Monday 3 October 2011
350.org - helping to prevent climate change
A youtube link to little vid I made in support of 350.org, at the World Youth Congress in Quebec back in 2007/8
Tuesday 26 August 2008
REGENERATION 2008 - World Youth Congress - Peace Child International
In August 2008, Peace Child International, a charity based near Cambridge in the UK that strives to champion worldwide youth-led development, organised and ran the 4th annual World Youth Congress in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
The Congress brought together over 500 youth delegates from all corners of the globe in one place, in order to learn about, discuss and find develop solutions to major problems that face the world today, whether these relate to human rights violations, environmental damage, climate change, global warming, war, genocide, or whatever.
PCI's slogan is one orginally uttered by Ghandi which is oft-quoted:
"BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD"
The world's youth is the world's future, and without the commitment if the youth of this planet to change things for the better, things can only decline. The WYC was designed to help youth with a vested interest in the positive development of the planet and the global community find ways and means to share their experiences and messages, and to then facilitate them in relaying their messages and intentions to the World, and gather support for positve life-changing development projects.
The WYC gained national and international press coverage. It was also documented by TakingITGlobal, who ran an on-line / virtual / e-congress for thise unable to attend.
WYC also included a set of intrepid Young Journalists, who documented the Congress from ground-zero, writing news stories and features, broadcasting State-wide live radio and creating video documentaries. This was all for both the benefit of the atending delegates and the world at large.
I attended the WYC as one of the Young Journalists, and produced the daily Congress paper. My cheif responsibility was to organise page-layout and do the design work, putting the pieces written by my colleagues to page using Adobe InDesign, and then printing copies for circulation. 4.30am was a common sight, as the YJs determinedly met every 7.00am distribution deadline!
The paper was widely praised, and was recognised by congress officials as the best congress paper to have ever been made, having built on the editions created and WYC 1, 2 & 3 (Hawaii, Morocco, and A.N.Other). The paper reported on day-to-day events, but also published thought provking feature articles inspired by and complementing these reports.
The paper was also not afraid to criticise the Congress where it deserved it, and was open to the views of the delegates at large - this paper was not a propaganda puppet, but a fully fledged publication championing press freedom, fighting against censorship and aiming to truly represent the WYC and the delegates to the full abilities of the Young Journalists involved.
The editions of the paper, named 'ReGeneration Press', included many articles that provided deep insight into parts of the world little know or little talked about, and it is acknowlegded that some of the YJs and interviewees in particular have quite literally put their lives at risk to shed light on the injustices of the World.
I hope to make all the editions published during the WYC 2008 available here, in unexpurgated form, as PDFs to read at your leisure. They should also be available on the WYC website, as long as they've decided not to censor the more critical editions. Some of the articles may be distressing. All of them will almost certainly open you eyes to issues and injustices in the World that you may not have know about previously, and express opinions and viewpoints sometimes previously unaccounted for in the media of the world.
Wednesday 5 December 2007
JP1 Assessment Article 7
TOM HOWARD / ROYSTON CROW 13/11/07 COLLIES
Collies saved from certain death by an animal sanctuary need temporary homes with Royston residents.
The collies crave love and
reassurance, so experienced dog owners are sought to care for them for a few weeks.
The Heathlands Animal Sanctuary in Royston rescues collies from Ireland where the destruction of stray dogs is brutally commonplace, bringing them to the UK by ferry.
Sanctuary trustee and coordinator Gillian Knight said: “Our collies are mainly young, as most don’t make it to old age unfortunately. There is a terrible waste of life, and it’s not uncommon for a vet to go to a council pound and destroy thirty dogs in one go.”
The fostering sc
heme is vital to the project’s success as the sanctuary can only rescue dogs when it has space, but places are few because of the number of incoming canines. Heathlands expects 14 more next week.
Many collies are in poor condition before they begin the 17 hour ferry crossing. Fostering helps them adjust, especially for animals which might not survive a stint in kennels.
Fosterers must have secure home premises and no children. Heathlands provides all food and equipment, and covers medical bills.
At least 85 percent of impounded animals are executed in Ireland. Karen Barry, working with Heathlands, said: “It’s effectively a form of controlled euthanasia.”
Some breeds suffer more, with collies actually considered vermin and regularly culled. They are considered working dogs, of no value for anything else.
Heathlands is one of few English organisations which rescues and re-homes Irish collies. It has saved 160 since March, while pressure-group ANVIL (Animals Need a Voice in Legislation) seeks to rectify scant Irish animal welfare law.
Permanent homes are also needed for collies, and donations to the limited rescue fund are welcomed.
Contact Heathlands Animal Sanctuary on 01763 244488.
ENDS
Word count: 300
REFLECTIVE REPORT:
This is a piece of real-world investigative reporting. Asked to produce an article about animals as a homework exercise, I wanted to find a story which had a strong emotive hook.
I sourced it on-line, searching the Royston Crow’s archives and using www.google.co.uk to find animal related organisations, animal rights pressure groups and such like from the locality.
I researched the piece by reading the websites of the sanctuary (http://www.heathlands.org.uk) and ANVIL (http://www.anvilireland.ie), before phoning Heathlands and interviewing the project organisers, who were happy to talk and gave a lot of information.
Originally, I focused the article around the shocking statistic that 85 percent of strays are culled in Ireland because that was what grabbed my attention, and because the seemingly senseless waste of life is a theme that anyone reading could sympathise with.
However, following feedback, I reworked the article using a more local theme to introduce it. The point of the article was to help find local foster carers for the collies so I lead with this the second time.
This is because local readers, whilst they would indeed sympathise with the scale of the killings, would be distracted from the true relevance of the piece to them – the relevance being the need for them to offer their help.
I used a concise four paragraph introduction, with an emotive angle and wording backed up by facts and a quote with shock value. I structured the piece with a standard journalistic “inverted triangle” approach.
