FSB Guide: Covering the swine flu outbreak

Swine flu isn't going away, but it's already proving an extremely difficult story to cover, and that's only going to get worse as the situation develops. After all, the WHO says we're one step away from a pandemic that would put 'all humanity under threat' - how the hell do you cover something that big?

It's safe to say that everyone from local papers to the BBC is learning on the job on this one - but here are a few practical suggestions and links which may be of help. Once again, it's a work in progress so let us know what we should add.

1) Get your head around the facts. Everyone's rushed off their feet struggling to get on top of a story this big, but you will do yourself a huge favour by taking an hour out to bone up on how swine flu works, what a pandemic is and the difference between antivirals and a vaccine.

The Health Protection Agency website is a good starting point, with advice for the public, a briefing on face masks and regular updates on the latest number of cases in England.

There are also lots of public-facing FAQs out there - you want to be careful where you go for medical knowledge on the internet, but the WebMDs FAQ or indeed the one on the BBC website are useful.

And if you really want to know your subject inside out, we'd recommend a quick skim of the Department of Health's National Framework for Responding to a Flu Pandemic. It's 141 pages of scary, apocalyptic stuff...

2) Get your head around the maps. One of the biggest challenges with this story is how fast it is developing - hard to believe most people had never heard of swine flu less than a week ago, and potential pandemics are no respecter of print deadlines.

Again official sources - the HPA in the UK, the CDC in the US - are a good starting point, but they're not always the most up-to-date, particularly with local information.

Wire services, if you have access to them, will obviously be the first port of call for breaking news, particularly Reuters. Of the mainstream media, the BBC, as you would expect, is doing a reasonable job of keeping on top of everything, albeit in Auntie's usual cautious way. Sky News, equally true to form, is breaking developments first but not always reliably. And of the newspaper sites, The Times has particularly impressed, but it's also worth mentioning the Guardian's daily news blogs which are a good one stop shop for coverage from around the world.

In terms of maps - the BBC has a reliable (though non-interactive) global map of the outbreak, updated daily, HealthMap effectively maps the outbreak through coverage, rather than cases, and if you're looking for a local angle, medical magazine Pulse has somewhat patchily started mapping real-time reports from GPs across the country.

We've repeatedly praised 'Niman's' Google Map of the outbreak (now with an astonishing quarter of a million hits) but while it is still constantly updated, the sheer size of the outbreak is making it less reliable. In the UK in particular, it is completely out of date, with no mention of the three confirmed cases in England announced yesterday.

3) Know who to call. All your usual contacts, of course, but on this one there will be several key local people whom you may not normally speak to who hold the key to the biggest news story of the year.

This is mainly a disease which will be treated in primary rather than secondary care, so your first call should be your local Primary Care Trust (there's a full list here), then hospitals. The Health Protection Agency has regional teams who may be of help. And on the ground GPs may be the first to come into contact with new cases, so if you know any who will take your call, make it.

If things get worse - and it's worth bearing in mind they may not, despite all appearances to the contrary, this may yet fizzle out - then you'll need to start covering the wider impact. School closures. Travel restrictions. The effect on the local economy, and so on.

4) Use technology. If ever there was a news story made for being covered with the latest technology, this is it - not only will you be able to report faster and better, you won't catch anything in the process.

So use all the tools at your disposal - email, Twitter, Facebook, Google Maps and so on - and make sure your own website is kept bang up to date.

In many ways actually, the biggest challenge is how to cover the outbreak in old media rather than new. If you're a daily, you're just about OK, but weekly papers and magazines are struggling wondering how to fill pages when the whole world could have changed by next week.

We don't have an easy answer, unfortunately, but do bear in mind that pandemics last weeks, if not months. Once the novelty wears off more measured coverage of events, however grave, is likely to kick in, and even weeklies will have plenty to offer.

5) Have your own plans in place. This would have been inconceivable advice to be offering this time last week, but it really is worth bearing in mind if and how your publication could function if staff get sick and the country shuts down.

If possible, see what you would be able to do from home. Check contact numbers and ensure those who need it have remote computer access. Make sure you understand what's expected of you and what precautions to take.

And remember two things. Firstly, if it all really does kick off, readers are going to want news more than ever before. But secondly, someone has to pay for it. Over the course of a full pandemic lasting several months, sales teams will may have less motivation to make it into work than reporters, but even if they do, they may have no one to sell to.

Another problem with no easy answer.

6) Finally, keep calm. Be sure when reporting that you're clear on the difference between confirmed cases and suspected cases, and bear in mind that you may have to rein in your usual tabloid instincts on a story of this magnitude. It's still entirely possible we won't see a pandemic, and even if we do, there may be a lower-than-anticipated fatality rate and disruption may be less than feared.

But also make sure you keep doing what journalists do best. Even at a time of crisis, there's no excuse for not asking difficult questions.

Senior Equipment Editor - Today's Golfer

Here at FleetStreetBlues we don't play much golf (we're much too wrapped up in Newcastle United's impending doom). But it's likely that for some poor soul out there, this is just about the perfect job.

Today's Golfer, the country's best-selling golfing magazine, is recruiting a Senior Equipment Editor. Job description? 'To test all the latest and greatest golf equipment'.

The ad doesn't talk much about its journalism requirements - in fact, it doesn't talk much about journalism period. But you will need to be a) senior and b) a good player.

Send a CV and 'five great golf equipment content ideas' to linda.manigan@bauermedia.co.uk. Deadline Sunday 31 May.

Campaigning journalism: the importance of picking a winner

What's the first rule of running a newspaper campaign?

Making sure it's a topical issue? Settling on a good name? Making sure you have some heavyweight supporters?

Nope, as anyone who's ever run one before will tell you, it's simple - make sure it's one you can win. (Or failing that, the aims are loosely-defined enough to make claiming victory possible whatever the result.)

Steve Dyson, editor of the Birmingham Mail, recently launched the paper's new 'We Want To Work' campaign.

It ticks all of the first set of boxes - it's topical, the name is simple but effective, and Apprentice star Ruth Badger (top left) is, ahem, as heavyweight as they get.

But the Mail has given itself just a few weeks to get eight local jobless people back into work. No doubt they'll be handpicked to have a fair chance of success - but still, it's a big ask, and the aims are pretty non-negotiable. In the middle of a global recession? In Birmingham? And now with swine flu? Good luck with that.

