Mar 15 2015
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Journalism, local

From pub backroom to the west end

Tooting’s nomadic theatre company has hit the big time, but here’s how it all started…

Back in 2011 I made a short-lived attempt to launch a hyperlocal blog focusing on the cultural life of the Balham and Tooting areas of London where I was living at the time.

Sadly, I had to wind up the blog after a couple of months, because it was always intended to be a collaborative project and no bloggers had come forward to share the load. Still, in its brief life it contained some pretty good content including coverage of the launch of Tooting Arts Club, a local theatre group formed in early 2011. Continue reading →

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Feb 03 2015
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NUJ, Technology

Up to speed

My final technology column for the Journalist was published just before Christmas and I decided to take the opportunity to reflect a little on how technology has changed our jobs. I also tried to gee up some of the tech-wary journalists by explaining how technology opens the door to so many potential stories. Continue reading →

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May 07 2014
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Journalism, NUJ, Technology

FiLMiC Pro – review

A screenshot of FiLMiC Pro

With more and more journalists using iPhone to record video for broadcasting online or on television, I thought it was a good time to look at the an app that is said to be the industry leader. FiLMiC pro is recommended by the Journalism.co.uk website and mobile journalism trainer Glen Mulcahy, among others. The app itself includes some useful pointers about how to use it but you can find some good tips on the developer’s homepage.

You can read my story here: FiLMiC Pro – review: the Journalist May / June

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May 07 2014
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Journalism

Robot journalism

This spring has seen a mix of successes and failures for programmers hoping to automise elements of journalism.

In mid-March the LA Times broke the news of an earthquake in the city within minutes of it taking place with a story written by a robot, but published by a human. Continue reading →

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Mar 31 2014
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Journalism, Technology

The Journalist, March / April 2014

Livescribe 3 Pen Notebook App

One of the technology trends that media experts predicted for 2014 is a shift away from mainstream social networks towards private apps like Snapchat and Whatsapp, which are also known as chat apps. My column focused on the challenge for journalists who are going to have to find new ways of connecting with these audiences either for newsgathering or sharing news with them. You can read the column here. Continue reading →

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Jan 17 2014
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Journalism

The Journalist, December 2013 / January 2014: Sensor Journalism

In this issue, I decided to look at sensor journalism in the tech column, essentially data journalism is when electronic sensors are used to collect data for stories. It is seen as good pairing with data journalism, indeed sensor journalism can help to fill a gap when data is missing. Continue reading →

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Jul 10 2013
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Journalism, NUJ

Journalist technology column: Journalism drones / Google Reader alternatives

The use of drones in warfare has been rightly controversial. But they are also attracting the interest of journalists and with two US Journalism schools teaching students how to use drones for reporting it was a good time to look at this new tool for the technology colum.

There are a lot of ethical, legal and regulatory issues to consider, and while drones clearly have their uses, some journalists will clearly feel uncomfortable with this innovation.

Here are some links to articles I found useful when researching this feature. You can also see links to content on alternatives to Google Reader, which relate to my review of Feedly.

You can download the Journalist from the NUJ website.

Continue reading →

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Apr 16 2013
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Journalism, NUJ, Technology

Journalist technology column: Google Authorship and Infographics app

I have to thank a give-away of National Geographic Traveller at Stansted Airport for giving me the idea for my main piece in my latest technology column for The Journalist.

An article on “the end of the guide book” alerted me to Google Authorship – I was astonished that I hadn’t heard about what is potentially a really important development for journalists. Continue reading →

Mar 07 2013
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Journalism, NUJ

Journalist technology column: 4G and 2013 trends

My latest technology column in the Journalist magazine focused on trends for 2013 – you can download a PDF version of it here.

Once again, I am including some of the links that I found useful when writing the column in this blog post. Continue reading →

Jan 03 2013
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Journalism, NUJ, Technology

A rare byline in print

http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=871Last month my first technology column was published in the Journalist magazine – you can download it here (December 2012 / January 2013).

I subsequently worked out that it was only my third byline in print this year, showing the extent I have shifted over to online platforms. Perhaps this is why it felt a bit odd not having to link to my research as I would normally do as an online journalist.

I am now looking ahead to the next column and have the nagging thought that the difficulty of linking in print is a real disadvantage with a tech column. As a result, I have decided to start linking to some of the websites I found useful while researching my column via this blog. Continue reading →

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