Unfortunately my word limit would not allow space for a quote from the sanctuary as to why collies make good pets, or more statistics from ANVIL to support the facts – although adding statistics may have made the piece cumbersome.
This piece was pitched to the Crow for publishing, but has not been included yet.
Word count: 299
Collies saved from certain death by an animal sanctuary need temporary homes with Royston residents.
The collies crave love and
reassurance, so experienced dog owners are sought to care for them for a few weeks.The Heathlands Animal Sanctuary in Royston rescues collies from Ireland where the destruction of stray dogs is brutally commonplace, bringing them to the UK by ferry.
Sanctuary trustee and coordinator Gillian Knight said: “Our collies are mainly young, as most don’t make it to old age unfortunately. There is a terrible waste of life, and it’s not uncommon for a vet to go to a council pound and destroy thirty dogs in one go.”
The fostering sc
heme is vital to the project’s success as the sanctuary can only rescue dogs when it has space, but places are few because of the number of incoming canines. Heathlands expects 14 more next week.Many collies are in poor condition before they begin the 17 hour ferry crossing. Fostering helps them adjust, especially for animals which might not survive a stint in kennels.
Fosterers must have secure home premises and no children. Heathlands provides all food and equipment, and covers medical bills.
At least 85 percent of impounded animals are executed in Ireland. Karen Barry, working with Heathlands, said: “It’s effectively a form of controlled euthanasia.”
Some breeds suffer more, with collies actually considered vermin and regularly culled. They are considered working dogs, of no value for anything else.
Heathlands is one of few English organisations which rescues and re-homes Irish collies. It has saved 160 since March, while pressure-group ANVIL (Animals Need a Voice in Legislation) seeks to rectify scant Irish animal welfare law.
Permanent homes are also needed for collies, and donations to the limited rescue fund are welcomed.
Contact Heathlands Animal Sanctuary on 01763 244488.
ENDS
Word count: 300
REFLECTIVE REPORT:
This is a piece of real-world investigative reporting. Asked to produce an article about animals as a homework exercise, I wanted to find a story which had a strong emotive hook.
I sourced it on-line, searching the Royston Crow’s archives and using www.google.co.uk to find animal related organisations, animal rights pressure groups and such like from the locality.
I researched the piece by reading the websites of the sanctuary (http://www.heathlands.org.uk) and ANVIL (http://www.anvilireland.ie), before phoning Heathlands and interviewing the project organisers, who were happy to talk and gave a lot of information.
Originally, I focused the article around the shocking statistic that 85 percent of strays are culled in Ireland because that was what grabbed my attention, and because the seemingly senseless waste of life is a theme that anyone reading could sympathise with.
However, following feedback, I reworked the article using a more local theme to introduce it. The point of the article was to help find local foster carers for the collies so I lead with this the second time.
This is because local readers, whilst they would indeed sympathise with the scale of the killings, would be distracted from the true relevance of the piece to them – the relevance being the need for them to offer their help.
I used a concise four paragraph introduction, with an emotive angle and wording backed up by facts and a quote with shock value. I structured the piece with a standard journalistic “inverted triangle” approach.
Unfortunately my word limit would not allow space for a quote from the sanctuary as to why collies make good pets, or more statistics from ANVIL to support the facts – although adding statistics may have made the piece cumbersome.
This piece was pitched to the Crow for publishing, but has not been included yet.
Word count: 299
JP1 Assessment Article 6
TOM HOWARD / ROYSTON CROW 09/11/07 ST THOMAS OFSTED
An excellent Puckeridge primary school achieved first-class grades in all but one area of its recent Ofsted inspection.
St Thomas of Canterbury Primary School’s October 2007 inspection found teaching, organisation and leadership standards officially ‘outstanding’.
Action-points from its previous 2003 report had been tackled very successfully, and the school’s high-quality foundation-years provision was particularly praised.
Senior Teacher Michelle Keating said: “We knew we were doing well, as we’ve got fantastic grades, with the last three years significantly high, but it’s always a nice surprise and good to confirm the feelings we have about the school.”
St Thomas’ 2003 evaluation saw it attain consistently good levels but not in all areas, highlighting aspects to improve upon including creating better writing skills in pupils by age 7 and better mathematical ability by age 11.
The new evaluation could criticise little, especially in core areas, pointing out only that the school needs to “develop ways to monitor the impact of the non-core curriculum on pupils' learning” and “consider further ways to improve cross-curricular links to make the curriculum even more meaningful to pupils.”
The school is already addressing these, operating a more creative curriculum with emphasis on multi-skilled subjects such as History and Geography.
Lead Inspector Geof Timms said: “pupils had a lot of very positive things to say about the school, as did parents, and I certainly agree. I think St Thomas' is an outstanding school.”
His report highlighted the school’s caring ethos and close links with parents, creating what Mrs Keating described as a “close tight-knit community.”
A parent interviewed by Mr Timms said: “There is a very good atmosphere between teachers, parents and children which enables my child to get the education she deserves.”
ENDS
Word Count: 284
REFLECTIVE REPORT:
This story was given to me by one of the news team at the Royston Crow where I am undertaking work experience. The school’s P.R. Department had emailed the paper to highlight its success in its recent Ofsted Report.
It was straightforward to research. First, I visited the school’s website (http://www.stcanterbury.herts.sch.uk/) to get background information on the school,
Then visited the Ofsted website to see the school’s full report. (http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports - school/report reference number 117454).
The site has a function that allows you to search by postcode to see schools in your area, designed primarily for parents to look to see results so they can make an informed choice as to which school they send their children to.
A quick search gave access to not only the schools latest report but also the archives where I located its 2003 one as well – this was important as I needed to compare them. It gave a better angle and was more news worthy if I could see that the school had improved or declined in quality since its last evaluation.
I then formulated questions and phoned the school to speak to the headmistress. She was unavailable, but I instead interviewed the senior teacher, who also happened to be the head of foundation years learning which was especially praised in the report. This was a lucky break as she was especially happy with the outcome and so more talkative and amiable.
