Radio 4 led to one of the most dramatic examples of shoddy journalism being uncovered and held to account in recent years. Despite the report essentially saying the Government lied about the 45 minute claim, at no point did anyone actually ask Gilligan if his "source" (which we now know was David Kelly) had explicitly said "45 minutes".

As it turned out of course, it was an inference, not a quote. And from this, as Richard Tait said, a potentially award-winning piece of journalism which uncovered serious misgivings from several senior intelligence sources about the Iraq dossier, was instead responsible for Hutton inquiry and all the upheavals the BBC suffered as a result. All because Gilligan went too far with his story.

He, ironies of ironies, sexed-up his own piece of journalism, and in a profession in which "words are precision tools" and there is "no tolerance for error" he paid a heavy price.

A sobering reminder of one of the first, and most basic, rules of good journalism: Check your facts...

Freelance? Who's he and why is he in prison?

Freelance is a funny old game. Putting in numerous hours for no money and often for a tiny piece that gets edited to within an inch of its life. So why do it?

Last night I got to interview Andy Spence, a member of New Young Pony Club (second in from left), and then watch them live on the NME Rave Tour. It was a very enjoyable experience and nice to chat to someone involved at the heart of the ever changing music scene. Here is the review, and here is the interview...and the single review...it's like I'm their personal reviewer...

I suppose freelance is done for all the obvious reasons -the freebies, for the portfolio etc. - but I think partly it is done for the chance to get out, meet people and do things, that you just wouldn't usually get the chance to do.

However, I don't think anything will quite beat the feeling of getting an article published and getting paid too. If anyone wants to help me experience this feeling, please don't hesitate to get in touch...