Category Archives: Journalism

Nov 17 2009
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Journalism

Conference Call

Chain Reaction 2009

Originally uploaded by chainreaction2008.

In the past month, I’ve attended two conference-type events. Nothing unusual about that, other than they were the first events in the UK I’d covered as a journalist for more than a year.

In the eleven months up to August, I was out of the country and on my return to active service I noticed big changes to the events I attended. Previously, organisers had attempted some sort of interactivity, but it often felt token and meaningless. Both events were more successful in promoting interaction from delegates than previously – one reason for this must be the popularity of social networking.

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Nov 11 2009
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Journalism

The changing face of television news

For anyone involved in newsgathering, hearing from leading journalists the nature of the news we will see on our televisions in the future was an opportunity not be missed.

The Media Society event Will We Have News For You? brought together five journalists from public and commercial broadcasters to discuss the future of regional news. The panelists involved in the discussion at BBC Television Centre, were:

Nick Pollard (Former Head of Sky News in the Chair)

Mary Hockaday (Head Multi-media Newsroom, The BBC)

Jonathan Munro (Deputy Editor and Director of Newsgathering, ITV News)

Jonathan Levy (Editor General Election Sky News )

Stephen Cole (Presenter Al Jazeera English)

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Nov 10 2009
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Journalism

Back in London

It’s been a while since I posted – in that time I have travelled from Melbourne back to the UK via Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and India.

I’ve also lived back home in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear for the first time in twelve years. I’ve been spending my time there learning to drive – resitting my test in December – and working for New Start and the BBC in Newcastle (see my biography for more details).

I’m now part-time assistant editor at New Start and will continue to cover London events. There’s a lot coming up so I hope to be kept very busy. I’m also planning to do a lot more blogging, so watch this space to see how this blog develops!

Jun 03 2009
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Journalism

Is the Australian suburb under threat?

Australia’s most famous suburban street

Originally uploaded by littlesaint_uk.

Well it could be according to a Brisbane-based planning academic.

Professor Tony Hall of Queensland Griffith University has noted that backyards are shrinking across Australia. In an interview published in the Sydney Morning Herald, Hall claims this reflects a shift away from the outdoor-loving lifestyle that Australians have long treasured.

Hall has found the newer homes have smaller backyards. He blames this on home-buyers desire for bigger houses and too little time to spend in their gardens. Continue reading →

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Apr 11 2009
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Journalism

Beauty and the backpacking beast

First Thailand, then Vietnam and now Laos have become a must-do destination for backpackers in the far east. While Thailand has its islands and Vietnam spectacular bays, Laos’ main asset is its dramatic landscape – and good, cheap beer!

Backpackers’ favoured combination of extreme sports and excessive drinking come together in the resort of Vang Vieng. The town is famous for waterbourne pub crawls where participants ride the rapids between waterside bars on inflatable inner tubes.

But there are concerns that if action isn’t taken, the natural beauty of Laos could be destroyed by intensive tourism development. In a recent issue of the magazine Planning, I wrote about a project seeking to ensure that one of Laos’ up-and-coming destinations is protected from the negative effects of tourism development.

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Mar 10 2009
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Journalism

The High Line

Originally uploaded by littlesaint_uk.

If you are lucky enough to be going to New York this summer, make sure you leave time to check out its newest park – the High Line.

The High Line, which opens later this Spring, has supporters ranging from U.S secretary of state Hillary Clinton to actor Edward Norton. The difference between The High Line and a traditional park is that you won’t find it at ground level. It has been cultivated on a disused elevated railroad above the streets of Manhattan.

You can read more about the story behind the High Line’s creation in an article I have written for the March edition of New Start.


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Feb 26 2009
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Journalism

Face off on Facebook

Until today, I was a member of a Facebook group called “the BNP are nasty racists and shouldn’t be here” (For non-British readers, the BNP is the UK’s ultra-right wing party). The group was set up a couple of years back to protest against a BNP presence on Facebook and it eventually gained hundreds of members. While casually flicking through my notifications today, I noticed that it had changed its name to “the BNP are nice and should be on here“.

I clicked on the link to find out which joker had changed the name of the group. My boyfriend suspected that Facebook had asked moderators to change its name for some reason. But when I saw the group, I realised that not only had its name changed, but also its description, thus altering its philosophy completely. It now was a pro-BNP group. Worst of all, I was still a member! I promptly left the group (along with many other members) and posted a warning to my Facebook friends via my status update.

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Feb 19 2009
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Journalism

How architects can’t solve every problem

Earlier this month I attended a symposium at Melbourne University about public buildings from the modern era (1945 onwards) and how they could be preserved. The University’s school of planning and architecture managed to assemble speakersfrom around the world to share their views on why it is important to conserve our modern heritage.

One thing that struck me during the morning session is how public building programmes in post war Europe were often used to try and foster a national identity, with mixed results. A speaker from Belgium talked about how in the Flanders region of the country, a series of cultural centres were built to reinforce local people’s Flemish identity.
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Feb 11 2009
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Journalism

Inside Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet guides have been a faithful companion to scores of backpackers over the years. Even in the digital age, a guide by Lonely Planet or one of their rivals, features prominently on most travelers packing list.


More than three decades on from the first edition of South East Asia on a Shoestring and the basic format of the Lonely Planet guide has remained largely intact (with a few tweaks). But its publishers are changing – last year founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler sold the company to the BBC, though Lonely Planet’s HQ remains here in Melbourne.


Last week, I was privileged to get the chance to get a look inside of Lonely Planet’s Footscray offices to find out more about the company’s latest projects. My guide Matthew, from Lonely Planet’s digital division, has recently exchanged rainy London for Melbourne and is working on lots of exciting initiatives following the BBC’s purchase of the company.


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Jan 27 2009
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Journalism

Supersizing news

At the Future of Journalism event I attended in November, one speaker talked about how Fairfax, owner of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, has dumbed down its web coverage. The speaker in question memorably contrasted how Fairfax bosses were selling a slap up meal in print and fast food on the web.

Unfortunately, I can’t recall the name of that particular speaker, but it could well be Michael Gawenda, a former editor at the Age. This week I came across an article he has written arguing that these newspapers’ inferior online versions are only succeeding in trashing their once revered mastheads.

He says their mistake has been trying to address their weaknesses rather than building on their strengths. He goes on to call on newspapers to get back to their core business – breaking great stories. You can read more on The Australian.

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