UPDATE: FleetStreetBlues can't help noticing that the comments mainly feature a disgruntled former employee, who says: 'What a Joker you really are Dyson, How dare you begin campaigning about unemployment and saving jobs in the Midlands when YOU and your so called management team recently made over 1/5 of your former colleagues redundant last November.' Ouch...

Video Producer - Financial Times

Lots of publications, and particularly the nationals, have taken to hiring young journalists for brand-new multimeeja roles in recent months, but this is a step further - the Financial Times is basically recruiting a broadcast journalist.

The official title is 'video producer', and you need to be an 'accomplished and multi-skilled producer', able to edit in something like Final Cut Pro and shoot on a Z1 or similar camera. You also need to be able to get your head around the FT's 'core expertise in finance', be able to learn their video publishing process and preferably have language skills as well, as some overseas travel is involved.

The full ad's on Gorkana, not directly linkable. Send a CV, covering letter and clips to Richard Edgar at richard.edgar@ft.com. Deadline Monday 18 May.

Papers and pretty girls

Whenever American tourists go into a British newsagents and check out the best Fleet Street has to offer, they're always amazed by one thing.

'I can't believe you have topless girls in a national newspaper,' they exclaim, half-outraged, half-envious. 'Every day!'

(OK, so it's mostly the male American tourists...)

But as any hack knows, it's not just the Sun and the Daily Star who have an eye for a pretty girl. The Telegraph invariably manages to find a pair of wide-eyed 17-year old beauties come A-level results time, while the Sunday Times insists on someone blonde and upwardly mobile to illustrate every other page.

And today, the Independent offered its own, very Independent-like twist on the genre, with this picture of Carla Bruni meeting Spain's Princess Letizia splashed over the top half of the front page.

It's a welcome relief from swine flu overload, and the Indy's picture editor can reflect on a job well done. That'll have them spluttering into their Fairtrade coffee...

Assistant News Editor - Gloucester Citizen

The Gloucester Citizen, a 6-day-a-week paper in, well, Gloucester, is looking for an assistant news editor.

They bill it as an opportunity for an experienced senior reporter or news editor on a weekly to 'step up to the plate'. Other than that, the ad is pretty vague - although the lack of more specific requirements implies they're willing to read applications with an open mind (as the ad puts it, 'You do not need to know our patch inside out or be the finished article but you need to have a hunger for news and a willingness to learn.')

Email letter and CV to maggie.bell@glosmedia.co.uk. Deadline Friday 15 May.

Reviews Editor - PhotoRadar

There aren't many shiny new internet startups out there recruiting full-time journalists at the moment, but new photography website PhotoRadar is hiring a reviews editor.

You'll be writing and editing reviews of various cameras and accessories, and also taking on a multimeeja role, blogging, making videos and interacting with users of the site's forum.

They want previous journalistic experience, writing reviews and also preferably news, and a detailed knowledge of all things photography is 'essential'. In return they offer a 'competitive' salary - aren't they all? - and the ability to get out an about, going to various photographic events both in the UK and overseas.

You'll be working for Future Publishing and so be based in Bath - a fact that the Journalism.co.uk ad for the role curiously manages to omit entirely.

Apply online. Deadline Saturday 23 May.

A good day to bury bad news

Remember Jo Moore? There was only one story in town on September 11, 2001. And there's only one story in town today. (And, who knows, for the next 18 months as well...)

If you're a reporter, wherever you work, and whatever you cover, no doubt you'll spend much of today looking for a 'swine flu angle'. But don't forget the rest of your patch as well. Today is a great day for burying bad news...

Mapping swine flu: an update

Has swine flu reached Britain? Have there actually been confirmed cases? Not according to the BBC's latest map of the outbreak, one click off the BBC front page this morning and tragically out of date. It was last updated yesterday at 3pm.

Given the fast-moving nature of the outbreak, and the huge number of journalists employed by the BBC (the most recent figure we could find puts it at more than 2,000), would it have been too much to expect hourly updates? After all, the heroic Google-mapper 'Niman', now with almost 100,000 hits in four days, is still at it.

New media's still winning...

Senior Reporter - Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph

If this sounds familiar, then it's because the Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph originally advertised for a new senior reporter last month. They obviously didn't get the person they wanted, because the ad's back up, with a new deadline.

There's no point repeating ourselves, so read our previous post or the new job ad itself for full details.

If you want to apply (and there's nothing specific in the new ad, as there sometimes is, about previous applicants not reapplying) then email your CV in a Word document to Jan Evans, secretary to the editor Jeremy Clifford, at jan.evans@northantsnews.co.uk. Deadline Tuesday 5 May.

Ways to survive the media recession

We're still working on the to-be-continued series of FleetStreetBlues guides, but in the meantime, if you're a freelance journalist struggling at the moment - and who isn't? - you may find the following helpful.

Freelance Unbound has put together an epic series on Ways To Survive The Media Recession. There's a freelance focus, though it's useful not just for the practical advice, but for the upbeat tone and as a bit of a pep talk. And we all need one of those right now.

So have a look - Ways To Survive The Media Recession... Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

Tales from the Tory conference

They may be striving to make themselves the ever-more media-friendly in the run-up to next year's general election, but a co-correspondent who was at the Conservative party spring forum yesterday reports a distinctly frosty encounter with the party faithful.

Our source sat down in the main auditorium, waiting for a session to begin, when the delightful old lady (think blue-rinse battleaxe) sitting next to her turned and asked 'And where have you come from?'

'Oh, I'm a journalist actually...'

At which said battleaxe reportedly flashed an oh-how-terrible smile. And turned away without saying another word.

How rude, said our co-correspondent. But we're not so sure. After all, think how journalists would react if they met a new person at work, asked where they were from and were told: 'Oh, I'm a Tory actually...'

Editor - Garden News

Got green fingers? Garden News, 'the UK's market-leading gardening weekly newspaper', is looking for a new editor.

You need to be an experienced journalist with previous editing/management experience, preferably on a weekly, and 'extensive knowledge of gardening would be an advantage'.

The frankly baffling ad then closes by assuring candidates that 'Veg is the new celeb'. We're not quite sure what that means, but it may be a subtle indication that they're looking to up their 24-7 paparazzi-style coverage of potatoes, sprouts and broccoli.

Anyway, if you're interested, email your CV to Angela Reynolds, PA to the managing director, at angela.reynolds@bauermedia.co.uk.

