Merlin at home

When our 10-year-old cat Merlin went missing two weeks after we moved house, we realised we needed to act fast to find him.

So the family went into action on two fronts – knocking on doors around our new home and spreading the message online. My daughter put up posters on lampposts on nearby streets and we went out searching, asking neighbours if they had seen him. Meanwhile I tweeted a picture of Merlin and an appeal for information with an #Exmouth hashtag.

The response was quick locally and via twitter. Neighbours promised to keep a lookout for our missing pet and online several followers - some who I knew personally and some I didn’t – retweeted my appeal, getting the message out to potentially thousands of people.

Thankfully three days later we got a phone call from the people who had moved into our old home to tell us Merlin had somehow found his way back there two miles across town. We found him bedraggled, limping and hungry – but pleased to see us after his adventure. He is now home recovering, and we will be keeping a close eye on him.

This story has a happy ending – and it illustrates for me how community works online as well as offline. It was good to get to know our new neighbours, who were all sympathetic and promised to help. That was comforting at an anxious time. And similarly the help online via twitter gave us reassurance that friends and strangers cared. Online and offline, people were going out of their way to help when we were in need.

My point is that online communities can offer action and support in a similar way to offline relationships. The results can be quick and effective in spreading a message and calling people to action. I saw a similar outpouring of concern, alongside practical help, with a Facebook campaign supporting people who lost their homes in a serious fire in Exmouth a couple of weeks ago.

Online communities can quickly extend the reach of help and support, providing reassurance and practical action. And that’s a timely message about our power to do good that shouldn’t be ignored, especially at Christmas.

For anyone unfamiliar with it, you can see the details here. I carry a copy in my wallet. I have referred to it frequently during my time as a reporter and news editor, on the basis that all the editors I have worked for in 25 years have insisted their journalists observe it strictly. The Code clearly sets out the required standard of behaviour for dealing with any situation that might arise, from intrusion into grief and privacy to dealing with children.

There’s nothing wrong with the Code. But there clearly has been a problem in enforcing it through a voluntary system when editors have apparently ignored it, as appears to have been the case at the News of the World.  I recall former editor Andy Coulson giving evidence at a trial that the Code of Practice formed part of his journalists’ contracts of employment. That rings rather hollow now. The PCC, and the whole concept of the industry regulating itself, has been juded a dismal failure and is likely to be replaced by a new tougher system.

It’s sad that a whole profession is now being judged on the behaviour of a renegade few, operating in a culture that at best turned a blind eye to alleged illegal interception of phone messages. Meanwhile the senior executives enjoyed an apparently cosy relationship with politicians and the police at all levels, so it must have felt like they were operating in a privileged and protected position above the law. That’s not a position experienced by journalists in the regional media, who are hard at work holding local councils to account and campaigning on behalf of the communities they serve.

The allegations of wrong-doing at the News of the World will further diminish the reputation of journalists, making the day-to-day job more difficult. And we are all facing the prospect of a tighter regime policing conduct. It is ironic that after the Telegraph’s revelations about MPs’ expenses, and the Guardian lifting the lid on phone hacking, it is MPs leading the charge, with a collection of the wealthy and powerful close behind, to impose tighter restrictions on the media. It seems the phone hacking scandal has wiped from the collective memort the public’s appetite  for more Press freedom following the superinjuction fiasco just a few short weeks ago.

Those shortlisted will present their news reports to a high-profile judging panel including ITV News managers, Mark Austin, Julie Etchingham and executives from Media Trust. The winner will be given the chance to work alongside the ITV News at Ten team for a day, be presented with an iPad to help with future projects, and the chance to have their final piece considered forinclusion on an ITV News platform.

Entrants need to submit a short description about themselves and their backgrounds, what they’d like their report to focus on and why they deserve the opportunity to break into news.   The entry form can be found at www.mediatrust.org/breakingintonews.

The closing date for entries is Monday 8 August 2011 at midday. To enter and for terms and conditions please go to www.mediatrust.org./breakingintonews.

Better to see these sites as an opportunity to learn the trade. Feedback from editors can be helpful, and the detailed guides on house style are a good introduction to the discipline of writing for a specific publication. There are also useful guides about copyright and picture use. Choose a challenging assignment to get to grips with research techniques. Or write on a subject you have specialist knowledge about. Either way, you are compiling your online portfolio.

