Reporters - Caters News Agency

Birmingham-based Caters News Agency is hiring again, with a general-purpose ad seeking reporters and feature writers.

They'll consider newly-minted journalists, but would prefer one to two years' experience. 100 wpm shorthand, a driving licence and your own car will be a big help.

Email CV, covering letter and salary expectations to Chris Dyche at chrisdyche@catersnews.com. Deadline this Friday 5 March.

'I flung her off a bridge'

A keen-eyed sub and FleetStreetBlues reader sends in this from the Today newspaper in Singapore - a rather horrific page lead about a baby being thrown off a bridge.

Some newspapers make a careful editorial decision about the juxtaposition of copy and ads on each page, to ensure there's no suggestion of deliberate placing, or unfortunate clashes. Others just dive right in.

BBC on red alert?

Westminster gossipmonger-in-chief Guido Fawkes is reporting that BBC political teams have 'been told not to go away over the weekend'. Slightly dubious that BBC Forward Planning would have the inside track on the election date but... we're intrigued.

If you know more - or haven't heard anything and probably would have - let us know at fleetstreetblues@hotmail.co.uk. Strictly off the record.

How to write journalism 101

Freelance Unbound - who in addition to being a freelance journalist himself, also teaches journalism students - has published a list of tips on writing style, particularly aimed at those facing formal student assessments.

The advice itself is straightforward, and nothing revolutionary - writing short sentences, keeping it simple, doing a draft first - but useful nonetheless. And the most useful tip of all? 'Pretend you're telling your story to a friend.'

Actually, when FleetStreetBlues was training as a journalist back in the day, the advice from our gruff, no-nonsense night editor was slightly different. 'Pretend you're telling your story to your decrepit, slightly deaf, Daily Mail-reading aunt.'

FleetStreetBlues doesn't have an aunt - but we've been writing to her ever since.

Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti

An email arrives from a reader and journalist in Oxford, who helpfully points out (and this is literally the whole email):

Did you know that your initials also stand for the successor organisation to Russia's KGB - the Federal Security Bureau?

Actually we did know that, although we're not entirely sure what we're expected to do with the information. It's not just Russian security types we're competing with either - there's the Federation of Small Businesses to contend with, and a quick Wikipedia search reveals we also share an acronym with the Federal Savings Bank, the Financial Stability Board, a Nordic-Baltic banking group and (we swear we're not making this up) an Eighties Bulgarian progressive rock band.

What can we say? Googling us can be a bitch. SEO is for wimps.

Editor - Executary News

Executary News - which, it turns out, is a trade publication not for hangman or people who do wills, but for PAs and executive secretaries - is looking for a new editor.

You'll be based in Soho working for Noble House Media, which has recently acquired the title, and the detailed ad sets out in some detail your day-to-day priorities, which will focus on growing subscriptions. They're asking for previous experience as a deputy editor, features editor or section head, although it appears a fairly hands-on approach will be needed - among your umpteen tasks will be, er, 'writing editorial news'.

To apply, send CV and covering letter to the publisher, Ian Gerrard, at ian.gerrard@nhmedia.co.uk. Deadline this Friday 26 February.

Chief Reporter - The Citizen/Gloucestershire Echo

The Gloucestershire Echo and the Citizen, based in Gloucester, are recruiting a new chief city reporter.

Not a huge amount of detail in the ad - for this kind of role, your application really will live or die by your nose for an exclusive story - but you will need to be a senior reporter already and have ambitions for management.

Apply to Maggie Bell at maggie.bell@glosmedia.co.uk. Deadline Monday 1 March.

Poll result: Should the Guardian's anonymous journalist go public?

Very evenly split - although given the fact that about half of you lot are trainee journalists desperate for your first big break, and the rest of you are wary old hands desperate to stay employed, that probably isn't much of a surprise. Not much help for the journalist in a quandary though.

FleetStreetBlues is with the veterans on this one. Anonymity is like virginity. You either have it or you don't. And once it's gone, it's gone for good.

Sub Editor - The Stage

Theatre trade paper The Stage is looking for a sub editor.

As well as excellent proofing skills, they emphasise the need for fact-checking nous and a strong grasp of media law, with entertainment industry knowledge a bonus. Quark Xpress or preferably InDesign experience is essential, with Photoshop a definite plus.

Despite all those requirements though, this could be an entry-level position. They state: 'We would consider a recent graduate or someone looking for their first step on the editorial ladder.'

Full details on Gorkana, not directly linkable. Email CV and covering letter to francesca@thestage.co.uk. Deadline Tuesday 2 March but hurry - they're after candidates who are able to start work immediately.

Quote of the Day: 22 February 2010

OK so Jon Slattery got there first, but this still has to be the quote of the day. The Independent's Political Editor Andy McSmith, on the Gordon Brown bullying accusations:

If that is a "reign of terror", to quote a phrase in common use yesterday, I wonder what phrase would sum up the management techniques of some newspaper proprietors and editors, past and present.