Mapping pre-pandemic swine flu

Looks like new media already has the mainstream media beat in terms of covering cases in what's increasingly looking like it could be a developing pandemic.

It's not necessarily all approved and official, of course. Some of those pink blobs above may turn out to be false alarms.

But 'Niman' - apparently someone with a scientific bent from Pittsburgh, who just might be this guy - has created a Google Map to track possible new cases as they are identified. And all today he's been leading, with the BBC, The Times, Reuters et al struggling to keep pace...

Bearing in mind that official Government estimates give it 2-4 weeks to reach the UK, and a further 2-4 weeks to reach pandemic levels in the UK, it does appear to be spreading, erm, quite fast.

Spreading the news of journalism's demise

Henry Porter writes in the Observer today about the value of local newspapers - and the impressive alumni from his days at the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo.

To journalists, perhaps there's not a huge amount of new material there - the decline in newspaper advertising, challenge from council-run papers and threat to local democracy have all been covered elsewhere.

But as with State of Play, it's good to see journalism's woes aired in a more public forum, beyond the narrow confines of the newsroom. The fourth estate is in crisis. And our readers deserve to know about it.

Trainee Reporter - Maidenhead Advertiser

Baylis Media Ltd, which publishes the Maidenhead Advertiser series, the Slough Express and the Windsor Express, is recruiting a trainee reporter.

Candidates 'MUST' (it's in capitals, so they REALLY MEAN IT) hold an NCTJ pre-entry certificate or equivalent, have 100wpm shorthand, and have multimedia broadcast skills. They mean the last bit too - you need to be 'equally comfortable picking up a notepad or video camera.'

You'll be based in Maidenhead, and they offer training to NCE levels as well as a competitive salary, pension scheme and private medical insurance.

Email your application to deputy editor Glenn Mitchell at news@baylismedia.co.uk. Deadine this Friday 1 May.

Breaking news: The end of the world

Where were you when you first read about the end of the world?

It hasn't occurred yet, of course, and it probably never will. But if the apocalypse ever does happen, chances are it'll start off being reported as a page 15 NIB in the Metro. 'China in border tensions with Taiwan'. 'Unusual solar activity, astronomers report.' 'Mystery virus wipes out village in Gambia.' That kind of thing.

Here at FleetStreetBlues apocalypse-spotting is a bit of a hobby of ours. And we have some expertise in this area too, both relevant work experience and the dubious kudos of having warned everyone about Sars when it was indeed still a page 15 NIB.

So we speak of what we know. And the whole Mexican swine flu scenario really doesn't sound too clever at all...

Hitting the phones - and why email's sometimes better

First he dished out some words of wisdom to FleetStreetBlues readers - now Tim Luckhurst is at it again.

In his Centre for Journalism blog, he upbraids some of his students for their reluctance to make - or even to receive - telephone calls. He writes:

Editors are entitled to expect reporters to make a dozen telephone calls before breakfast. Nor is there any debate to be had about the importance of answering telephones. The call you let ring might be the most important call of the day. It might be offering the exclusive that will make your career or win the title an award. Answer it. Show a sense of urgency. It is simple professional etiquette.

We concur, of course. No self-respecting reporter should end the day without a crick in their neck, and hitting the phones, methodically, persistently, is one of the most important parts of journalism full stop.

But he then goes on to apparently dismiss all other forms of communication.

E-mail and text messages might be good enough for ordinary civilians, they are NOT good enough for reporters.

On that, we'd beg to differ. There are times when email can achieve things a telephone call can't. Want to survey a large number of people? Leave a message for someone who's out you know they'll actually get? Or reach an important person who you know won't take your call? Sometimes emailing a VIP with a Blackberry, especially if they're in a meeting, can actually be the fastest way to get a comment.

No, the lesson to be learned is this. If you're trying to reach someone, try every means necessary, and all at once. Phone them first, but if you call and leave a message, don't wait for them to call back. Email them, Facebook them, Twitter at them, even track them down in person until they can no longer ignore the fact you're trying to get hold of them.

When they do get back to you, of course, they may not want to talk to you. But at least you'll know for sure - and anyway, by then you'll be working on getting hold of the next name on the list.

The lobby strikes back...

... through the pen of the mighty Bill Blanko.

Ever since he claimed the scalp of Damian McBride, top political blogger Guido Fawkes has been cock-a-hoop, taunting the 'Dead Tree Press' in general, and the parliamentary lobby in particular. (Yesterday he got personal, labelling the Telegraph's Andrew Porter 'chief copy-taker').

Now the redoubtable Mr Blanko will take the outrageous slurs no longer.

"Cowardice and cronyism run right through the lobby," he wrote.
Ouch! Well, I guess we'll plead guilty to cronyism. But what's wrong with a bit of cronyism?

I'd prefer to call it looking after your mates and uniting against a common enemy: vile news editors and loathesome, self-serving executives back at Red Top Towers and other newspaper offices.

Cowardice? Well, let me tell you, it takes real courage to write some of the flyers, inventions, concoctions and Sunday paper plausible fiction that some of us put our name to week in, week out.

And it also takes a fair amount of bravery to go ten rounds in the managing editor's office at Red Top Towers defending party conference expenses when we return from what used to be the annual drinking tour of seaside resorts, but is now an intercity boozathon.

Reporter - Research Fortnight

Research Fortnight, which publishes both print newsletters and online bulletins, describes itself as 'the policy bible of the UK research community', and it's fair to say it's every bit as geeky as that sounds. But for anyone interested in science journalism it's an excellent starting point - Research Fortnight alumni have gone on to great things.

For this reporter position you'll need a background in science, engineering or social sciences, some knowledge of research and the UK university system, and fluency in French, German or a Scandinavian language would be a big plus (you'll also be writing for sister publication Research Europe).

You'll be based in Hoxton in London, on a starting salary of 'up to £21k'.

Email a covering letter, CV and three clips to the editor Colin Macilwain at job30@researchresearch.com.

State of Play: the last great film about newspapers?

In the last few years, there have only been a couple of half-decent films or TV shows about journalism.

The fifth episode of The Wire was good, though journalist-turned-screenwriter David Simon somehow managed to make his portrayal of a newspaper less convincing than that of the Baltimore City Police Department. And How To Lose Friends And Alienate People deserves a mention too - despite a light-hearted tone, its warts-and-all portrait of a celebrity-led magazine was dead on.

