Core skills still needed in the brave new world

Trainee journalists lack core skills such as news gathering and writing when entering the workplace.
That is the headline grabbing conclusion of a new survey, with more than 70% of employers who took part in the research claiming increased focus on multimedia lessons as part of the curriculum means the basics are not being covered.
I really [...]

First Post, blue badges, flying saucers and woggles

A new week and there is a new era and a brave new world kicking off a new round-up:
The Birmingham Post has relaunched as a compact as part of the radical overhaul of newspaper publishing in the Midlands.
First impression last, so they say. And by and large first impressions of the smaller Post are positive [...]

Networking about networking about setting up a network

It has been an interesting week or so since I blogged about the possible creation of a new network of freelancing media types.
The idea was initially planted following the announcement of the radical shake-up at TrinityMirror’s titles in the Midlands and the prospect of 60+ experienced, skilled journalists – writers, subs, photographers and graphic artists [...]

Hunting, gathering and Birmingham’s journalistic talent

Over the last few weeks I’ve been focusing on various issues relating to journalism and the way I hunt and gather news these days.
It started with a new client asking me to help generate a fortnightly, subscription e-newsletter for the members of his organisation, developed with the TrinityMirror shake-up of its regional titles in the [...]

Greater Brum, poor media coverage and I feel fine

A round-up to take you from the end of the West Midlands to the end of the world:
An influential think-tank (aren’t they always?) has recommended that the name West Midlands is dropped in favour of Greater Birmingham.
The idea for the name change is to stimulate more awareness and inward investment for the region as people outside [...]

Its not all work, work, work, you know

I’m not entirely sure the dust has actually settled on this week’s announcement of a radical shake-up of TrinityMirror’s newspaper publishing operation in the Midlands.
Such is the scale of the changes being proposed, the fall-out will be swirling around for some time to come.
For one thing there’s the 90-day consultation process involving all 300-odd editorial staff, [...]

The old, the new and the different

There’s appears to have been a flurry of blogging activity in recent weeks regarding the collision of three apparently different worlds – blogging, journalism and PR.
As I’m trying to inhabit all three worlds at the same time, it has proved an interesting and illuminating time.
I’ll admit my head has been sent spinning by some of [...]

An Olympic boycott, bedsheets, journalism and toppled trucks

It has been a reading time over the last couple of days – plus I played hooky with Rachel yesterday to go to the cinema and took my bike for a service this morning, so I’m catching up.
But a few things around and about that have caught my eye.
A good article by Steven Wells on [...]

Newspapers need to invest in people too

Some depressing, but not totally unsurprising, news from TrinityMirror.
Fresh from much-trumpeted investment in new technology across the group, particularly in its regional papers such as The Birmingham Post, comes warnings of further “efficiency savings” after it revealed profits would be down 10pc this year.
Such efficiency savings have become regular occurrences for TM titles in recent years.
But [...]

Blogging in newspapers – the 3Cs still apply

One of my old editors kept banging on about the 3Cs – credibility, credibility, credibility.
If there was one basic mistake in a front-page exclusive splash then that story was ruined in his eyes.
His attitude irritated the hell out of me when I was a reporter because I felt he couldn’t see the bigger picture – [...]