Journalism has got harder. Journalists have to contact more people, more often, using email, phone and sometimes social media, such as Twitter or LinkedIn, just to get an answer. And this is all for the same money, or often less.
More PRs are barriers to information rather than enablers. It takes longer and more effort to get fewer, less interesting answers. And then you get hassled for writing the truth. Continue reading
I lost my job the day my son, Joe, was born, so my work-life balance as a freelance journalist has been tied to my children growing up. I’ve given them breakfasts, packed them lunches and cooked them dinners. I’ve got them to school and gone on trips. Continue reading
Retweeted 53 times before 9am Monday
Monday morning must give tweets maximum exposure. Presumably because many Twitter users do not use Twitter at the weekend but start looking on the way to work on Monday or once in the office.
I tweeted a joke on Friday afternoon that was retweeted a bit. But this morning, before 9am, it was retweeted 53 times and seven people made it a favourite. It was still being retweeted as I wrote this. So Monday morning must be the key time to target tweets for maximum exposure. Continue reading
Tweet to Aggers and reply
Proper journalists such as me are supposed to hate citizen journalists. In fact, we’re supposed to call them “witness contributors” or something else suitably PC, according to the National Union of Journalists (NUJ). Well I don’t. I like citizen journalists. I like a lot of user-generated content.
I like the fact that communities get involved, tell us stuff, send in reports and photos and now take video and audio and comment. It adds loads and takes away nothing. I too am a citizen journalist – last week for BBC Radio’s cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew and for Test Match Special. Continue reading
Tweets from #governmentnews are so wrong the person tweeting should be taken out and shot. Journalists should avoid this site because of its inaccurate and misleading information.
Yesterday, 17 January, it tweeted that new donation and funding figures for political parties had been published. This was just baloney. Continue reading
In the past few days I have worked from my Macbook using mobile internet connections from:
I have used a mix of my Vodafone dongle and my BT Openworld account. And that is in addition to several other people’s home wireless broadband networks. Continue reading
I am heading for Southport for the National Union of Journalists’ (NUJ’s) Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM). In 2009 why can’t we get a Vodafone and 3G signal on a Virgin East coast train?
Tomorrow I am running the NUJ student members’ conference. We should have 25 students there. A mix of students of journalism and students journalists working on student media. Continue reading
If you missed today’s Armistice Day two minute silence at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, you can listen again on the BBC iPlayer (link opens new window).
You couldn’t make it up
Thanks to Patrick Smith of Paid Content via @psmith on Twitter (link opens new window)
Wannabe journalist William James deserves a job for his use of Twitter to track down Guardian careers advice panel members during the live advice session this afternoon. Continue reading
Here’s two lists of journalists on Twitter:
Some of these may technically be the journalist’s twitter details but several rarely if ever post.
And I am not on either list – do I want to be?
Thanks to a Journalism.co.uk tweet for this.
