Posts Tagged Journalism
As in the bag, where to now?
A levels over, my As are in the bag plus a jazzy distinction for an AEA in English - but what happens now?
I did the university applications last year, had the places, and rejected them. Surely there’s got to be more than this ‘education’ of UK university which would have my arse sunk in £30,000 debt by the time three years are over? (So I asked myself zillion times over, and still applied. Still did drawn-out entrance exams and pretended to my parents I was studying more than perhaps I was in reality…)
But then there’s the leaguetables harping on about the value of our university and the ease that the majority of my friends, whilst not still in Manchester, are at least still in the UK. Of course, there’s also the comfort that university delays work - full-time, ‘proper’ work, at least, even if scrounging around for badly-paid evening shifts isn’t far out of the question.
Now I get time out. Proper, not just a week at Easter shoved in (whilst away on an exchange doing double the work or doing revision anyway.) I get proper time out. To digest, relax, read and learn for myself, write essays and gander around for opportunities of what I might want to do.
I’m also in Switzerland, the French-speaking bit. Mountains, blue skies and clean it may be, Manchester it certainly isn’t. One thing in particular gets a gold star though - you can fall asleep without feeling like you’re going to be burgled in the night, heck, you could even go all out and not lock the doors if you really wanted to push Swiss trust and see where it takes you.
Tomorrow is wall-painting and French lessons (private, one to one, Katy to Katy plus exercise book), or writing: poems, novel, essay for comp or some good new pitches. Go get me for saying good.
Getting down to the hard grit
Posted by Katy Murr in About Me, Journalism, Opportunities, yada yada on June 27th, 2009
Yup, fingers hitting the keys hard, mental fan whirring. I think I qualified as doing that, at least a little bit, whilst on the CityLife desk of the MEN.
Here’s some pieces I’ve done…
- Haworth wins again
- The Big Pink - gracing stages and shops
- Abba The Show - M.E.N’s big Christmas party
- Angel Of The North model at Chatsworth
- A beast at Shift Time in Shrewsbury
Laptop, work experience, no more exams
Posted by Katy Murr in About Me, Journalism, yada yada on June 23rd, 2009
Plastic pencil cases or clear food bags
Had final AEA exam today. If you don’t know what that means, it’s essentially a jazzy extension English exam which is rather delightful and not at all too box-ticking in nature. More rigorous thought, the kind where you end up eating your pencil at the wrong end because you’re concentrating so much on your line of thought. So that’s it. Over. A Levels well and truly done. I’m utterly glad, admittedly, utterly glad because for the large part A levels have seemed like a stepping stone to something else, rather than an actual academic challenge in themself. Of course there have been challenges, but perhaps most exciting has been the weekends at friends’ houses, the little travelling, French exchanges where you sample the town’s best chocolaterie and so on.
Being the skivvy and not even getting paid for it
Skivvy. I don’t like the word. I do, however, sometimes promise food when I try to garner some work experience. Thus far it seems to be working. Have a couple of days lined up here this week. If you’re in the office, give me a wave.
I don’t mean to sound moody by the way. I’m not at all. I’m actually rather impressed by the two-screen PCs and comfy chairs with arm rests. Plus the view is quite decent. Could imagine working in a newsroom, very much so. Hate to imagine what their keyboards hold though - all those sandwiches munched on whilst working - eep!
Sleek, black, very sexy
That’s my new laptop. Shiny HP number. A bit like this. Will post some pics soon hopefully. It’s going to be helpful, means I can do more Skype and whatnot when away from home, aka off to Europe for the summer. I’m getting a cute carrycase for it too, see here. Still waiting for it to arrive. My feet are tapping and I’m remembering how I was never patient.
The pretty and the bad
My new swatch watch has gone walkabouts. In fact, I have put it somewhere where I don’t know where. Just about somewhere as confusing as that last sentence. Sincerely hoping it comes home. Love you. Will wear you with pride… Promise promise. I do miss thee.
PS
I’m aware it’s been a while. Damn exams, like I say. Will be updating more frequently now. Novel in the jowels too. Just needs a little more chewing over.
Babysteps in journalism: episode 4
Posted by Katy Murr in About Me, Journalism, yada yada on June 10th, 2009
- Successfully put out alert on Gorkana asking for utterly-fabulous editorial work experience (Gorkana has to be mastered in journo-land, right?)
- Been sent various job and internship info via twitter, which provokes a gooey-nice feeling that I cannot be considered utterly shit if other well-respected, been-at-it-for-a-while journalists are sending info my way.
- Not been pitching much (mid exam-season, not the best time.) Have, however, been filling up my spreadsheet with all those Gorkana gems. (Did I mention I like Gorkana? It’s pretty useful.)
- In the midst of getting some work experience. Waving my magic wand around didn’t help much, but Gorkana and friendly people did.
- There’s some more, only my head has had enough for today. I’ve had essay exams. Forgive me.
Babysteps in journalism: part 3
Posted by Katy Murr in About Me, Journalism on May 13th, 2009
- Cheque from The Independent has arrived. Hoorah! (This is a BIG step, believe me.)
- Touting round a travel pitch about a destination verging on the extreme of student travel. Nail and lip biting stuff
- Working on ideas of some things going on in wee old Cheshire
- Trying to decide where to put a restaurant review
- Had some interviews - didn’t get job - but did get fabulously helpful feedback (and apparently my Valentino suit looks as beautiful as I thought so myself!)