I structured the article with a standard four paragraph introduction, detailing the usual ‘who, what, when, where and how’ and angled the story on the success of the school compared to its previous results.
It is written in using an “inverted triangle” approach appreciated by sub-editors, with non-essential information coming last, but here rounded off nicely with a final quote.
Word count: 298
An electronic copy of this story, subbed and published, can be found on the Crow’s website here:
http://www.royston-crow.co.uk/content/crow/news/story.aspx?brand=ROYWestOnline&category=News&tBrand=herts24&tCategory=newsroynew&itemid=WEED29%20Nov%202007%2012%3A29%3A59%3A267on-crow.co.uk/content/crow/news/story.aspx?brand=ROYWestOnline&category=News&tBrand=herts24&tCategory=newsroynew&itemid=WEED29%20Nov%202007%2012%3A29%3A59%3A267
An excellent Puckeridge primary school achieved first-class grades in all but one area of its recent Ofsted inspection.
St Thomas of Canterbury Primary School’s October 2007 inspection found teaching, organisation and leadership standards officially ‘outstanding’.
Action-points from its previous 2003 report had been tackled very successfully, and the school’s high-quality foundation-years provision was particularly praised.
Senior Teacher Michelle Keating said: “We knew we were doing well, as we’ve got fantastic grades, with the last three years significantly high, but it’s always a nice surprise and good to confirm the feelings we have about the school.”
St Thomas’ 2003 evaluation saw it attain consistently good levels but not in all areas, highlighting aspects to improve upon including creating better writing skills in pupils by age 7 and better mathematical ability by age 11.
The new evaluation could criticise little, especially in core areas, pointing out only that the school needs to “develop ways to monitor the impact of the non-core curriculum on pupils' learning” and “consider further ways to improve cross-curricular links to make the curriculum even more meaningful to pupils.”
The school is already addressing these, operating a more creative curriculum with emphasis on multi-skilled subjects such as History and Geography.
Lead Inspector Geof Timms said: “pupils had a lot of very positive things to say about the school, as did parents, and I certainly agree. I think St Thomas' is an outstanding school.”
His report highlighted the school’s caring ethos and close links with parents, creating what Mrs Keating described as a “close tight-knit community.”
A parent interviewed by Mr Timms said: “There is a very good atmosphere between teachers, parents and children which enables my child to get the education she deserves.”
ENDS
Word Count: 284
REFLECTIVE REPORT:
This story was given to me by one of the news team at the Royston Crow where I am undertaking work experience. The school’s P.R. Department had emailed the paper to highlight its success in its recent Ofsted Report.
It was straightforward to research. First, I visited the school’s website (http://www.stcanterbury.herts.sch.uk/) to get background information on the school,
Then visited the Ofsted website to see the school’s full report. (http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/reports - school/report reference number 117454).
The site has a function that allows you to search by postcode to see schools in your area, designed primarily for parents to look to see results so they can make an informed choice as to which school they send their children to.
A quick search gave access to not only the schools latest report but also the archives where I located its 2003 one as well – this was important as I needed to compare them. It gave a better angle and was more news worthy if I could see that the school had improved or declined in quality since its last evaluation.
I then formulated questions and phoned the school to speak to the headmistress. She was unavailable, but I instead interviewed the senior teacher, who also happened to be the head of foundation years learning which was especially praised in the report. This was a lucky break as she was especially happy with the outcome and so more talkative and amiable.
I structured the article with a standard four paragraph introduction, detailing the usual ‘who, what, when, where and how’ and angled the story on the success of the school compared to its previous results.
It is written in using an “inverted triangle” approach appreciated by sub-editors, with non-essential information coming last, but here rounded off nicely with a final quote.
Word count: 298
An electronic copy of this story, subbed and published, can be found on the Crow’s website here:
http://www.royston-crow.co.uk/content/crow/news/story.aspx?brand=ROYWestOnline&category=News&tBrand=herts24&tCategory=newsroynew&itemid=WEED29%20Nov%202007%2012%3A29%3A59%3A267on-crow.co.uk/content/crow/news/story.aspx?brand=ROYWestOnline&category=News&tBrand=herts24&tCategory=newsroynew&itemid=WEED29%20Nov%202007%2012%3A29%3A59%3A267
JP1 Assessment Article 5
TOM HOWARD / ROYSTON CROW 02/11/07 GRENEWAY PSHE
Vital life lessons have been learnt by pupils at a special activities day held at Greneway School in Royston last Friday, raising awareness of important safety issues.
The exciting events were organised by the school’s Personal, Social & Health Education co-ordinator Allan Gee, entailing a series of briefings and hands-on workshops given by local emergency services.
A video-presentation produced by the charity ‘Milly’s Fund’ was also shown, teaching children to stay safe in memory of a 13-year-old girl murdered in March 2002.
PSHE is a relatively new part of the national curriculum linked to the government’s ‘Every Child Matters’ initiative. Mr Gee said: “It highlights the importance of individual children, and gives pupils self awareness and social skills. It is to do with personal responsibility and safety for themselves and others.”
All year groups were involved in the day’s activities, as PC Colin Mingay and Police Community Support Officer Alanna Robinson covered essentials such as road safety alongside new themes including protection whilst on internet chat-rooms, mobile-phone camera abuse and the risks of carrying personal weapons.
Later, all enjoyed getting their hands dirty making informative posters and board-games following internet research.
Year 5 were also treated to a drama performance about firework dangers and shown first-aid burns treatments by the Fire Service, both extremely pertinent around bonfire night.
Year 8 children explored text-message bullying, physical aggression and home-alone safety using participative theatrical role-play, after viewing Milly’s Fund video ‘Watch over me.’
Mr Gee said: “The day was very successful. The children enjoyed it all, especially the practical parts, and have raised their awareness of how to keep safe and avoid risks.”