Climbing aboard journalism's sinking ship

Daniel Bettridge is a PR about to throw it all in in a last-ditch attempt to make it as a journalist. Over the next few weeks he'll be writing about his experiences on FleetStreetBlues. You can follow Daniel on Twitter @danielbettridge.

PR-land is normally the destination of choice for journalists who are put out to pasture. A place where long hours and low pay might be exchanged for a sensible 9-5, and where adequate remuneration might be offered in exchange for writing about a client's latest 'pioneering', 'iconic' or 'award-winning' products. But rarely does PR provide a proving ground for would-be journalists.

Or so I'm finding out as I try to exchange five years of fluff for the frontline of entertainment journalism.

Many journalists react in dismay when I reveal my plans to leave a comfortable middle-management position in PR for the bottom rung on the ladder of journalism's sinking ship. But for the last two and a bit years I have been leading a double life, working as PR by day, whilst moonlighting as a freelance journalist in my spare time.

Fortunately learning my trade at a journalist-led agency has furnished me with an ability to build a story rather than simply write a release, and without any formal training the rest I've learnt on the job.

The constantly changing world of journalism has been an undoubted issue, with budgets cut short and jobs in short supply. But it's also been an unbelievable opportunity. I've grown up using the Internet to gather content and engage with others through social media, and as content continues to evolve online my inherent understanding of this arena has meant that I've become adept at producing content that works well on the web. This, combined with a generous dollop of dumb luck and one or two contacts who have gone out of their way to help, has meant that I've been able to cut my teeth on national newspapers and high-profile websites.

In the past year I've been fortunate enough to write regularly for major entertainment websites as well as online articles for national newspapers - pieces that have included two of TimesOnline's most read articles in 2009.

It's been a great opportunity to demonstrate what I can do but the difficulty is making it pay. There's a delicate balance to strike between building your reputation and being exploited for free content, and it's a tight-rope that I constantly walk. Fortunately I've been able to combine my pursuit with a well-paid job and the intoxicating prospect of a job in journalism somewhere on the horizon has meant I've been happy to burn the midnight oil as I attempt to reach that dream job.

But at some point something's got to give, and so after months of frugal living I'm currently using savings in order to cut down my paid-for PR work and take on an unpaid opportunity at a national paper in one last attempt to make a career as a journalist.

It's a wonderful role that's got none of the tea-making hallmarks of previous work experience placements, and over the next few weeks I'll be writing about my experiences as I continue to wonder whether spending my savings on rent and railfares is a wiser choice than putting my feet up on a beach somewhere.

You can follow Daniel on Twitter @danielbettridge or email him at danielbettridge@hotmail.co.uk. If you'd like to write for FleetStreetBlues, email us fleetstreetblues@hotmail.co.uk.

Trainee Reporter - Dorset Echo

The Dorset Echo, a Newsquest title, is taking on a trainee reporter.

They boast in the ad that they're one of the few daily papers in the country where sales are going up, and the 'beautiful beaches at Weymouth' are also a draw. You'll need full NCTJ qualifications, a driving licence and your own car.

Email covering letter and CV to the editor, Toby Granville, at toby.granville@dorsetecho.co.uk. Deadline this Friday 26 February.

'Just us handing down our expertise from on high'

Like the person who made this video, we're also fans of the Observer. But this spoof is far, far better than the original ad. And much more likely to go viral.

Campeting with the Grauniad

Up for five hours, three comments pointing it out, and the Press Gazette still hasn't noticed a slightly unfortunate typo in the headline for an otherwise interesting and rather startling story reporting that MPs are to call for a ban on businesses employing more than 10 people being able to sue for defamation. Maybe it's just slightly effeminate companies.

Trainee Reporter - Halifax Courier

The Halifax Courier, a Johnston Press evening paper, is looking for a trainee reporter.

They want you to have full NCTJ qualifications, including shorthand, and have a full driving licence. And a word of warning - it's a temporary contract only at the moment, so you'll have to prove yourself.

Email CV and covering letter to the editor's secretary Kathryn Allen at kathryn.allen@halifaxcourier.co.uk. Deadline next Monday 22 February.

Feral beasts 'don't do God'

British journalists tend to be an atheist bunch, but even by Fleet Street's usual Godless standards, Sky News' Kay Burley made a bit of a blunder earlier this week.

You can watch the video above, but it's worth transcribing in full. Commenting on US Vice President Joe Biden's appearance at a live press briefing, the following unfortunate exchange ensured.

Burley: We're waiting for Joe Biden to introduce the President in the next few moments... What's happened to his head? I'm sure that's what everybody's asking at home.

[Silence]

Sky News Reporter: Yes, I don't know is the simple answer.

Burley: Oh, OK, it looks like he's walked into a door, doesn't it?

Reporter: Yes.. well...