But in State of Play we finally have it - a thoughtful, modern, in-depth treatment of the trade we love, and a Hollywood blockbuster to boot.

OK, so the plot centres around an improbable if enjoyable old-school conspiracy, involving murder, politics and private military contractors. But this is fundamentally a film about modern journalism.

Corporate publishers chasing the bottom line at the expenses of investigative journalism? Check. Experienced hacks struggling to come to terms with the explosion of new media? Check. Political insider blogs setting the mainstream media's news agenda? Check.

There's even a constant running debate between reporters and editors about what to put online straight away, and what to hold back for the print edition. Sound familiar?

It's possible, of course, that a lot of this may pass non-journalists by, and while FleetStreetBlues found the film hugely enjoyable, strip away the journalism and there may be less left there than you'd like to think. But for anyone who is a journalist, ever has been a journalist or thinks they might fancy becoming a journalist in the future, it's an absolute must.

It's also a sad film. The director, Kevin MacDonald, said he made it with the knowledge that 'newspapers are dying around the world', and there is an elegaic finality in some places, particular the closing sequence. This could be the last great film about newspapers ever made.

But if is, then at least it's a belter, jam-packed with quotes to savour. There were too many to remember, but two at least stuck. 'I'm a PR, I don't know anything' was one you may want to stick on the wall. And the wry comment of editor Helen Mirren about why she hired one young reporter rings a few bells. 'She's hungry, she's cheap, and she churns out copy every hour,' she explains.

Enough praise. Just go see it. We absolutely guarantee you'll hold yourself a little taller as you walk into work the next day.

Senior Reporter - Suffolk Free Press

The Suffolk Free Press - leading today with the local paper classic 'Land Army girl rewarded - 60 years on' - is recruiting a senior reporter.

They're looking for someone who's just passed their NCE or is working elsewhere as a senior reporter on a weekly, and someone who'll be able to dig out off-diary stories as well as covering courts and councils.

You'll be based in Sudbury, which is apparently a 'newsy town' and close by to Ipswich, Colchester and Bury St Edmunds.

Email the editor Philip Minett for an application form at philip.minett@suffolkfreepress.co.uk. Deadline Monday 11 May.

Quote of the Day: 23 April 2009

Journalist and blogger Kristine Lowe, on the return of the increasingly zombie-like Press Gazette - both welcoming the news, and explaining why it's likely to need rescuing again in, oh, say six months to a year:

'Hurray, seems I get to continue reading those Press Gazette blogs after all...I'm also, of course, happy for the staff who get to stay on. I will however not take out a subscription for the print magazine because I'm a rather poor journalist myself; it's ancient news before it reaches these foreign shores and Roy Greenslade's explanation of the abrrevation Pdf as equalling Pretty Damn Futile brilliantly sums up my view on Pdf. Actually, I don't think I can remember when I last read a print magazine.'

Sub Editors x 3 - The National

The National, Abu Dhabi's English-language newspaper led by former Telegraph editor Martin Newland, is hiring once again, and seeking three senior sub-editors who fancy a year or more of sun, sea, sand and absolutely no sex.

Knowledge of Middle East issues is preferred but not required - what they're really after here is experience, and lots of it. 'Chief sub-editors and deputy chief sub-editors who have taken redundancy or who have recently retired are especially encouraged to apply.'

In return there's a very competitive - and tax-free - salary, and one free flight home a year. Plus the chance to live in Abu Dhabi.

Email your CV, with the job title in the subject line, to head of revise desk Daniel Beaulieu, at jobs@thenational.ae. Deadline Saturday 16 May.

Words from the wise: Professor Chris Frost

The second in FleetStreetBlues' occasional series offering short, sharp words of wisdom on how to get ahead in journalism is from Professor Chris Frost, head of journalism at Liverpool John Moores University.

Getting on the right course is a good start for any would-be journalist, but most important is being totally committed to being the best and being prepared to put in all the hard work needed to pull that off right from the first day.

A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma

Here's a challenge. China is the world's biggest country, has the second biggest economy and it's about to become the world's number one superpower. So can you name ten living Chinese people?

Well, it may be that you're a closet Sinologist. But if, like FleetStreetBlues, you couldn't get much past a couple of former Prime Ministers and the fit one out of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, then you may find this article particularly useful.

Timothy Garton-Ash explains the media's sometimes peculiar focus on the next rulers of the world - oh, and gives us some much needed basics in the process.

Property reporter - The Times

Your eyes do not deceive you. This is an achievable opening on a national, openly advertised. Pick your jaw back up off the floor.

The kicker is, of course, it is specialist to a degree. You'd be working as a news and features writer for The Times' Bricks & Mortar section, so specialising very much in the plummeting property market. But you will also be writing property news for the Home and Business sections, so unlike some of the occasional advertised position on nationals, you won't be working in a silo. The job has potential.

The requirements are exacting, though (not least as today's ad on Gorkana is the second time of adverising). As well as the usual about being an excellent reporter/writer - you can take that as read - they specifically want 'someone who can develop and implement ideas for the online coverage of the housing market, using data, graphics and picture galleries'.

The application process is a tricky one too, almost certainly in a deliberate attempt to weed out all but the most determined candidates. As well as your CV, you also need to submit 'an outline for a Bricks & Mortar cover story, with additional graphical and other material that would give this story extra relevance online.'

And then send all that lot to anne.ashworth@thetimes.co.uk.

How to have your brand and close it

From Private Eye, via Jon Slattery:

'Wilmington made no mention of the closure ahead of the 2009 Press Awards on 31 March and with good reason. Would it have found it so easy to charge a corporate rate of £3,000 per table, plus VAT if the 700 paying guests knew the magazine which supported the awards was about to fold?

With more than 60 tables at the Grosvenor House Hotel, it was a nice little earner for Wilmington. No wonder it still wants to continue the awards without the bother of producing the magazine - inspired no doubt, by those BBC executives who for several years carried on hosting a What the Papers Say awards lunch while killing off the programme itself.'

Writer/Sub-Editor - Metro World News

If you've ever sat on the tube, and read the Metro, and read the bylines, and wondered how their reporters somehow manage to report from three or four continents simultaneously... well, this may not be for you. Metro World News is looking for a writer/sub-editor, but given the heavy reliance on wire copy, it's fair to say the emphasis will be on subbing.