ENDS
Word count: 271
REFLECTIVE REPORT:
This story was sent to the Royston Crow in a press release sent by Greneway School’s P.R. Department. It was delegated to me by one of the news team to follow up.
It was a good story to write in that it had plenty of clear photo opportunities to help create an interesting piece for publication.
I was able to write the majority from the press release, which was comprehensive, detailed and thorough.
I needed to speak to Allan Gee to get quotes to make it interesting, otherwise it would have largely been just a list of events. His quotes make the piece more entertaining.
Getting hold of Mr Gee was problematic. I only had a school telephone number for him, which he was rarely able to answer during teaching hours. Although I worked until 5pm, I had to phone in school time which limited my window of opportunity. Eventually I managed to get through to speak to Mr Gee the day before we went to print.
Mr Gee was also not a particularly talkative source, and it was an effort to get him to be forthcoming about his project. I had to question him closely to get any useable quotes.
A school event is rarely in itself exciting; therefore I had to tease out an angle. The most obvious seemed to be the learning of vital skills and the importance of the messages being conveyed, supported by the fun manner they were being presented in.
The large amount of information in the press release proved problematic, as it was difficult to condense it down into a coherent article with logical progression, but I was able to stick to a four paragraph introduction and write using the “inverted triangle” approach, although I felt it best to finish with a quote.
Word count: 300
An electronic copy of this story, subbed and published, can be found on the Crow’s website here:
http://www.royston-crow.co.uk/search/story.aspx?brand=ROYWestOnline&category=News&itemid=WEED08%20Nov%202007%2017:03:48:470&tBrand=ROYWestOnline&tCategory=search
Vital life lessons have been learnt by pupils at a special activities day held at Greneway School in Royston last Friday, raising awareness of important safety issues.
The exciting events were organised by the school’s Personal, Social & Health Education co-ordinator Allan Gee, entailing a series of briefings and hands-on workshops given by local emergency services.
A video-presentation produced by the charity ‘Milly’s Fund’ was also shown, teaching children to stay safe in memory of a 13-year-old girl murdered in March 2002.
PSHE is a relatively new part of the national curriculum linked to the government’s ‘Every Child Matters’ initiative. Mr Gee said: “It highlights the importance of individual children, and gives pupils self awareness and social skills. It is to do with personal responsibility and safety for themselves and others.”
All year groups were involved in the day’s activities, as PC Colin Mingay and Police Community Support Officer Alanna Robinson covered essentials such as road safety alongside new themes including protection whilst on internet chat-rooms, mobile-phone camera abuse and the risks of carrying personal weapons.
Later, all enjoyed getting their hands dirty making informative posters and board-games following internet research.
Year 5 were also treated to a drama performance about firework dangers and shown first-aid burns treatments by the Fire Service, both extremely pertinent around bonfire night.
Year 8 children explored text-message bullying, physical aggression and home-alone safety using participative theatrical role-play, after viewing Milly’s Fund video ‘Watch over me.’
Mr Gee said: “The day was very successful. The children enjoyed it all, especially the practical parts, and have raised their awareness of how to keep safe and avoid risks.”
ENDS
Word count: 271
REFLECTIVE REPORT:
This story was sent to the Royston Crow in a press release sent by Greneway School’s P.R. Department. It was delegated to me by one of the news team to follow up.
It was a good story to write in that it had plenty of clear photo opportunities to help create an interesting piece for publication.
I was able to write the majority from the press release, which was comprehensive, detailed and thorough.
I needed to speak to Allan Gee to get quotes to make it interesting, otherwise it would have largely been just a list of events. His quotes make the piece more entertaining.
Getting hold of Mr Gee was problematic. I only had a school telephone number for him, which he was rarely able to answer during teaching hours. Although I worked until 5pm, I had to phone in school time which limited my window of opportunity. Eventually I managed to get through to speak to Mr Gee the day before we went to print.
Mr Gee was also not a particularly talkative source, and it was an effort to get him to be forthcoming about his project. I had to question him closely to get any useable quotes.
A school event is rarely in itself exciting; therefore I had to tease out an angle. The most obvious seemed to be the learning of vital skills and the importance of the messages being conveyed, supported by the fun manner they were being presented in.
The large amount of information in the press release proved problematic, as it was difficult to condense it down into a coherent article with logical progression, but I was able to stick to a four paragraph introduction and write using the “inverted triangle” approach, although I felt it best to finish with a quote.
Word count: 300
An electronic copy of this story, subbed and published, can be found on the Crow’s website here:
http://www.royston-crow.co.uk/search/story.aspx?brand=ROYWestOnline&category=News&itemid=WEED08%20Nov%202007%2017:03:48:470&tBrand=ROYWestOnline&tCategory=search
JP1 Assessment Article 4
TOM HOWARD / ROYSTON CROW 20/11/07 WESTMILL A10
Action is needed amid road safety fears about the A10 at Westmill, as the potential for accidents remains despite previous action.
Concerned residents and village officials want to raise awareness of the dangers posed by vehicles passing at speed, and want motion-activated electronic warning signs and average speed cameras installed.
Road safety measures have already been imposed following previous campaigns, but are proving ineffective.
Westmill parish councillor Muriel Parsons, who has tackled the issue for several years, said: “We do not want to wait for the next fatality to get something done.”
The A10 traverses a series of large dips at Westmill causing blind spots for drivers, while cars regularly queue at two junctions there, obstructing the road and creating a dangerous situation leading to accidents.
Mrs Parsons said: “There is an incident log in the village tea shop for drivers to report crashes and near misses, but many go unrecorded.”
Hertfordshire Highways have responsibility for the A10, but action by them needs factoring into long-term plans.
Safety measures already introduced include warning signs and anti-skid surfaces while a 50 mile-per-hour limit is in place but not adhered to. Hertfordshire Highways representative Raj Butam has promised councillors a survey to assess further needs.