Burley: I'm sure that's one of the questions that the networks will be asking

[Silence]

Reporter: He's been up in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics and was the face of the administration there, so whether there was some accident on what little ice there's been up in Vancouver, we don't know, but no doubt as result of this appearance we will get an opportunity to ask his spokespeople what the cause of that is.

Burley: He's probably been having a go on those tea-trays down the luge or something, It certainly looks like quite a bruise, doesn't it? Anyway, never mind, no matter, what we're here to talk about is the US economy...

The Daily Mail was predictably unimpressed. Wednesday was of course Ash Wednesday.

'I only read it for the articles'

So FleetStreetBlues was idly perusing Page 3 of the Sun yesterday, as you do, and couldn't help laughing at the sophisticated financial insight offered by page three girl Kelly, 19 , from Daventry.

KELLY had an inkling Barclays would make huge profits. She said: 'The combination of selling its fund management arm and the performance of its investment off-shoot BarCap was key.'

Sophisticated indeed, but par for the course for the Fleet Street institution that is News in Briefs. On Monday Chloe (22, from Leeds) also came over a bit Breaking Views.

CHLOE hopes the Government acts to cut our national debt as soon as possible. She said: “We really need a detailed strategy to eliminate the underlying structural deficit. Otherwise I dread to think what might happen to the price of shoes.”

And it's not just business - the page 3 girl is a beauty of many talents, and can just as easily turn her hand to geopolitical wranglings. Last week, it was the turn of Amii, 23, from Birmingham, to chip in.

AMII hopes ranting President Ahmadinedjad’s boast that Iran is a nuclear power will blow up in his face. She said: “It’s one thing to brag to an adoring mob about having produced your first weapons-grade enriched uranium. But to have achieved perfect composition of uranium-235 through isotope separation is quite a different kettle of nuclear fish in my book.”

Now we learn that the wisdom of the page three sirens is celebrated in blog form - and even on Twitter.

Follow @newsinbriefs for your daily (and entirely suitable-for-work) dose of white van man wisdom.

The PCC got it right

Jan Moir's rant about Stephen Gately's death in the Daily Mail may have been unpleasant and borderline homophobic, but at the time we defended her right to write it, and the Press Complaints Commission made the right call.

Strangely enough, four months on, the Twitter-outrage seems to have abated somewhat. Being a journalist, blogger or Twitterer and campaigning passionately against free speech is a tough gig.

The Tweet House

How cool would it be if, instead of harrassing @stephenfry, giving a play-by-play of your packed lunch and endlessly dissecting the X-Factor, you could Tweet things like this:

Well, at least one man now does. Robert Gibbs - White House press secretary, Fleet Street critic and quite possibly the most important PR in the world - is now on Twitter. You can follow him here. Surely he has something better to do?

Poll: Should the Guardian's anonymous journalist go public?

An email arrives from a reader, a friend of (no, really) this guy - a young journalist just starting out, who's just landed his first paid job in journalism. He has a dilemma. He wants your advice.

Over the past six months, this guy has been interning, at the same paper he's just been taken on by, writing a column for the Guardian on what it's really like to be a wannabe journalist working for free. It's a fascinating column, and very honest - he starts out feeling largely ignored by the other reporters, there are plenty of screw-ups and disappointments, and consequently his job offer at the end feels like a hard-won victory.

Now, his dilemma is this. While happily employed, at last, like any good journalist he's got an eye on career progression, and knows that having written a six month column for the Guardian is a real feather in his cap.

The friend writes:

Now he's been taken on he won't be doing the updates for the Guardian, but he's planning to remain anonymous.

Do you think this is wise? Would the exposure he would get by 'outing' himself be useful or not? Or would it affect his position at the paper?

I reckon he should say who he is in a final piece as someone could see it and offer him some additional freelance work, but he's adamant it's a better plan to not say anything.

Reading some of what he's written, FleetStreetBlues can't help thinking the anonymous journalist might have a point.

Check out week 3:

A reporter who edited my footage has pointed out a few little mistakes I made when getting the two videos, but I think they could've done being a bit more understanding of my situation.

The person concerned is one of those who can't really wait to see me gone. Won't look me in the eye if I say anything during a conversation and is generally dismissive of any views I express. Finding hard to even speak to him the way he's gone on.

Or week 10:

Ricky asked me to come along to a regional meeting of the digital editors in the company. It seems the problems of yesterday are quite common. Certainly doesn't reflect well on the papers within the firm and it doesn't seem as if the people in the IT departments are responsive to the needs of the editorial teams.

Or week 12:

Ricky's relayed a few tales to me about incidents which happened before I started at the paper. When I first arrived I maybe didn't understand why he was so unhappy with other members of staff and their embracing (or lack of) the digital side of things but I am beginning to see things differently.

He mentioned when he conducted an interview which went wrong not long after he joined the company, someone a bit more senior than him went straight to the editor to tell him, rather than having a quiet word about what happened, which doesn't seem very fair.

It's not as if everyone is constantly sniping or at each others' throats but there is a definite reticence from some people to get more involved.