Like it or not, these sites, known as “content farms” are forming part of the online media landscape. Some say they are devaluing the status of professional journalism and as they are demand-led, with subjects chosen by trawling popular keywords used in online searches, drive down the value of content and lead to stories only being written to satisfy the mass market. The argument goes that this approach limits diversity and choice and is unlikely to encourage investigative work which serves the public interest.

Supporters say they are a natural result of the democratising force of the web, recruiting an army of low-paid scribes and allowing supply and demand to fix the price for content, The sites satisfy a niche, adding to the amount and depth of information available online and respond to demand for subject information. Why shouldn’t people be supplied with what they want? It’s basic market forces at work and the cream will rise to the top, with good and useful writing finding an audience.

Whatever your view, if you choose to get involved, maybe the reward of seeing your work approved by an editor and published online will be enough.

Another way of getting paid is, if you are confident enough in your ability,  to set up your own blog or website, add a block of Google ads via AdSense, and get writing and promoting your work via comments on related websites and social media such as Facebook and Twitter. That way you share the revenue with Google rather than a publisher site and have more control over how your work appears. Or you can set up a site free using services like Blogger or WordPress, and just get writing, taking photos and shooting video.

If you want to find out more, here are links to sites that are recruiting freelance writers. Please use the comments below to share any experiences or to suggest more sites.

Demand Media Studios

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Wikio Experts

So it has taken a reality TV star and a footballer to highlight how the internet has changed the way we live and put the judiciary on collision course with MPs, some of whom fears judges are creating a privacy law by the back door. The judges say they are simply applying the European Human Rights Act, which includes a Right to Privacy and has already been passed into English law.

The episode exposes the fact that our institutions are lagging far behind the rapid pace of technological change. For generations the wealthy and powerful have relied mainly on compliant media, along with legal sanctions, to keep much scandal out of the public realm. But the internet has allowed that control to slip out of their grasp. Meanwhile people are asking why should there be a privacy law effectively available only to the wealthy to hide their wrongdoings? What does a right to privacy actually mean, and how is it weighed against the right to free speech? We seem to have got by without it in the UK before now.

The problem is that the internet means that the era of privacy is effectively over. And in many ways, that is how it should be. Gossip is human nature. In every village, school and workplace – wherever people interact regularly – few secrets can be kept for very long. The interactions on the internet just magnify these exchanges. Now that everyone is a publisher, we need a redefinition of the law as it governs privacy and free speech in the public space. Or bigger prisons to take today’s 75,000-plus injunction breakers, and the tens of thousands more who will undoubtedly follow.

The focus this year is on communities which feel voiceless due to long-term illness, older age or disability. The Trust wants to support grass roots projects which use digital media to better access services and get their voices heard. Successful schemes will get funding for support from digital professionals, with the aim of showcasing ways to use digital media to make a difference.

Gavin Sheppard of Media Trust said: “We are extremely happy to be able to continue the scheme and help even more communities to get their voices heard, learn new skills and pass these on, creating a lasting legacy where the communities can teach and empower others in true big society style.”

Community Voices is funded by Nominet Trust. The closing date is midday on Monday, June 13. To apply, or for further information visit:http://www.mediatrust.org/community-voices or call the Community Voices team at Media Trust on 020 7871 5656.

http://storify.com/ed_oldfield/devon-county-show

From: John Hill

Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011

To: Zara

Hello

Here is my final comment on this topic.

The ship has cabins, most of which are called 2-berth cabins or 4-berth cabins (not my definitions but accepted maritime definitions).

In a 2-berth cabin there is a two-tier structure known as a bunk in which there is a ground berth and an upper berth. In a 4-berth cabin there are 4 such berths. Many people take a 4-berth cabin and pay the supplement for exclusive use and thus they end up with two ground berths (or beds, if you wish) and the other two are superfluous and not used.

regards

John R Hill

Wessex Continental Travel Co

From: Zara

Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 12:35 PM

To: John Hill

Subject: Re: Brittany Ferry Cruise

Thank you for your reply.

However, could you please clarify the difference between bedded and berth then please?