Parish councillors are conducting investigations, having talked with the Police and MP Oliver Heald.
Councillors are planning a public meeting for the near future.
ENDS
Word count: 227
REFLECTIVE REPORT:
I wrote this for the Royston Crow weekly newspaper, which prints every Thursday and is where I am doing work experience.
This is an example that shows that, when news is scarce, you sometimes have work hard to find stories and angles to use.
The Crow has two editions, one for Royston and its surrounds and one for another large town called Buntingford. That week, the Buntingford edition was missing its front page lead and so, as Westmill is close to Buntingford, this was used
It was eventually rehashed by another reporter after developments that occurred later in the week after I had filed the story.
I sourced the story two weeks earlier after routinely calling local parish councillors in the in places where the Crow is circulated. Seeking upcoming events to cover, I found Mrs Parsons volunteered this issue as something which was ongoing and could be covered at a later date.
I interviewed her over the phone immediately at the time, which was one of my first ever phone interviews. I had to think of questions on the spot, as I had no time to prepare or research the topic, but was able to get sufficient information to write the article. I kept my notes safe, until the time came when I needed to produce a piece.
The story is a little unbalanced without an alternative source to counter Mrs Parsons’ opinions, but I could not contact Raj Butam at Hertfordshire Highways before filing the story.
It was hard to find a news-worthy angle, as nothing was actually happening. Therefore the inaction the surrounding the issue became my angle.
I used a standard four paragraph introduction and the “inverted triangle” approach taught to me in class when writing, to provide as concise and interesting a story as possible.
Word count: 300
Action is needed amid road safety fears about the A10 at Westmill, as the potential for accidents remains despite previous action.
Concerned residents and village officials want to raise awareness of the dangers posed by vehicles passing at speed, and want motion-activated electronic warning signs and average speed cameras installed.
Road safety measures have already been imposed following previous campaigns, but are proving ineffective.
Westmill parish councillor Muriel Parsons, who has tackled the issue for several years, said: “We do not want to wait for the next fatality to get something done.”
The A10 traverses a series of large dips at Westmill causing blind spots for drivers, while cars regularly queue at two junctions there, obstructing the road and creating a dangerous situation leading to accidents.
Mrs Parsons said: “There is an incident log in the village tea shop for drivers to report crashes and near misses, but many go unrecorded.”
Hertfordshire Highways have responsibility for the A10, but action by them needs factoring into long-term plans.
Safety measures already introduced include warning signs and anti-skid surfaces while a 50 mile-per-hour limit is in place but not adhered to. Hertfordshire Highways representative Raj Butam has promised councillors a survey to assess further needs.
Parish councillors are conducting investigations, having talked with the Police and MP Oliver Heald.
Councillors are planning a public meeting for the near future.
ENDS
Word count: 227
REFLECTIVE REPORT:
I wrote this for the Royston Crow weekly newspaper, which prints every Thursday and is where I am doing work experience.
This is an example that shows that, when news is scarce, you sometimes have work hard to find stories and angles to use.
The Crow has two editions, one for Royston and its surrounds and one for another large town called Buntingford. That week, the Buntingford edition was missing its front page lead and so, as Westmill is close to Buntingford, this was used
It was eventually rehashed by another reporter after developments that occurred later in the week after I had filed the story.
I sourced the story two weeks earlier after routinely calling local parish councillors in the in places where the Crow is circulated. Seeking upcoming events to cover, I found Mrs Parsons volunteered this issue as something which was ongoing and could be covered at a later date.
I interviewed her over the phone immediately at the time, which was one of my first ever phone interviews. I had to think of questions on the spot, as I had no time to prepare or research the topic, but was able to get sufficient information to write the article. I kept my notes safe, until the time came when I needed to produce a piece.
The story is a little unbalanced without an alternative source to counter Mrs Parsons’ opinions, but I could not contact Raj Butam at Hertfordshire Highways before filing the story.
It was hard to find a news-worthy angle, as nothing was actually happening. Therefore the inaction the surrounding the issue became my angle.
I used a standard four paragraph introduction and the “inverted triangle” approach taught to me in class when writing, to provide as concise and interesting a story as possible.
Word count: 300
JP1 Assessment Article 3
TOM HOWARD / ROYSTON CROW 09/11/07 ST MARYS DIVALI
Pupils were treated to a vibrant Divali presentation in assembly at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School last Thursday.
Divali is the Festival of Light, where light signifies the victory of good over evil within every human being, and is a major religious festival that started as an ancient harvest celebration associated with Hindu legends. It occurred on November 9th.
Dina Mandaria, a devout Hindu, talked to the whole school about Divali and showed artefacts from Hendon’s Mandir temple before answering questions, while staff dressed in traditional Hindu costume to the delight of pupils.
Teacher Gavin Pearce said: “We want to raise awareness and tolerance of other faiths, by involving our children.”
Pupils later made a Divali display, including the Hendon Mandir artefacts which were kindly donated.
St Mary’s is predominantly a Catholic school but teaches children of many different faiths including Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Jews.
The school plans to visit the Stevenage Mosque, and to create links with other faith groups including Cambridge’s Jewish community.
Head-teacher Robert Dunbar said: “Children in today’s society need to be aware of all those in the community and to understand them, as they will all be working together in the future.”
ENDS
Word count: 198
REFLECTIVE REPORT:
The Royston Crow was made aware of this event by means of a two line letter from the headmaster stating what was happening, and including his final quote. The story was delegated to me to follow up by a member of the news team.
No extra details were supplied, so I had to telephone the school and find out who organised it. Once put through to Gavin Pearce, I had to interview him over the phone to get every single detail that eventually went into the story.
I had to take notes largely in longhand, having only just started learning Teeline at the time, which made a phone interview problematic.
Another problem I faced was in finding an appealing angle. School events are common, and not particularly striking sources of groundbreaking news. I settled on the fun and vibrancy that a presentation brings to school life, supported by the event’s educative potential.