Like we say, very honest, and that's what makes it a great read. But there are some extracts which might make for uncomfortable reading around the water cooler, to say the least.

Then again, maybe it doesn't matter. The guy's written a great series about the reality on 21st century local newspapers, published on a national newspaper's website, and got a job at the end of it. Should he really leave probably the best thing he's ever written off his CV?

We put it to the panel. Go to the poll at the top left and let us - and one anonymous journalist, who may or may not be sitting next to you as we speak - know what you think.

Work experience: would you pay for it?

So you've heard about interns being exploited, and workies working long hours for free, but how about this? The Times reports that 'young people wanting work experience might now have to pay for the privilege.'

The examples they give, from a Tory party fundraiser, includes someone paying £3,700 to buy little Henry or Henrietta a placement at Conde Nast. And while paying for it is still enough of a novelty to excite a double-page feature in the Times, the implication is it's going to become more common-place.

It’s a development that alarms Lis Howell, deputy head of the journalism department at City University London. “We organise placements for students with companies and it’s usually a win-win situation. The idea that the students have to pay to do it is unethical.” If it carries on, she says, it will lead to the sort of discrimination that hasn’t been seen for decades. “It’s going back 30 years to the time when you could be a lawyer only if you could afford to be indentured. It’s a very retrograde step."

Bad news, of course, for anyone hoping to break into journalism not born on a country estate. But we can't help thinking Lis Howell hasn't entirely thought this through.

Never mind aspiring journalists, what about the journalists of today? Selling work experience placements could be just the extra revenue stream struggling newspapers and magazines have been waiting for.

Want to make me tea? That'll be £200. Chase a picture? £500. Write a NIB? £1,000 a pop. At last - the first workable business model for 21st century journalism.

Picture of the Day: 15 February 2010

Times reporter Dominic Kennedy, experiencing a dose of our hallowed British democracy, BNP style.

If you've seen the picture but not read the story, it's worth looking at, and there's a video too. Ironically, it came as the BNP decided to remove the part of its constitution restricting its membership to 'indigenous Britons.' PR is not the BNP's strong point.

Furloughs at USA Today

A reader writes in alerting us to the latest cost-cutting wheeze to be inflicted on American journalists - the furlough.

The Washington Post reports:

USA Today is forcing its staff to take an unpaid week off to help the nation's second-largest newspaper cope with a persisting ad slump.

The newspaper's nearly 1,500 employees must take a one-week furlough between Feb. 28 and July 3, USA Today spokesman Ed Cassidy said Thursday.

The decidedly unofficial Gannett blog has the full details here, with a memo from publisher David Hunke.

All employees will be furloughed for one full week (Sunday through Saturday) during the time period of Sunday, February 28 through Saturday, July 3, 2010. To be clear, a furlough means no one will be permitted to work while on furlough and no one will be exempt, except for business necessity. That means when you are on furlough, there is no work, no office phone calls, no voice mail, no e-mail and no PDA checking.

It is, as our reader says, astonishing - all the more so, for the assumption that USA Today journalists might want to be sneakily making phone calls or checking their work email when they're not actually being paid for it.

Memo to management at USA Today. Journalists tend to love their jobs, and some of the young ones may even be tricked into doing it for free. But it's a job, not a hobby. Forced unpaid leave is going to make us love it a little less.

Trainee Reporter - Westmorland Gazette

A job with a view, this one - the Lake District's Westmorland Gazette is taking on a new trainee reporter.

NCTJ prelims are 'ideal' but not absolutely mandated, and you'll be based in Kendal. (There's nothing about it in the ad, but a car and driving licence might help push you up the pecking order).

They want you to 'write with a CV for an application form', which is a waste of time for everyone concerned. The person to contact is editor's secretary Tracy Cunliffe, tracy.cunliffe@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk. Deadline Friday 5 March.

Quote of the Day: 12 February 2010

Gossip website Popbitch, on Brangelina's bid to sue the News of the World, pour encourager les autres.

Not only are the Jolie-Pitts taking a stand about what's been said about them they also stop future gossip.

You've got to think they have a point - we've been looking at the last three years of celebrity magazines. Brad and Angelina have been married twice, split twenty times, Brad's gone back to Jen eight times, Jen's been over Brad three times, and she's been pining for him sixteen times. Oh and she was pregnant with his baby last August. Except she doesn't seem to be. And Brad refused to have any more kids with Angelina, just five months before their twins were born. He started to turn to drink last January, and in March and somehow again after Christmas.

Journalists - Agence France-Presse

Finding a decent journalism job abroad is a tall order at the best of times, so if you're looking and you have the experience, this could be a really good option.

The news agency Agence France-Press is recruiting journalists to write and edit stories in its Hong Kong bureau. You'll need four years' relevant experience and an understanding of business and economics - knowledge of Asian affairs, languages and multimedia skills is desirable.

Full details on Gorkana, not directly linkable. To apply, email your CV to phil.chetwynd@afp.com.

