Tag: journalism

Journalists and content writers: sign up for my new masterclass this autumn

Journalism is complex but the secret to good storytelling is simple: people love to read about people.

This new course, hosted via Journalism.co.uk [see image above], is a hands-on class exploring techniques for writers, such as case studies, sourcing expert views and playing up the human interest to build empathy with your readers.

It will make your stories really come alive.

This four-week course will be taught online. This includes one lesson per week over four consecutive weeks on the same day, plus practical exercises, ongoing feedback and a critique of a draft feature for your chosen publication.

This course is suitable for all professional writers — from career starters beginning their writing career to established journalists looking to refine their skillset in an increasingly competitive freelance market.

What does the course involve?

  • Session 1: Telling stories
  • Session 2: Finding voices
  • Session 3: Handling interviews
  • Sessions 4: Writing a draft

Sign up here: Storytelling and engagement techniques masterclass

Read my latest newsletter for a quick catch-up on my media and travel projects

Travel has been off the agenda for the last few months.

But I’ve still been working and planning, combining journalism projects, media training and tours.

For the quick catch-up, read my latest newsletter.

Please post your comments below and feel free to share with you network. Thanks.

The Amazing Story Of How My Music Fanzine Made History

The first issue, published May 1994

It was 1994.

I was a student on a postgraduate magazine journalism course in London with a project deadline.

Step forward Heaven Up Here, a music fanzine I put together with two fellow students.

We dreamed of jobs on Select magazine and loved getting on the guestlist for gigs at venues like the Astoria and the Water Rats.

It was the Nineties and we didn’t have a care in the world.

The first issue, published in 1994, featured a lead interview with film-noir favourites The Tindersticks and went backstage with Britpop breakthroughs Sleeper at the now-defunct TV show The Beat.

Last week I took a couple of issues from 1994 and 1995 to the London College of Communication.

There they will join the likes of Sniffin’ Glue and Smiths Indeed at the University Library Zine Collection. It has over 200 zines from punk to fashion from the late Seventies onwards.

You can find out more from the collection Facebook page.

Or search the catalogue for the issues here and here.

It only lasted for three issues but our little fanzine helped to launch a career in the media for its founders. And it was lots of fun along the way.

As for the name? Heaven Up Here was the second album by Echo and the Bunnymen, my favourite band as a overcoat-wearing student in the early Nineties.

On the day that the NME sees its last ever print edition on the newsstands, my little bit of history is a reminder that, while we all now work multi-platform, print is still not dead.

Reporting for BBC School Report Day at Queens Park High School, Chester

SchoolReport

BBC School Report marked its tenth anniversary this week.

The initiative from BBC News helps 11 to 16-year-old students develop their journalistic skills.

I joined a group of wannabe hacks at Queens Park High School, Chester, to brainstorm ideas for print- and video-journalism reports.

Check out some of the work from the day here.

More about BBC School Report.

What did you think of this story? Post your comments below.

Liked this? Try also Media literacy at Horns Mill primary School, Helsby.