According to the Chambers dictionary, a berth is a bed on a ship/boat.

Therefore, I understood a 2 bedded cabin to be the same as a 2 berth cabin.

Could you therefore clarify  how 2 people sleep in a 2 berth cabin if it isn’t a  2 bedded cabin?

If you could reply to the email address below, I would appreciate it.

(email address removed)

Regards,

Zara Oldfield

From: John Hill

Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 12:09 PM

To: Zara

Subject: RE: Brittany Ferry Cruise

Sorry you feel offended. Just telling you the way it is.

There are no 2-bedded cabins as stated. There are 2-berth cabins – but here is what your message said- 

The prices are based on 2 people sharing a 2 berth cabin, but then it says please note that there are no 2 berth cabins on this cruise.(No it doesn’t)

to which I replied, quite comprehensively I thought.

From: Zara
Sent: 12 May 2011 10:54
To: John Hill
Subject: Re: Brittany Ferry Cruise

Yes, I have read it again. Your website clearly states in orange (copied and pasted below):

High season (all departures July, August & September)
supplement – £10 per adult
(NB: There are no 2-bedded cabins on the ship or 2-berth cabins with porthole)

Thanks for getting back to me. However, customer services clearly isn’t a priority for you, so I will look elsewhere to make a booking.

Kind regards,

Zara Oldfield

From: John Hill

Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 10:34 AM

To: Zara

Subject: RE: Brittany Ferry Cruise

Read it again!!  It says that there are no 2-berth outside cabins available.(There are only 8 on the ship and they go very quickly to full fare paying passengers)

It’s £99 per person in a 2-berth cabin and there is a supplement for a 4-berth cabin of £40 as stated, or £60 for a 4-berth outside cabin.

The nicer cabins are never discounted as full fare paying passengers are more than adequate to fill them. On average, full fares are about twice the cost of a minicruise.

cheers

John R Hill

Wessex Continental Travel Co

From: Zara
Sent: 12 May 2011 10:06
To: admin@wessexcontinental.co.uk
Subject: Brittany Ferry Cruise

Hello,

I’ve just been looking at cruise options on the Brittany Ferry Pont Aven.

Could you please clarify something please?

The prices are based on 2 people sharing a 2 berth cabin, but then it says please note that there are no 2 berth cabins on this cruise.

Therefore, how much would it cost for 2 people to go on either cruise?

I’m presuming that we would have to pay a surcharge for a 4 berth cabin?

Also, why are there none of the nicer cabins available? I’d love to know please.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Zara Oldfield

The guide called ‘Working With the Media’ in the Acadamies Communication Toolkit, published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, includes: ”The prosaic reality is that in relation to other skilled graduates, journalists are relatively low paid and desk bound. A newly qualified journalist will almost certainly earn sinificantly less than a newly qualified teacher and may work a 60 hour week as a minimum.

“They have to churn out several stories a day, and will probably take most of these from press releases or from syndicated services such as the Press Association. They will localise these stories, or make them ‘theirs’ by conducting telephone interviews from their desks.

“The undercover, investigative journalism we see in films does not happen on local newspapers. They’re money-making operations, and there is no money in dedicating significant resources to unearthing conspiracies and cover-ups, and then risking mind-boggling sums to defend them in court.

“(In the very rare instances where investigative reporting does happen on local newspapers, radio or TV stations, it tends to be because a journalist has been prepared to spend hours, days and weeks of their own time pouring (sic) through documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.)”

It advises heads to send out background notes on academy status, because: “It is more than possible that the journalists on your patch may not have a full grasp of what the Academies programme is, or how or why Academies are different to maintained schools.’

And you’re not necessarily trustworthy. Tips in the guide include: “Try to find out what the aim of the story is. Be aware that you can give a quote in one context and it can be twisted and fitted entirely into a different context.”

So that’s it then, as far as your local academy school head is concerned, you’re probably an untrustworthy low-paid ‘churnalist’, ready to be spoon-fed stories to ease your 60-hour desk bound working week, toiling into the night for weeks to land that big exclusive. So don’t disappoint, get your FoI request in asap. Acutally, I may have twisted the facts and fitted them into a different context, so you can read the full document here and make up you’re own mind – if you’ve got any spare time left.