With that proviso though, this is something of a plum role. Based in offices on Fleet Street, you could earn up to £35,000 - and you'll need the skills to match. The ad (on Gorkana, not directly linkable) asks for 'exceptional English skills', three years' experience with a major news organisation, strong reporting skills and a college degree 'or equivalent work experience'.

Email CV, clips and salary requirement (without which your application will not be accepted) to aleksander.korab@metro.lu.

Poll: The jobs situation

If you haven't already spotted it, there's a new poll at the top right of the page.

A couple of commenters have recently suggested that the jobs situation may be looking up slightly. So let us know what you think. Seen any green shoots lately?

Freelance Unbound

Freelancing is a part of journalism we definitely don't cover enough here at FleetStreetBlues.

For many, especially at the moment, it's a means to an end, a way of getting through between jobs, of getting your name out there, making contacts and gaining experience. If you're a journalist, there's no such thing as unemployed. You're just freelancing.

But for others, it's a chosen and cherished way of working. They take the rough - working on their own, waiting for late payments, constantly chasing for more work - in order to appreciate the smooth - independence, freedom and the chance to get paid for writing about whatever they want.

For a thoughtful take on this latter kind of freelancing - and some of its daily challenges - check out the excellent Freelance Unbound...

The nationals who are (not) hiring

A prominent Media Guardian piece this morning on the increasingly dire trainee-ship situation by Jon Slattery, which also quotes fellow bloggers Hannah Waldram and Adrian Monck.

Much of it we know already - economic downturn, cautious publishers, what the hell were you thinking journalism for anyway? - but helpfully they've called round all the nationals to find out where their training schemes are this year.

So, to summarise:

- The Guardian - training scheme suspended, although Scott Trust bursaries for postgraduate training in journalism and technology to go ahead

- Daily Mail - 'committed' to going ahead with taking on trainees, usually a dozen

- The Times - 'continuing a number of postgraduate traineeships'

- The Sunday Times - less formal training for undergraduates through NCTJ and 'Murdoch scholars' scheme

- Mirror Group - national training scheme suspended

- Telegraph Media Group - training scheme suspended with view to restarting in 2010

- The Sun - less formal training for undergraduates through NCTJ and 'Murdoch scholars' scheme

- News of the World - will take on one graduate for its 2009 Robert Warren Graduate Scholarship

- Press Association - multimedia training scheme suspended

Sports Reporter - Grimsby Telegraph

Trainee journalists in Britain often gravitate south, and particularly to the capital. But in today's increasingly competitive jobs market, it's a big help if you're as flexible as possible. It's not, contrary to what many believe, all grim oop north. And it's not all grim in Grimsby.

So, if you want to work as a sports hack and are willing to relocate, this could be perfect. The Grimsby Telegraph is looking for a trainee sports reporter who'll be doing a bit of everything - writing, subbing, video, features, even radio. Crucially, there's no specific mention of NCTJ as a requirement - they just say they're looking for a willing trainee 'to learn all aspects of the job'.

Submit your application to the editor, Michelle Lalor, at michelle.lalor@gsmg.co.uk. Deadline Tuesday 28 April.

Reporters - World Entertainment News Network

Worldwide celebrity newswire WENN are recruiting 'showbiz journalists' for their office in London.

You need to be able to write accurate and fast copy, and it might be worth applying even if you're at an entry-level stage - they ask for 'a recently-qualified trainee looking to get their foot on the ladder of showbiz journalism, or a local newspaper journalist who is ready for that next important step in their career.'

Salary is 'competitive', apparently, and of course there's a certain glamour factor. There might be some swanky invites, and even if you never actually leave the office, writing about Brangelina has to beat covering council meetings.

Apply with a CV to senior news wire editor Zak Newland (see, showbiz name...) at zak.newland@wenn.com. Deadline next Thursday 23 April.

Fleet Street and the Blues

Anyone who's pounded the streets as a shoe-leather reporter will recognise this scenario. Policemen don't like protestors, and they don't like journalists. And they really don't like protestors/journalists who know their rights waving video cameras in their face.



Forget the G20 protests, Ian Tomlinson et al, it's not about that anymore. The bandwagon is rolling, with even the Mail on board. The police now are the story - Fleet Street vs the Hill Street Blues.

P Dacre's generous charity gift

We don't know the exact net worth of Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, but it's fair to say he's not short of a few bob. After all, his annual salary is now reportedly a whopping £1.6 million. You'll never earn anything in journalism.

So we were intrigued when a co-correspondent sent us a link to the London Marathon fundraising page of the Mirror's foxy 3am girl Clemmie Moodie. Listed there is one 'P Dacre' - contribution, £10. (Clemmie, lest we forget, used to work at the Mail).

It would be a beautiful story, if only it were the real thing, but it can't be... Can it?

FleetStreetBlues' suspicions were raised by the comment left alongside the contribution, 'this is coming out of your signing on bonus'. Doesn't sound like Mr Dacre.

Let the weak go to the wall?

Based largely, it seems, on a cosy chat with the octogenerian publisher of the Cornish & Devon Post, a gent called Sir Ray Tindle, the Times' Dan Sabbagh argues today that the crisis has been blown out of all proportion.

'What in fact is happening is that the weaker titles, the weaker companies, are the ones in trouble. And perhaps their demise is no bad thing (apart from those whose jobs are at risk); at some point weak, irrelevant media brands need to disappear.'

'The titles that have failed or run into trouble are generally suburban freesheets; Observer Standard, which stumbled into administration, was a publisher of property-based freesheets south of Birmingham. Local democracy is not threatened by the company’s problems. Look perhaps at magazines: the titles that have closed, such as Maxim, the men’s monthly, and Press Gazette, the journalists’ trade paper, were losing readers. Press Gazette never recovered from a decision last year to go monthly.'

He has a point, of course, but not much of one. No, not every weekly freesheet is operating in the proud investigative tradition of Woodward and Bernstein. But Press Gazette, for example, did play a valid role in democracy by supporting and protecting the work of the journalists

And boldly proclaiming that the only publications who go out of business deserve to go out of business is pretty insulting, really. The world does not need fewer journalists.

Reporter - Fife Herald

The Fife Herald in Scotland is looking for a reporter to join its team based in Cupar (no, us neither, but it's just south of Dundee and west of St Andrews).

You need some previous experience and should have gained or be working towards your NCTJ. A clean and valid driving licence is also a must.