Can you imagine a world without press officers?

So, good news. Boris Johnson may be cutting 455 police officers in an effort to balance the books, but - despite a campaign pledge to the contrary - the number of Metropolitan Police press officers and communications staff is actually going up, from 73 to 74 or 76, depending on who you read.

Which somehow makes us think of this...

News Editor - Hertfordshire Mercury

The four edition Hertfordshire Mercury series of weekly newspapers is looking for a news editor.

HoldTheFrontPage has all the details, such as they are - they're looking for proven managerial experience and someone who is 'very much a hands-on leader'.

Email Nicole Want to ask for an application pack, at nicole.want@hertsessexnews.co.uk. Deadline Monday 22 February.

Calm down, calm down

So it turns out the worst piece of journalism in 2010 WAS intended as a spoof, after all.

Hello FSB,

I could start by asking what exactly IS Fleet Street Blues as I've never come across it before I was sent the link today. Are you a blog? Oh yes you are.

Yeh, we sometimes do absurd versions of local stories. Please don't take it seriously, or question our journalistic values too closely when it comes to spoof pieces, and we won't question your ability to see a joke for what it actually is.

Bad journalism? Yes, if it was journalism. But that particular item wasn't pretending to be anything of the sort.

We'll let you know we need your help deciding.

Editor, Liverpool Confidential

We stand corrected. Looking at the article again, it's clear that it's not entirely serious - even if it's so badly written that neither we nor any of the journalists who picked up on it could tell. The Daily Mash it ain't.

Junior Reporter - Oban Times

The weekly Oban Times, covering the Scottish Highlands, is hiring a junior reporter for its newspaper group.

You'll need a journalism qualification and experience, shorthand and a full, current driving licence. Most important of all - and credit to them for at least stating it up front - is local knowledge.

Apply with full CV to personnel officer Christine MacBryde at personnel@obantimes.co.uk.

The worst piece of 'journalism' in 2010?

FleetStreetBlues isn't entirely sure exactly what Liverpool Confidential is.

We know that along with fellow 'online magazines' Manchester Confidential, Leeds Confidential, Body Confidential and Property Confidential it got almost 1.5 million page views in December.

We know that last month Manchester Confidential made waves when it announced it was putting up a paywall to be able to report without 'fear or favour' rather than being wholly dependant on advertisers.

And we know that with its clever digital mix of news, reviews, gossip and entertainment listings it's probably the hyperlocal future of journalism as we know it. But then again, FleetStreetBlues isn't entirely sure exactly what 'hyperlocal' means either.

What we do know is that this - sent in by a reader yesterday who couldn't decide if 'it was a spoof or an exercise in subbing for journalism students' - is without doubt the single worst-written piece of journalism we've encountered in 2010.

We defy you to read the opening two pars and be able to tell us what the story's actually about.

A TERRIBLE mix-up has left a city Premiership football club “red faced” and a newspaper denying all knowledge after the wrong pop star didn't play at a school in Liverpool.

Following the success of American folk legend James Taylor's circus workshop at St Sebastian's primary school, Edge Lane, last month, and womanising champion golfer Sam Taylor Wood's appearance at a film premiere here last November, education bosses were “keen” to celebrate being the most improved council in the county with a series of low key cultural concerts in city schools.

Did you get that it was the story about the Taylor Swift mix-up which did the rounds last week? You're not alone.

Add in a picture which, according to the comments and our ropey knowledge of American pop starlets at least, seems to be nothing to do with anyone remotely connected to the story. Top with a quote from the school's headmaster who we're told 'did not wish to be named'. And there you have it - the perfect, hyperlocal, celebrity-focused, online-friendly news snippet, search engine optimised to within an inch of its life, and completely unreadable. Genius.

News Editor - Garden News

Garden News, the UK's market-leading gardening weekly newspaper (or, if you prefer, leading market-gardening weekly newspaper?), is hiring a news editor.

It's a Bauer Media publication and you'll be based up in Peterborough. And while there's no mention of how many reporters, if any, you'll be leading, you will be finding and writing stories, as well as sourcing pictures. We're sure someone at Garden News will correct us if we're wrong, but you just might be the news team.

Apply with CV and covering letter to Angela Reynolds at angela.reynolds@bauermedia.co.uk. Deadline Tuesday 16 February.

Write for FleetStreetBlues

FleetStreetBlues is going strong (and thanks to a link in yesterday's Guardian Football section to the John Terry thing, has just ever had its best-ever day of traffic. There are so many more football fans out there than geeky journalist types.)

But here's the thing. We can't do it alone, and the dwindling FleetStreetBlues team is getting tired and, let's be honest, a little bit lazy. So we want your help.

If you're got an anonymous piece of gossip you want us to chase, that would be great. But if you want to actually write something for us, that's even better. Here's your chance to speak to hundreds of Britain's best and most internet-savvy journalists, about pretty much whatever you want.

