Brief, pithy and to the point

As ever, I’m not surprised (but still slightly miffed) at the English-centric coverage of the Wales-England Six Nations match in most of the national media.
Wales won, but the lion’s share of the coverage and analysis is of England’s performance.
Even where there are articles purporting to focus on the Welsh achievements, there’s a large dose of [...]

Ivor forever, Wales cares and East meets West

A round-up that includes my childhood, the land of my fathers and my adopted home:
Ivor the Engine and the Clangers shaped my early life.
The little steam engine from North Wales and the slightly surreal depiction of life in space were the two programmes guaranteed to get me inside and watching TV – back in the [...]

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 [...]

The election aftermath

It is a new week and the new dawn is still exercising our minds.
Barack Obama’s election to the US presidency is, without doubt, a significant moment and provides plenty of reason for hope.
There is plenty to comment on, speculate about and analyse ahead of Mr Obama’s inauguration.
And yet I am beginning to wonder whether the [...]

This is local news for local people

I admit I’m struggling with the debate surrounding the BBC’s £68m plans to dramatically increase its online coverage of local news.
The proposal has, inevitably, met with criticism from regional newspaper groups who are unimpressed that the Beeb would use licence payers money to fund the significant expansion to a network of 65 local sites.
Ofcom has [...]

Switched off

The nominations for the National Television Awards have been announced and confirm how out of touch I am in terms of my own viewing pleasure.
David Tennant and Catherine Tate are competing for the outstanding drama award for their roles as the Doctor and his sidekick Donna in the last series of Dr Who.
I find this [...]

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 [...]

Never mind the buttered rolls…this is a Sex Pistol

John Lydon likes all things British.
But that isn’t why he likes Country Life butter.
He spreads a bit of Country Life on his toast in the mornings simply because it tastes great.
We will all get to know this tonight when the new Country Life TV advert airs for the first time – at least, you will [...]

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 [...]

Creating a stir in Birmingham

Having been thrust into the national spotlight earlier this week – not that you would have really noticed the city’s moment of history – there seems to be a growing discussion about Birmingham’s current profile.
A lot of the discussion is based around Birmingham’s status as a creative city.
In recent years the creative industries, culture, tourism and [...]