Email CV and covering letter to the editor Graeme Scott at edherald@fifetoday.co.uk. Deadline Tuesday 28 April.

Sub-Editors - Northcliffe Media South East

Northcliffe Media is hiring a number of sub-editors for its new production centre in Chelmsford, which is about to open shortly. You'll be working on a wide range of titles including the Essex Chronicle, Kent & Sussex Courier, Surrey Mirror, Dover Express and Croydon Advertiser.

The job ad doesn't give away much, but the requirement is for 'fast, flexible, creative sub-editors' so experience is a given.

Send applications and CVs to editorial director Alan Geere at alan.geere@essexchronicle.co.uk. Deadline next Friday 24 April.

'His mum called...'

Complaints to newspapers are common enough occurrences.

Sometimes the complainant writes a long and precise letter, detailing their grievance. Sometimes they hire a lawyer to do the talking for them. Sometimes they take it direct to the Press Complaints Commission.

And sometimes their mum just gives the news editor an earful...

FSB Guide: Where to look for journalism jobs

If you're looking for a journalism jobs, there are three major problems you'll quickly encounter.

Firstly, there aren't very many.

Secondly, the various jobs websites tend to list the same jobs, meaning a lot of duplication, and water down the actual journalism jobs with a heavy dose of PR gigs and jobs which are absolutely nothing to do with journalism (witness Journalism.co.uk's recent ad for an 'Emergency fundraising and information specialist').

Thirdly, the very best jobs out there tend to be invisible. You know they're out there because you see people getting appointed to them on Gorkana, but they were never advertised in the first place.

Here then is our no-nonsense six-step guide on how to find the best jobs in journalism. It's a work-in-progress, so send us your thoughts, ideas and corrections, and we'll update it as we go.

1) Start with FleetStreetBlues. Yes, let's get the shameless self-promotion out the way first. We don't claim to list anything like all of the jobs out there. But we do list what we think are the best ones. There are no 'Communications manager' roles clogging up our site, and because we don't get paid for the ads, we give it to you straight. If a job is likely to involve a lot of rewriting press releases or ridiculous hours, we'll tell you.

2) Check out the 'big four' jobs sites.

Gorkana - very well-organised site with a particular focus on trade jobs. A must-see - and they have a useful email you can subscribe to to keep you easily updated.

HoldTheFrontPage - far fewer jobs on here, but they cover an area neglected by Gorkana and a lot of the other sites - regional journalism. If you're after a job on a local paper, this is another must.

Journalism.co.uk - some good jobs in here, similar but not identical to the Gorkana mix, so well worth checking out. Occasionally swamped by listings for overseas financial newswires though, which can be of limited interest.

Media Guardian - time was, the only place to look for a decent job in journalism was the Guardian on a Monday. Not any more - there are sometimes only a couple of real journalism jobs in an entire supplement-full of PR and marketing positions. Worth checking out nonetheless (the paper edition is highly recommended over the unwieldy website). Just don't get tempted to the dark side...

3) Publishers' sites - by now the law of diminishing returns is kicking in, and you're increasingly unlikely to find new jobs which haven't already been listed elsewhere. But it is definitely worth scanning over newspaper and magazine publishers' websites from time to time to see if anything has been missed out by the bigger sites.

There are lots to choose from, so this list is far from comprehensive, but here's where to start:

Newspapers

Newsquest - publishing behemoth owning approximately 300 newspapers, magazines and trade publications, including 17 paid-for dailies. Jobs site currently lists 0 vacancies...

Archant - family-owned regional paper group based largely in the east of England - owns East Anglian Daily Times

Johnston Press - another giant publisher, operating 18 dailies, 300 weeklies and 323 websites

Daily Mail and General Trust - owner of Northcliffe, which has hundreds of papers - very few jobs listed though

Note that Trinity Mirror, DC Thomson and Guardian Media Group don't seem to list specific vacancies on their websites

Magazines

Haymarket - big consumer and trade magazine publisher featuring brands such as Four Four Two, PRWeek and Campaign

Emap - another giant magazine publisher with more of a trade emphasis, including Health Service Journal, Retail Week and Architects' Journal

Centaur - a smaller specialist and business magazine publisher, with brands such as Marketing Week, The Lawyer and The Engineer

Reed Business Information (RBI) - a biggie with consumer and trade publications, including the New Scientist, Farmers' Weekly and Personnel Today

National Magazine Company - consumer focused with brands such as Cosmopolitan, Esquire and Best

Broadcast

FleetStreetBlues tends to focus very much on the print media, so we have less knowledge of the broadcast journalism sector. But check out the BBC Jobs page, the Broadcast Journalism Training Council and Broadcast magazine.

4) Other job sites - there are a plethora of other sites out there listing jobs, although in some cases what appears to be an independent site is simply running a jobs feed from another site. It's worth looking at Media UK, Source That Job and what used to be the Press Gazette's jobs feed, Jobs4Journalists.

Jobs.ac.uk has a good selection of academic jobs relating to journalism.

And while it's got far more jobs from the US than the UK on it, we love the Cub Reporters website, which has a sizeable jobs section.

5) Recruitment agencies - these are traditionally a less-favoured way into journalism, and if you do sign up to a recruitment agency you'll have to be very wary of them trying to push you into something which isn't quite journalism. (Note to agencies - media sales is the media, but it ain't journalism). They can also be somewhat London-centric.

But as the recession bites, and every advert for a new position starts to attract unmanageable numbers of applications, some editors are increasingly tempted to use a recruitment agency to handle applications (and weed out all the unsuitable ones).

Some ones to consider are PFJ, The Media Network, Formula Won, Reed and Editorial Portfolio.

6) And finally... what about the hidden jobs? Some - most, even - of the best jobs in journalism never make it onto any of the websites or into any of the papers mentioned above.

Speculative applications - while time-consuming, and generally sent more in hope than expectation - can bear fruit. Always make sure you personalise the application, rather than randomly firing off CVs to as many editors as possible. Try to include something beyond the obvious that will make you stand out. And be flexible over what you're willing to accept - it may not be ideal, but sometimes offering to start with unpaid work experience may be your route in.

Beyond that, well... it's partly about who you know, and never underestimate the value of bonding over after-work drinks. But there aren't as many shortcuts as you'd think. You'll need to develop new skills, build up a reputable body of work, network like crazy and generally make a name for yourself.