- Finished an article for emag, which should be appearing in the September issue, I think
- Gave yoof view on summer schools for freelance journalist Tamsin Kelly. Article here.
Want some distraction from revision?
Posted by Katy Murr in Opportunities, yada yada on April 28th, 2009
The Guardian’s international journalism competiton should be perfect.
That’s not to say you won’t then end up distracted in other things, though at least it’s a break from thinking about themes in The Tempest, or whatever texts/ topic/ book you’re studying.
Please, talk rather than type
Posted by Katy Murr in Journalism, yada yada on April 14th, 2009
I find this quite sad. One room: girl, typing on laptop. Next room: mother, on computer, looking at what girl is typing.
Social networking can be a good thing - if moderated, not used obsessively, bla bla bla. Spying on your own kids isn’t.
My parents aren’t on facebook, or twitter, and generally, they come to talk to me if they want to know what I’m doing. Or maybe they phone me if I’m out and they’re wondering where I am if I’ve forgotten to mention it. That seems about right to me.
*Photo from here.
Marina Hyde does it again
Posted by Katy Murr in Journalism on April 13th, 2009
Let’s have some decent journalism.
Marina Hyde’s recent piece on ‘watching the watchmen’ (i.e. citizens paying sufficient attention to police, powers of the state etc.) is a good example.
‘Self satisfied Grazia reader is actually rather proud of his financial status’*
Posted by Katy Murr in Journalism on April 9th, 2009
We’ve had Tanya Gold gracing our screens about how she managed to live without modern technology (read: managed to live without mobile phone or computer, whilst seemingly lamenting both permanently…) and today Stuart Jeffries told us how it was to live on a tenner for one week. Or rather, he was supposed to try living on a tenner, but only did it half-heartedly.
Have a look at the comments on the blog here, if you can stomach them.
These so-called attempts to live frugally might seem great fun for The Guardian’s journalists (indeed, apparently Stuart didn’t suggest the idea - that’s his get-out clause), yet I’m not convinced. Something about them seems incredibly insincere. Given the current economic situation, and how many people are losing jobs, homes, any sense of economic security which they used to feel, I find such articles in more than bad taste.
So what exactly was wrong with Stuart Jeffries’ experiment?
Living out of your cupboards, on food you’ve already bought (knowing fine well he’d be duly doing this ‘experiment’), and off your office’s sandwiches… well, that isn’t what I know as living on a tenner. Perhaps he’s got a new definition for us. Or perhaps he never really wanted to try doing this properly and only really wanted to take the piss out of cheap wine and not having perfect choice each day? (Properly and really coming into usage… you can tell this one has pissed me off good and proper.)
Let’s have a closer look at some of the comments about Stuart Jeffries’ trial of a tenner for a week:
‘I find the article a bit frustrating, actually, as living in the arse-end of nowhere I struggle to find free events or interesting exhibitions, but in central London you pretty much can’t move for them.’ Filthy Knitter, I’m sure there are lots who agree with you…
‘Hmm; I bet I could do this if I worked closer to home. In fact, I have done in the past. You just, like, don’t buy M&S ready meals or white wine.’
‘It’s a bit annoying middle-class this article.’ Annoying! Again! Gracious, who’d ever think we’d get a teeny weeny bit pissed off with such articles? Think we’re nodding along here. Or maybe we’ve chucked the remainder of The Guardian in the bin already?
‘You could have talked about how people with very little money end up buying cheap calorific but unhealthy food and shown some healthier alternatives.
I did like that you descended into crime to survive on the first day though.’ Not the best example, was he?
‘Using the food at the back of the cupboard counts as free. Hmm.‘ He could’ve considered it more, that’s for sure.
Some of the other comments on the blog are more to the point…
‘The experiment was a failure before it began because Stuart did a supermarket shop before day one.’ Quite.
*Thanks for the line, PickmansModel (full comment can be found on the blog here.)
Not so impossible, after all: Pitching.
Posted by Katy Murr in Journalism, Opportunities on March 17th, 2009
To the outsiders, it often looks impossible. Mystifying and locked-up. Yup, we’re talking about the big J - journalism. In reality, I’ve found it’s one of the things which is actually open to people. You don’t need to have done work experience and you don’t need a specific grade in GCSE or A level. What you do need is the following: a ’story’ (i.e. subject and angle of what you want to write), the ability to convince the editor about your story, and the ability to deliver whatever article it is you’re promising.
Around October I started thinking about pitching something. In January (I think it was January?) I sent the article to The Independent. I told them a few stats, I gave the old anecdotal info, and they took it. In February they published it. The editor was not scary. She was patient with my inane newbie comments, and she even gave me some helpful advice on the phone. It was nothing to worry about. (But that didn’t stop me being terrified about calling, of course.)
This is not the general way. The ideal way is to sell your story by pitching it to the editor. You need to answer these main questions: what is your story? Why do you need to write it? (i.e sources for interview, personal relevance etc) Why does it need to be read by our readers now? And you need to try to do that in the style of the article you’ll be writing, ideally.
If you’re thinking about pitching, I would advise you to do it. Go and google the editor you’re after or try and find them on Journalisted.
There aren’t any excuses for not being a journalist if you want to be one. You have to contact the editors, look for the stories, and hone the pitches.
This is only what I’ve learnt so far. It isn’t gospel by any means. Don’t shoot me down yet. I’m just learning to crawl in journalism.