Email us at fleetstreetblues@hotmail.co.uk with your ideas, suggestions and comments - and if it sounds good, you're on. Only one rule, no blatant product-plugging please, unless you're willing to pay for it. PRs will be shot.

Reporter - Property Week

UBM trade title Property Week - which has just launched what it claims is the UK's first fully interactive digital magazine for a B2B - is recruiting a reporter.

The sales pitch is appealingly direct. 'Here's the deal,' the ad says. 'You get big stories and write hot news features for Property Week and propertyweek.com; we help you rise fast through our ranks or on to a national newspaper.' No specific qualification or experience requirements - you just need to be 'hungry'.

Full details on Gorkana, not directly linkable. Apply to the editor, Giles Barrie, at giles.barrie@ubm.com. Deadline Friday 26 February.

Wanted: Optimistic journalists

Not one of our regular job postings this, but we admit it, we're intrigued. SourceThatJob has an ad looking for experienced freelancers to contribute to the truly bizarre Optimist World.

For those of you not already familiar with their work, we suggest you check it out. It's every local newspaper do-gooder story you've ever seen, collated in one handy website. Pensioners winning judo awards, Coca Cola investing in keeping America beautiful, baby rhinos being born safely - every day's a good news day at Optimist World.

As the site explains:

In a world that seems ever more cynical and full of bad news, Optimist World chooses to counteract this by bringing you inspirational stories and positive news from around the globe to show that humankind can be good news too.

Have you ever woken up in a good mood, seen the sun shining outside and felt good, only to switch on the news or see a paper and suddenly the joy seems to have disappeared? Optimist World is here to be an antidote to the pessimism that surrounds us in daily life by showing the very best of what people can do when they care.

If you're interested, email your covering letter and CV to managing director Achim Kram at achim@optimistworld.com. Daily Mail types need not apply.

Senior Reporter - Harborough and Lutterworth Mail

The rather cute-sounding Harborough and Lutterworth Mail is recruiting a senior reporter.

You'll need to have your senior qualifications, but otherwise, the ad's a study in vagueness. Given the rural Midlands location though (somewhere between Kettering and Leicester) having your own car might help.

Apply with CV and clips to the editor, Brian Dodds, at brian.dodds@harboroughmail.co.uk. Deadline Friday 19 January.

It's the Sun wot done it

Jon Slattery has a clever spot about John Terry, and his decision to sign up as a Sun columnist last December. Did the Sun's subs know something we didn't?

Online News Editor - Kent Messenger

The Kent Messenger is looking for an online news editor to head up its website's news team.

It's a truly multimeeja role, with the reporters you lead not only writing for online and shooting video, but somehow fitting in time to 'read the radio news'. You'll therefore need experience with audio, video and newspaper content, as well as journalistic qualifications and leadership skills.

Apply by emailing Sandra Hembery at shembery@thekmgroup.co.uk. Deadline Monday 22 February.

Quiche-gate

Did you hear the one about the Tesco which ID'd a shopper trying to buy a cheese and onion quiche?

If you did, chances are you saw it last week in the Daily Telegraph, or the Mail. Chances are you didn't see it a whole week before on the Leamington Observer's website.

For all it's apparent triviality, it's a great story - any journalist worth their, er, salt, will recognise that it has all the classic, er, ingredients. Giant corporate supervillain - check. Sensible young female heroine - check. Political correctness gone mad - check.

But here's the thing - it nearly never made it to the nationals. As Leamington Observer deputy editor Kevin Unitt explains:

I KNEW it was a good story, and hoped it would be picked up by the national press, but none seemed particularly interested at first.

The Sun ran just three lines on it on page 25 last week and the Daily Mail rejected it altogether because The Sun had already covered it, a bizarre decision given they would lead their own website with the story just a few days later.

How our story – which had been printed for almost a week and for all that time had been visible to all on our website http://www.leamingtonobserver.co.uk/ – finally grew legs nationally was the introduction of a press agency, who tracked down the woman involved, slightly re-packaged the story, and sold it on to their national newspaper contacts.

Predicting what will remain buried on page 32 and what will be blown out of all proportion (did Quiche-gate really lead the Daily Mail's website at one point?) is part of the fun of being a journalist, but as the above story shows, it's an inexact science.

Some stories make it, some stories don't.

And all too often none of us know why.

(Hat tip: Martin Stabe)

Quote of the Day: 7 February 2010

Guardian columnist Victoria Coren on an uncomfortably close encounter with a tooled-up Dixon of Dock Green.

Policemen have started carrying guns – big, visible, frightening guns – quite widely. And I don't remember us discussing that. Did I miss a meeting?

Scare to the throne

The broadsheets may be better to read, the Daily Mail may be better at news, and the Daily Star may be better at, well, tits, but there's a certain something about the super soar-away Sun which will always make it Britain's favourite newspaper.

Scare to the throne

Exclusive

By JAMIE PYATT

PRINCE William watched a violent Bond film when he was EIGHT.

Licence To Kill was the first 007 movie to be given the 15 certificate.