And how you go about that is the subject for another guide entirely.

Words from the wise: Professor Tim Luckhurst

Rather than idly pontificating on how we think you might best get ahead in journalism, we thought we'd ask the experts. Here is their advice - just for you and exclusive to FleetStreetBlues.

First up, Tim Luckhurst, professor of journalism and the news industry at the University of Kent and former editor of the Scotsman.

My advice as a professor and a former editor is:

i) Embrace new media. Learn to use it properly, but don't be fooled by it. We are at the beginning of the internet era and economic models will change. There will be professional journalism on the internet. It will be excellent. But it will not be created on the Google model. Future news organisations will be owned and run by news professionals. They will take time to emerge.

ii) Get a very serious academic education. Study traditional subjects such as politics, history, economics and law alongside journalism skills and make sure you do so at a top university. Convergence has made entry to journalism more competitive than ever. Editors have many applications for every job. They need brilliant, imaginative people with the ability to generate fresh story ideas every day and the maturity to take responsibility. Very few people who want to be journalists have the ability to succeed in the profession. That has been true for years and it is getting truer by the day.

iii) Never imagine that you will be able to work an eight hour day. Being a reporter is a privilege as well as a job. If you want to work 9-5 with guaranteed days off then don't go into journalism.

iv) Don't give up. Representative democracy cannot function without accurate, fact-based reporting. There will be new demand for professional journalists, but only the best will make careers in the news industry.

News Editor - Trinity Mirror Southern

Trinity Mirror Southern - the newspaper group covering paid for and free titles in West London, Middlesex, Surrey and south Bucks, is hiring a news editor.

Your official title will be Multimedia Editor News, and as such you'll be working in a 'centralised editorial unit' in Chertsey, Surrey, alongside five other Multimedia Editor Newses. The successful candidate 'will be expected to work on news and feature pages across any given newspaper series within the portfolio'. No use fighting it people. It's the future.

As well as editing incoming copy you'll have some production responsibilites such as liaising with page planning and 'maintaining efficient workflows'.

You need to be a fully-qualified senior and ideally know Quark as well, although 'some training is available for the right candidate'.

Email CV and covering letter to Multimedia Development Editor Gerri Besgrove at gerribesgrove@trinitysouth.co.uk. Deadline this Friday 17 April.

Viewpoint: The (new) first rule of journalism

This is the first of an occasional series we're provisionally entitling Viewpoint - until we can think of something better - that will allow guest contributors to write or rant about anything related to journalism.


You can contribute anonymously or have a byline if you prefer - the only thing we ask is that it's short, to the point and of interest to our readers. We reserve the right to edit or refuse any article at any stage, so we'd suggest pitching it first.


If you're interested, email fleetstreetblues@hotmail.co.uk.


+ + + + + + + + + +


by A N Other


Accuracy. The first rule of journalism, and something that was drummed into me at my local paper work experience before my post grad journalism course and on the course itself.

It’s not hard to understand. Get information right. Double-check your facts. Don’t make things up.

Yet I know of at least two publications where editors, who’ve spent at least 10 years in the game (and should know better), are decidedly sloppy when it comes to editing stories. Indeed, they seem to feel a need to ‘edit facts’ entirely unnecessarily. They take quotes out of context. They get basic information, such as names, wrong. In some cases, they effectively head straight towards law suits.

But is it because they’ve been journalists so long that they are so jaded that ‘truth’ and ‘accuracy’ are meaningless? Am I, as a young reporter, being naïve for putting accuracy on such a pedestal? I don’t think so.

Being accurate gives your publication value and helps keep you out of trouble. If you find yourself with a sloppy editor, one piece of advice – keep a copy of EVERYTHING you file to the editor, and name the folder CYA.

Because in these selfish times, it’s the new first rule of journalism. Cover Your Ass.

How to get ahead in journalism

There's good news for the Intrepid Reporter - after we featured him last week, a kind FleetStreetBlues reader helped him out and he now has work experience at the Camden New Journal - but it's bleak out there.

Another reader, would-be sports journalist Ben Whitelaw, who writes the Pope and Swift blog, writes: 'I can't help worrying, much like The Intrepid Reporter, that my journalism career has been grounded before it has gained air.'

Ben, like the Intrepid Reporter, seems to be doing everything right - student paper, work experience, plans to go to City - but isn't getting very far, and wants advice on where he's going wrong.

FleetStreetBlues doesn't have any easy answers. It is quite possible to do everything right, be a good prospect and still get nowhere in today's feral job market. But we want to help. So over the next few weeks we'll be putting together a series of one-stop shop guides on how to get into journalism, and what to do when you're there.

We'll also be asking the real experts - leading journalism academics and editors from across the country - for their words of wisdom. Fingers crossed they have some answers...

Chief Reporter - Accountancy Age

The market-leading weekly trade mag Accountancy Age is searching for a Chief Reporter.

It's clear from the ad that what they're looking for first and foremost is a great journalist. B2B experience is 'useful but not absolutely essential', they say, and there doesn't seem to be any reference to previous knowledge of the sector.

But they do want a journalist who can not only cover their own patch well but has 'solid experience' and leadership skills to 'guide a small but dedicated team of reporters through the development of off-diary news and the building of exclusive stories'. They also emphasise that the right candidate will have to be familiar with demands of both print and online (although interestingly they seem to have dropped last year's requirement of an actual screen test).

Apply via the website.

Quote of the Day: 13 April 2009

Andy Dickinson, journalism academic at the University of Central Lancashire's Department of Journalism, on why he's stopping his journalism blog after three years of posts:

'Maybe I’m falling out of love with journalism at the moment. Perhaps when I read the morally outraged vitriol spouted about Jackie Smith’s husband and his porn films in a paper owned by and advertising films and content by the same ‘pornographers’ who made the films he watched I wonder just where quality journalism is. That quality journalism that the local media groups say they need to be given more freedom to protect by becoming even bigger versions of the monolithic media companies so poorly suited to the future media landscape. Maybe that’s what it is…'

Crime Reporter - Sunday Life

The Sunday Life, an award-winning Sunday tabloid in Belfast, is recruiting a 'top-flight' crime correspondent.

Not one for a beginner this - you'll need to be able to hit the ground running, with first-class contacts, a proven record in daily or Sunday journalism, and preferably a background covering crime.