By focussing on the event’s vibrancy, I was able to capitalise on the photogenic nature of the Divali celebration, which created good photo opportunities which could be used to produce an exciting peace for publishing.
Divali is also a fairly complex concept, so I had to work hard to reduce its essence into a concise but meaningful paragraph, which was difficult.
I was able to use a four paragraph introduction which detailed the ‘who, what, when where and how’ elements of the story, before structuring the rest of the peace using the journalistic “inverted triangle” method which puts priority material first and lesser information last.
The headmaster’s quote seemed appropriate to end on, as it summed up the purpose of the whole event well.
Word count: 276
An electronic copy of this story, subbed and published, can be found on the Crow’s website here:
Pupils were treated to a vibrant Divali presentation in assembly at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School last Thursday.
Divali is the Festival of Light, where light signifies the victory of good over evil within every human being, and is a major religious festival that started as an ancient harvest celebration associated with Hindu legends. It occurred on November 9th.
Dina Mandaria, a devout Hindu, talked to the whole school about Divali and showed artefacts from Hendon’s Mandir temple before answering questions, while staff dressed in traditional Hindu costume to the delight of pupils.
Teacher Gavin Pearce said: “We want to raise awareness and tolerance of other faiths, by involving our children.”
Pupils later made a Divali display, including the Hendon Mandir artefacts which were kindly donated.
St Mary’s is predominantly a Catholic school but teaches children of many different faiths including Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Jews.
The school plans to visit the Stevenage Mosque, and to create links with other faith groups including Cambridge’s Jewish community.
Head-teacher Robert Dunbar said: “Children in today’s society need to be aware of all those in the community and to understand them, as they will all be working together in the future.”
ENDS
Word count: 198
REFLECTIVE REPORT:
The Royston Crow was made aware of this event by means of a two line letter from the headmaster stating what was happening, and including his final quote. The story was delegated to me to follow up by a member of the news team.
No extra details were supplied, so I had to telephone the school and find out who organised it. Once put through to Gavin Pearce, I had to interview him over the phone to get every single detail that eventually went into the story.
I had to take notes largely in longhand, having only just started learning Teeline at the time, which made a phone interview problematic.
Another problem I faced was in finding an appealing angle. School events are common, and not particularly striking sources of groundbreaking news. I settled on the fun and vibrancy that a presentation brings to school life, supported by the event’s educative potential.
By focussing on the event’s vibrancy, I was able to capitalise on the photogenic nature of the Divali celebration, which created good photo opportunities which could be used to produce an exciting peace for publishing.
Divali is also a fairly complex concept, so I had to work hard to reduce its essence into a concise but meaningful paragraph, which was difficult.
I was able to use a four paragraph introduction which detailed the ‘who, what, when where and how’ elements of the story, before structuring the rest of the peace using the journalistic “inverted triangle” method which puts priority material first and lesser information last.
The headmaster’s quote seemed appropriate to end on, as it summed up the purpose of the whole event well.
Word count: 276
An electronic copy of this story, subbed and published, can be found on the Crow’s website here:
http://www.royston-crow.co.uk/search/story.aspx?brand=ROYWestOnline&category=News&itemid=WEED15%20Nov%202007%2016:49:17:137&tBrand=ROYWestOnline&tCategory=search
JP1 Assessment Article 2
TOM HOWARD / HOMEWORK EXERCISE 09/10/07 BROWN 100 DAYS
For better, for worse
Gordon Brown has marked 100 days as Prime Minister, but it remains unclear as to how effective he will be.
However the nation is stuck with him after his decision not to hold a snap election following recharged Conservative opposition.
The choice not to call a vote on Brown’s tenure is surprising, due to apparent popularity surges that met his appointment as Tony Blair’s successor.
Wavering public popularity possibly indicates that good feeling was catalysed by Brown’s take-over representing a change from Blair rather than confidence in Brown himself; the public have realised the government remains a Labour one, its policies largely similar.
Brown is a co-founder of “New Labour”, and people are beginning to think he may not differ much from Blair. Brown helped orchestrate Blair’s landslide victory which ousted the Conservative government after 18 years. He holds the core ethos of New Labour to heart.
The Conservatives became stale under the autocratic Thatcher and the more personable but less fiery Major. Blair was a welcome break, an inspiring beacon of sorts.
Blair adopted a firmer hand over government, as had Thatcher, allowing less debate and more action; a style that drove the country onwards but left Blair compromised over the Iraq war.
Brown’s appointment mirrors Major’s, and will be tough. He has to reinvigorate Labour after a period of single-minded leadership whilst restoring confidence in a waning brand, but Brown could succeed if given the chance.
A pragmatist, Brown is more open to party input. He knows from experience where Labour’s shortcomings lie, and has striven to combat them and gain public favour with moves such as troop-withdrawal from Iraq.
A taciturn man, getting on with the job, he is savvy to political machinations and has knowledge of UK economic needs from heading the Treasury. Brown should make a proficient Prime Minister, having witnessed his predecessor’s mistakes.
However he largely lacks the ability to inspire, but people can appreciate his reasoning rather than clever speech-making. Brown’s failure to inspire could though prove his downfall, if he lacks the charisma to unite the country behind Labour over a longer period.
Conversely, while Campbell and Cameron head the rival parties, opposition to a Labour government seems equally un-inspirational.
At least Brown displays the competency and skills to lead the country, if only as the role’s custodian until Labour find someone more likeable than an ex tax-man to head the nation.
ENDS
Word count: 400
REFLECTIVE REPORT:
The brief for this was to ‘produce a short comment piece suitable for the Independent or Guardian’.
It analyses Gordon Brown’s success as Prime Minister following 100 days in office, summing and critiquing his performance.
As a longer piece we had an increasingly free reign to write more in a more flowing and verbose style. My first draft of this was around 550 words. Written in longer paragraphs, I approached it more as a short essay than in the usual “inverted triangle” manner.