In it a villain's head EXPLODES, another is CRUSHED by an industrial grinder and a third is IMPALED on a forklift.

Wills's chauffeur Stephen Davies knew the Prince was a big fan of the secret agent and gave him the blockbuster as a birthday present.

Read the full story here. You know you want to.

Quote of the Day: 5 February 2010

The Press Gazette's Grey Cardigan, who rightly or wrongly, is distinctly unimpressed with the news that NUJ types at the Guardian are kicking up a fuss about losing their right to four weeks paid sabbatical for every four years service.

My father, a hard-working hack, was granted a two-week sabbatical once he’d completed 20 years on his Fleet Street title. He used it to go into hospital and die of cancer on the operating table in his mid-fifties...

I’m often criticised for having a prejudiced attitude to the pampered pissants who enjoy the profit-free protection of the Scott Trust. I think you can now see why.

Trainee Reporter - Chester Chronicle

The Chester Chronicle Series is recruiting what it calls a 'trainee multimedia journalist', but essentially seems to be a trainee reporter with what should now be standard multimeeja skills.

They ask for a lot. NCTJ prelims, good shorthand, knowledge of media law and strong IT/multimedia skills should come as standard. An interest in and knowledge of rugby league will help you stand out from the crowd, as that will be on your patch. You'll be based in Widnes or Chester.

To apply, post a written application and CV (clearly the multimeeja drive hasn't reached the editor's office yet) quoting Job Reference 543 to:

Eric Langton,
Editor in Chief,
Trinity Mirror Cheshire,
Chronicle House,
Commonhall Street,
Chester CH1 2AA

Deadline Thursday 18 February.

People in local newspapers still angry

Here at FleetStreetBlues, we like to point out amusing journalistic blogs (OK, and occasionally get them closed down). But all too often, even without the threat of legal action, the latest flavour of the month has its fifteen seconds of cyberfame and then disappears without a trace.

So it is with great pleasure that we can report that Angry People in Local Newspapers, a blog we first mentioned back in November, is still going strong, and still celebrating the unique skill-set of local paper snappers. In fact, it's in rude health, with a team of spotters, submissions from across the country and two or three new angry people in local newspapers being posted each day.

And best of all, the quality of angry people is as high as ever.

There's urine sample anger from New Zealand.

There's above-eye-level anger from Cheshire.

And there's spectacular baby anger from Southend.

Top, top photos from a brilliant site. Keep up the good work.

That was quick

So it turns out our idle attempt to highlight an amusing insider blog backfired spectacularly. Three hours later and the Inside the Daily Mail blog was no more. Here's hoping the author doesn't end up Outside the Daily Mail.

The observant among you may have noticed we amended the extract we quoted slightly, to remove anything that could prompt a lawyers' letter. We may have been overcautious though - the Guardian appears to have no qualms about repeating the juicy details. And this being the internet, nothing ever gets truly deleted. If you're looking for a copy of the whole thing, then head on over to Brian Whelan's blog here.

We wish the author the best of luck. Sorry we broke your blog.

Reporter - Heat

Celebrity gossip bible Heat magazine is hiring a news reporter to provide maternity cover for one of its team.

This being a maternity cover position, they want someone who can slot right into the role, so you'll need 'proven experience on a national newspaper or magazine', preferably working on celeb news. Talent for gatecrashing a definite plus.

Full details on Gorkana, not directly linkable. Apply with CV and three clips to Hannah Fernando, director of news, at hannah.fernando@heatmag.com. Deadline Friday 12 February.

Inside the Daily Mail

It's been going a while now, but we've only just spotted this - someone purporting to be an inmate a journalist at the Daily Mail has got a blog, and they're not afraid to use it.

A lot of journalists aspire to work at the Daily Mail. But when they achieve their goal, most of them can't wait to get out again. Why should this be? Maybe it's the unique form of encouragement given by the editor...

There is, of course, no way of proving the Inside the Daily Mail is actually written from, er, inside the Daily Mail, but it seems to have the ring of truth. The blog is unstinting in its praise of 'Paul Dacre, a great editor and a great man', and we're sure means no disrespect when it posts the following video as a reasonable facsimile of afternoon conference.

So far, the blog seems to have stayed under the radar, and escaped the attention of the powers-that-be in Kensington. We give it three weeks.

UPDATE:  Three weeks was a bit optimistic, turns out - three hours later and the blog's been taken down. 

Misquoting

FleetStreetBlues has a thing about quotes.

When we first trained as a cub reporter back in the day, suckling at the teats of a series of unimpressed, old-school, seen-it-all news editors, we learned a lot. Some of it was pointless, or is now outdated. Most of it (how to structure a story, why you should always ask open questions, how to speak to the recently bereaved) was invaluable.

But the one golden rule we learned was this: quotes are sacrosanct. If it's in quotation marks, it doesn't get touched - no matter how tempting, or necessary, the smallest of changes may seem to be.