Like all Sunday reporters, you'll be working Tuesday - Saturday, and will need a full driving licence. And business-class car insurance, apparently. You must be 'willing to learn and practice digital journalism'.

To get an application form, email personnel@belfasttelegraph.co.uk. Deadline Wednesday 22 April.

PA cancels multimedia training scheme

The deadline has been and gone, applications have been slaved over and hopes raised - but it looks as though the Press Association's three-year multimedia graduate training scheme won't be taking on anyone this year after all.

Those already on the scheme won't be affected though, we're told.

Journalism.co.uk has the scoop from a PA spokeswoman:

'In light of the current pressures being felt by the media industry, the Press Association has taken the decision not to recruit any new entrants to its in-house multimedia journalist training scheme for summer 2009,' she said.

'We remain committed to the scheme which has trained 143 journalists over the past 15 years and there are still currently 16 trainees at various stages of the three year programme.'

Guido Fawkes vs the parliamentary lobby

Guido Fawkes, possibly Britain's most influential blogger, is at it again...

Last Thursday, he put up an unexplained, enigmatic picture of No 10 spin-doctor Damian McBride - firmly in the cross-hairs. The Telegraph today splashes on the story, reporting that Guido has obtained emails from McBride containing 'a number of unfounded, innuendo-laden suggestions about th, e private lives of David Cameron, George Osborne and other Conservative MPs'.

But judging from coverage elsewhere - see the BBC, for example - it seems as though the Telegraph story is in fact a mere aperitif. Expect explosive stories in the Sundays tomorrow...

For journalists, though, the story has wider implications. It shows the still-growing power of the blogosphere, and Guido Fawkes in particular, to set the national news agenda, of course.

But perhaps more importantly, it lifts still further the lid on the way that the somewhat secretive lobby - parliamentary correspondents and the nationals and some big regional papers -work. Ever since he started the blog, Guido has dedicated himself to tweaking the tails of the lobby's big beasts, whether it's gatecrashing lobby briefings, investigating Nick Robinson's expenses or ridiculing 'Sir' Michael White.

His reaction to the Telegraph story today - a story which seems clearly to be a damage-control pre-emptive leak from No 10 - is another case in point.

Bill Blanko will be none too pleased. After all, we didn't come into the lobby to be ridiculed by upstart bloggers...

Reporter - Construction News

Emap trade weekly Construction News is looking for a reporter.

They're looking for a 'hard-nosed news reporter' with an eye for scoops, and some experience of journalism and working in a fast-paced environment, preferably another weekly publication, is a must. 'Knowledge of the built environment' is also an advantage, so if your dad's an architect or you spent a summer working on a building site, you're in luck.

The ad's just appeared on Gorkana, but we understand they've already started looking via recruitment agencies, so are quite picky - make sure your application's pitch-perfect.

Email CV and salary expecatations to jobs@emap.com.

Sub Editor - Wiltshire Times

A designer/sub vacancy to work on the Newsquest weeklies the Wiltshire Times and Wiltshire Gazette & Herald.

You'll need good copy subbing skills and be ready to work on news, features and advertising supplements. A 'competitive' salary is promised.

Apply to the editor, Gary Lawrence, at glawrence@newswilts.co.uk. Deadline Monday 20 April.

Quote of the Day - 9 April 2009

The Press Gazette's Grey Cardigan, on how journalists at the Guardian may be best-placed to ride out the recession:

'A colleague has taken to drawing comparisons between Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger and Oskar Schindler. Only those 730 souls on Rusbridger’s list are safe from the labour camp of redundancy. And, just as Schindler never managed to make a hand grenade that worked, so Rusbridger will probably never manage to make a profit.'

Work Experience - Maxim

Maxim magazine is looking for a willing workie to join its picture desk for 2-3 months.

It's 10am - 5.30pm, five days a week, unpaid but with travel expenses to their London offices. You'll be helping with all aspects of a picture desk's duties, so image research, budget control, fee negotiation etc.

Experience not essential but you need to have an interest in images/photography. Also, an interest in scantily-clad women.

Full ad on Gorkana (not directly linkable). Email CV and covering note to Maxim Picture Editor Jason Timson at jason_timson@dennis.co.uk.

'Multimeeja'

A reader writes:

'Seriously, please stop the multimeeja thing - it's bloody annoying. I'm not entirely sure what you think turning your nose up at the future of journalism (however unappetising) proves...'

It looks like the future of journalism at the moment, but it doesn't have to be.

Granted, decent computer skills are essential for a journalist these days, and knowledge of video, audio, QuarkXpress and HTML are all added strings to your bow (FleetStreetBlues personally finds itself knee-deep in hideously complicated spreadsheets in Excel most days).

But it's not journalism. Journalism is getting out there, talking to people, asking them difficult questions and keeping asking them until you get the right answers.

If by 'future of journalism' you mean 'what jobs ads are currently emphasising' then yes, multimedia is the future of journalism. But this kind of multimedia journalism isn't any more sustainable than the old model of journalism. Will a junior video journalist at Mirror.co.uk really be able to generate enough added value - unique users who visit to the site to view their videos because they can't find them anywhere else on the web - to justify a full-time salary?

Online is the future, and publishers have to find a way of making it pay. But newspapers also have to be clear what their strengths are, and play to them. And people don't turn to Mirror.co.uk to look for video news, any more than they want a podcast from their local paper. Better for the Mirror to hire another investigative hack to dig up the scoops on which its brand is based.

Learn new skills, by all means. Think up innovative ways of telling stories. But don't get so lots in the excitement of new media that you leave your readers behind. We can't all work for the BBC website.

Rant over. It's an ongoing debate, and we're grateful for the feedback, and we're probably going to have to start bloody Twittering any day now just to keep up anyway. But we don't have to agree that it's the way ahead and we don't have to like it. Multimeeja stays...

Business Reporter - Premier Newspapers

Premier Newspapers, a newspaper group with eight offices and a number of titles across Milton Keynes, Luton, Aylesbury and Hemel Hempstead, is looking for a business writer.

You'll need to have some experience in the field already, ideally be NCTJ-trained and if you know the area as well, that's a plus. You'll officially be working as part of the features team, but they also want a decent news sense - you should be able to 'dig out the business stories that will make people sit up and take notice.'

To apply, email a CV and 'anything else you think will serve as a calling card' to group editor John Francis at john.francis@jpress.co.uk. Deadline this Friday 10 April.