As a comment piece, I felt I had freedom to write in a more opinionated style. Ultimately, I felt I was able to put across my viewpoint as I saw things and that the article demanded a final personal judgement. I approached it more as a character based work, believing any leader has to unify their people.
Therefore it is based on personal observations, and my general knowledge of current affairs and studies of the subject informed my writing.
I am conscious of the fact that the piece may appear partially speculative. This, I think, will largely come down to reader opinions as to whether they agree with my conjectures and believe my work to be unsubstantiated. My observations are by no means unfounded and the article does draw on – possibly generalised – examples, albeit that they may not be explicitly detailed.
It is however my opinion that over-filling it with fact would have unbalanced and disrupted the flow of what I intended to be a mainly personal study of Brown’s tenure.
Having restructured it into shorter paragraphs, included a rough four paragraph introduction, and reduced it by 150 words to meet the limits for this assessment, I feel the streamlined outcome reduces the impression of speculation that the original longer prose created.
Word count: 295
For better, for worse
Gordon Brown has marked 100 days as Prime Minister, but it remains unclear as to how effective he will be.
However the nation is stuck with him after his decision not to hold a snap election following recharged Conservative opposition.
The choice not to call a vote on Brown’s tenure is surprising, due to apparent popularity surges that met his appointment as Tony Blair’s successor.
Wavering public popularity possibly indicates that good feeling was catalysed by Brown’s take-over representing a change from Blair rather than confidence in Brown himself; the public have realised the government remains a Labour one, its policies largely similar.
Brown is a co-founder of “New Labour”, and people are beginning to think he may not differ much from Blair. Brown helped orchestrate Blair’s landslide victory which ousted the Conservative government after 18 years. He holds the core ethos of New Labour to heart.
The Conservatives became stale under the autocratic Thatcher and the more personable but less fiery Major. Blair was a welcome break, an inspiring beacon of sorts.
Blair adopted a firmer hand over government, as had Thatcher, allowing less debate and more action; a style that drove the country onwards but left Blair compromised over the Iraq war.
Brown’s appointment mirrors Major’s, and will be tough. He has to reinvigorate Labour after a period of single-minded leadership whilst restoring confidence in a waning brand, but Brown could succeed if given the chance.
A pragmatist, Brown is more open to party input. He knows from experience where Labour’s shortcomings lie, and has striven to combat them and gain public favour with moves such as troop-withdrawal from Iraq.
A taciturn man, getting on with the job, he is savvy to political machinations and has knowledge of UK economic needs from heading the Treasury. Brown should make a proficient Prime Minister, having witnessed his predecessor’s mistakes.
However he largely lacks the ability to inspire, but people can appreciate his reasoning rather than clever speech-making. Brown’s failure to inspire could though prove his downfall, if he lacks the charisma to unite the country behind Labour over a longer period.
Conversely, while Campbell and Cameron head the rival parties, opposition to a Labour government seems equally un-inspirational.
At least Brown displays the competency and skills to lead the country, if only as the role’s custodian until Labour find someone more likeable than an ex tax-man to head the nation.
ENDS
Word count: 400
REFLECTIVE REPORT:
The brief for this was to ‘produce a short comment piece suitable for the Independent or Guardian’.
It analyses Gordon Brown’s success as Prime Minister following 100 days in office, summing and critiquing his performance.
As a longer piece we had an increasingly free reign to write more in a more flowing and verbose style. My first draft of this was around 550 words. Written in longer paragraphs, I approached it more as a short essay than in the usual “inverted triangle” manner.
As a comment piece, I felt I had freedom to write in a more opinionated style. Ultimately, I felt I was able to put across my viewpoint as I saw things and that the article demanded a final personal judgement. I approached it more as a character based work, believing any leader has to unify their people.
Therefore it is based on personal observations, and my general knowledge of current affairs and studies of the subject informed my writing.
I am conscious of the fact that the piece may appear partially speculative. This, I think, will largely come down to reader opinions as to whether they agree with my conjectures and believe my work to be unsubstantiated. My observations are by no means unfounded and the article does draw on – possibly generalised – examples, albeit that they may not be explicitly detailed.
It is however my opinion that over-filling it with fact would have unbalanced and disrupted the flow of what I intended to be a mainly personal study of Brown’s tenure.
Having restructured it into shorter paragraphs, included a rough four paragraph introduction, and reduced it by 150 words to meet the limits for this assessment, I feel the streamlined outcome reduces the impression of speculation that the original longer prose created.
Word count: 295
JP1 Assessment Article 1
TOM HOWARD / HOMEWORK EXERCISE 16/10/07 MP INTERVIEW
Oliver Heald MP, Hertfordshire North East
The large Hertfordshire North East constituency is overseen by Member of Parliament Oliver Heald.
Elected to the constituency in 1992, the 53-year-old lives in Royston, is married with three children, has a Law Masters from Cambridge and practised as a barrister specialising in employment law.
A Conservative since 1974, he held senior posts at regional and national levels before becoming a Conservative Shadow Cabinet member in 2002.
Recently however, by mutual agreement with David
Cameron, July 2007 saw Mr Heald step away from the front-benches for the first time in 13 high-profile years of service.
With stagnancy partly to blame for the Conservative election loss in 1997, Mr Heald realised it was the appropriate time for him to return to the back-benches to help refresh the Shadow Cabinet under Cameron, but maintains that a back-bench position does not mean taking a back seat.
Oliver Heald now spends more time in his constituency, working long hours in which he meets with lobbyis
ts, visits schools and institutions, and attends civic and charity events. Currently producing the constituency’s annual report, he also regularly discusses issues such as deregulation with businesses.
Mr Heald gets over 10,000 letters a year from constituents on wide-ranging issues, asking for help. He said: “I was once asked to wing walk, but the strangest request I’ve had asked me to personally unblock someone’s drains.”