Not all journalists work like this, of course. On a few papers (and we're looking at certain red tops in particular here) there is a tendency to play fast and loose with quotes, or when pushed quote a totally spurious 'insider' whose views are not a million miles away from what the news editor said ten minutes ago. But this kind of thing is much rarer than most non-journalists imagine (and even when it does happen, tends to consist of additional unnamed quotes rather than actually changing attributed quotes).

So, FleetStreetBlues has never knowingly misquoted someone - and has never been proven to accidentally have misquoted anyone either. But despite that, like all journalists, we're regularly accused of having misquoted people.

If someone doesn't like a story, they only rarely complain about the headline, or the standfirst, or the angle of a story. They tend instead to opt for the easiest, lazy complaint - 'I was misquoted' - which is based on the tacit assumption that all journalists are liars and on a par with estate agents anyway.

This pisses us off, but it's usually accepted as part of the job. Usually, the journalist will refer to their notes, or if they're lucky, play back the recording, and the complaint will disappear in a cloud of angry obfuscation. Sometimes, the notes will be unclear or the recording indistinct, and a formal complaint will be made which may or may not result in some kind of apology.

But some days, FleetStreetBlues fantasises about fighting fire with fire. Wait until we're next accused of making up a quote, only to bring out perfect shorthand or a recording reporting the conversation verbatim and play it back to the accuser. Then, we'd actually sue them for slandering our professional reputation, to ensure that the lazy, empty criticism that we're just not capable of doing our jobs is finally...

Like we say. FleetStreetBlues has a thing about quotes.

Senior Reporter - Northampton Chronicle & Echo

The daily Northampton Chronicle & Echo is recruiting for two senior reporter positions, one full-time and one part-time job share.

They're asking for 'full NCTJ qualifications' for both roles, and the HoldTheFrontPage ad goes into some detail about the exact hours they'll ask you to work - both roles will require you to work shifts on a rota basis.

Apply with CV and covering letter to Lucy Bell, PA to the editor, at lucy.bell@northantsnews.co.uk. Deadline Monday 15 February.

Reporter - ENDS Europe

Some trade press jobs are actually not that complicated - consumer magazine standard with a bit of extra detail. And others are pretty hardcore. This reporter vacancy at ENDS Europe is likely to fall into the latter category.

ENDS Europe is a 'European environmental news and intelligence service' and we're told 'Applicants must have a good knowledge of EU environmental policy, especially in the areas of waste, products, energy or other business-related topics. Familiarity with the EU law-making process and good contacts are essential.'

You'll be based either in London or Brussels, and they're offering a not-too-shabby salary - up to £30k.

Apply via the Haymarket website.

Tweaking a Dragon's tail

We've mentioned before how one of the few perks of a journalist's job is that you get to air your private gripes in public. But according to this amusing story, not everyone got the memo.

So about ten days ago, Matt Egan, editor of PC Advisor, went to the Bannatyne's gym at Russell Square, in central London, and had a disappointing experience. He tweeted his disappointment, as follows.

So how did Duncan Bannatyne, owner of the gym, star of TV's Dragons' Den and himself a renowned Twitterer with more than 34,000 followers, respond. Did he send flowers? An apologetic Tweet back perhaps? No, he called Matt's boss.

Matt picks up the story on his blog:

My colleague Mark Hattersley, editor in chief of the Macworld UK group, took the call.

According to (respected journalist) Mark, Duncan asked why Mark was 'slagging him off' in public, and inquired of my colleague what he thought of 'UK libel laws and Twitter'. Then he accused my so-laid-back-he's-virtually-horizontal colleague of being thin-skinned and paranoid. He suggested that an amused Mark was 'upset'. There was also some talk of man-to-man discussions, cowardice and... well... the usual stuff that happens when businessmen talk to journalists.

The result? A nothing, frustrated Tweet got a lot of retweeting, got posted on the blog (of a computer magazine, no less), and now Mr Bannatyne's sense-of-humour-failure and piss-poor approach to customer service been broadcast to the wider world.

Two lessons then. One, if you're going to a Bannatyne's gym, better take your own shower gel.

And two? If you want to make a spurious complaint about a journalist, never complain to our boss. They're nearly always exactly like us. But much less likely to give a shit.

That time of the month

A little Monday-morning statporn. We're still small, we're still growing - but with more than 8,500 visits and over 13,000 page views, January 2010 was FleetStreetBlues' best-ever month. Not bad for a blog.

Last month was also our first attempt at making a little money from this labour of love, using the decidedly lazy laidback approach of asking for donations. Obviously asking for money for a self-evidently free product is a trifle ambitious - but we reckon if anyone's going to recognise the importance of paying for writing online, it's you lot.

If you're feeling flush, you've just been paid, you're happy to be a journalist and you want to show us your support, consider this your monthly subscription reminder. Please click the 'Donate' link at the top right and chuck £1 or whatever you can spare in the hat.

Everyone else, no worries, you're excused. Just keep looking for jobs...