He still remain
s active in the House of Commons despite his back-bench position, posing 1,000 questions in the last year alone. His lawyerly background means he often scrutinises government bills during committee stages.
Oliver Heald is one of relatively few Conservatives to have kept their seat in Labour’s landslide 1997 general election victory. He described election night as “a crippling blow” where the Conservatives “were smashed, and needed to regroup. Politically, we had run out of steam, and the people wanted a change.”
Keeping his seat due to traditionally entrenched Conservative values in his constituency, Mr Heald reflected on the personal devastation that election night caused, especially for unlucky colleagues: “It was a shattering blow to see ones friends struggling to find jobs.”
He was returned as MP of his constituency in 2005, for the fourth time and with an increased majority.
His résumé now boasts roles including Shadow Minister-ships for Health and Work & Pensions, Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, Shadow Leader of the House and Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster.
ENDS
Word count: 399
REFLECTIVE REPORT:
The premise of this brief challenged us in the course’s first week by making us interview our local MP for an article about an MP’s day-to-day life and constituency responsibilities. A twist, however, was to ask them an outlandish question.
I was nervous to be conducting my first interview, especially when I discovered Oliver Heald’s turgid résumé.
I approached the article by first finding using www.google.com what constituency I was in, and who my MP was, having only just moved to the area.
Next, I researched Oliver Heald’s background. I looked at his official website (http://www.oliverhealdmp.com) to get information about him, his policies and projects by reading his biographical “About Me” page. I decided to focus on his experiences of the 1997 general election, as this seemed an opportunity to get an interesting personal perspective.
I tried to contact him via his office but could reach him, only his secretary. Therefore I attended his weekly surgery, surprising him without warning thus guaranteeing a face-to-face interview.
I planned questions before attending based on his web-bio, being efficient and professional. He was on the back foot, but friendly and happy to talk. I realised interviews are not as difficult as I envisaged.
I took notes in longhand having only just started learning Teeline, so was only recorded limited verbatim quotes, but got plenty of information.
Inexperienced, I used a less formal style for my first draft, which also had only four lengthy paragraphs but was fact rich.
I redrafted it using a rough four paragraph introduction and loose “inverted triangle” approach, increased its readability and emphasising Mr Heald’s work locally. I added more quotes and extra information I left out originally due to the imposed word limit.
I also changed to a more narrative style, the original reading almost like an advert.
Word count: 300
Oliver Heald MP, Hertfordshire North East
The large Hertfordshire North East constituency is overseen by Member of Parliament Oliver Heald.
Elected to the constituency in 1992, the 53-year-old lives in Royston, is married with three children, has a Law Masters from Cambridge and practised as a barrister specialising in employment law.
A Conservative since 1974, he held senior posts at regional and national levels before becoming a Conservative Shadow Cabinet member in 2002.
Recently however, by mutual agreement with David
Cameron, July 2007 saw Mr Heald step away from the front-benches for the first time in 13 high-profile years of service.With stagnancy partly to blame for the Conservative election loss in 1997, Mr Heald realised it was the appropriate time for him to return to the back-benches to help refresh the Shadow Cabinet under Cameron, but maintains that a back-bench position does not mean taking a back seat.
Oliver Heald now spends more time in his constituency, working long hours in which he meets with lobbyis
ts, visits schools and institutions, and attends civic and charity events. Currently producing the constituency’s annual report, he also regularly discusses issues such as deregulation with businesses.Mr Heald gets over 10,000 letters a year from constituents on wide-ranging issues, asking for help. He said: “I was once asked to wing walk, but the strangest request I’ve had asked me to personally unblock someone’s drains.”
He still remain
s active in the House of Commons despite his back-bench position, posing 1,000 questions in the last year alone. His lawyerly background means he often scrutinises government bills during committee stages.Oliver Heald is one of relatively few Conservatives to have kept their seat in Labour’s landslide 1997 general election victory. He described election night as “a crippling blow” where the Conservatives “were smashed, and needed to regroup. Politically, we had run out of steam, and the people wanted a change.”
Keeping his seat due to traditionally entrenched Conservative values in his constituency, Mr Heald reflected on the personal devastation that election night caused, especially for unlucky colleagues: “It was a shattering blow to see ones friends struggling to find jobs.”
He was returned as MP of his constituency in 2005, for the fourth time and with an increased majority.
His résumé now boasts roles including Shadow Minister-ships for Health and Work & Pensions, Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, Shadow Leader of the House and Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster.
ENDS
Word count: 399
REFLECTIVE REPORT:
The premise of this brief challenged us in the course’s first week by making us interview our local MP for an article about an MP’s day-to-day life and constituency responsibilities. A twist, however, was to ask them an outlandish question.
I was nervous to be conducting my first interview, especially when I discovered Oliver Heald’s turgid résumé.
I approached the article by first finding using www.google.com what constituency I was in, and who my MP was, having only just moved to the area.
Next, I researched Oliver Heald’s background. I looked at his official website (http://www.oliverhealdmp.com) to get information about him, his policies and projects by reading his biographical “About Me” page. I decided to focus on his experiences of the 1997 general election, as this seemed an opportunity to get an interesting personal perspective.
I tried to contact him via his office but could reach him, only his secretary. Therefore I attended his weekly surgery, surprising him without warning thus guaranteeing a face-to-face interview.
I planned questions before attending based on his web-bio, being efficient and professional. He was on the back foot, but friendly and happy to talk. I realised interviews are not as difficult as I envisaged.
I took notes in longhand having only just started learning Teeline, so was only recorded limited verbatim quotes, but got plenty of information.
Inexperienced, I used a less formal style for my first draft, which also had only four lengthy paragraphs but was fact rich.
I redrafted it using a rough four paragraph introduction and loose “inverted triangle” approach, increased its readability and emphasising Mr Heald’s work locally. I added more quotes and extra information I left out originally due to the imposed word limit.
I also changed to a more narrative style, the original reading almost like an advert.
Word count: 300
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