'Here's Johnny': How page design actually works

Ever wondered what page designers and the production department actually do all day? Well, the best way to find out is simply to sit with them for a while and watch over their shoulder - and the following strangely mesmerising video allows you to do just that, only speeded up.

Wales on Sunday designer Adam Walker is the man with the mouse - and thanks to the Wannabe Hacks for flagging up the ultimate 'making of' video.

Internship - PoliticsHome.com

Here's one the NUJ won't like - a three-month unpaid internship at the PoliticsHome.com website.

You'll be working in the news team, based in Westminster, and they promise 'a unique chance to gain real work experience and take on significant responsibility'. PoliticsHome.com is an up-and-coming political news site, and the editor is Paul Waugh, formerly of the Evening Standard.

You'll need an 'excellent level of UK political knowledge' and must be willing to work early mornings and weekends - while it's not paid, they do offer expenses.

Apply with CV and covering letter to hr@politicshome.com. Deadline Friday 10 June.

Location, location, location

First prize for unfortunate ad placement of the day goes to the Independent, which has a front-page plug from HSBC promising 'some good news if you're looking for a low-rate flexible mortgage'. Judging by the story above, you probably shouldn't be...

Hat tip: Alasdair Pal

Quote of the Day: 30 May 2011

Well, actually a quote from 17 November last year, when England 2018 chief executive Andy Anson attacked the BBC for running a Panorama programme exploring allegations of corruption within FIFA.

'If they truly believe there's a journalistic reason for this, they could have done it any time in the last two years; to do it like this is sensationalism... It's not very patriotic of the BBC.'

The Guardian counts its Oxbridge staff

Few things get the Guardian going quite as much as equal opportunities, as anyone who's ever applied for a job there and had to write 250 words on 'diversity' can testify. But today their readers' editor, Chris Elliot, tackles a potentially thorny subject, as he asks: 'Does the Guardian employ too many Oxbridge graduates?'

What defines 'too many' Oxbridge graduates is never quite specified, but there's some interesting number-crunching. Rather than trying to obtain the overall figure from HR, Chris embarked on a survey of the Guardian and Observer's 630 journalists.

Out of a staff of 630 journalists on the Guardian and Observer in print and online I received responses from 178. Of those, 67 went to the universities of Oxford or Cambridge; 111 did not, but of those the overwhelming majority were graduates. Only a handful had not gone on to higher education.

So that's 38% Oxbridge graduates - although there's obviously a big selection bias, and Chris himself cautions that the survey is far from a 'scientific exercise'. He also admits that 'Oxbridge predominates among the most senior positions on the paper'. Indeed it does.

Three words

To Thursday's issue of the Daily Mail, and an article a sharp-eyed reader has singled out by the writer and former Mirror hackette Tanith Carey (pictured).

It's a thoughtful, carefully-written piece, but shows perhaps a touch of the Liz Joneses as it explores the 'secret self-hatred of confident Milly Dowler'.

After covering her last home video, her self-harming at the age of 11 and her father's porn collection - in an entirely sensitive and non-intrusive way, of course - it ends on an upbeat note.

Milly’s legacy is a reminder to tell our girls we love them unconditionally — not by comparison to their siblings, or for how they look or how good they make us look. She is a reminder that when we tell our girls we love them, we need to add just three crucial words: ‘Just the way you are.’

Three crucial words?

The future of journalism is... the news wire?

FleetStreetBlues reads a dozen 'future of journalism' blogposts a week, and for the most part they're turgid, predictable and unrealistic tripe, with little concept of how journalism actually works. This one is different.

Dave Lee, an intimidatingly young up-and-coming journalist at the BBC, attended last week's BBC Social Media Summit, and has written a very clear-headed piece deconstructing all the guff about Twitter being the future of breaking news.

When people say Twitter is first with the news, they are wrong. The wires are first with the news. Twitter is first with the reactions, the ‘oh my god something’s happened’, the ‘police have just turned up here’. It’s all valuable, but it’s not the news.

When Twitter screams out and says “earttthhhquakkeee!”, the wires quickly and (mostly) accurately hop back in and tell the world where it is, how strong and what’s the initial scale. Actual information that contributes to informative, measured coverage.

For example, when the local man tweeted about the Osama raid, it wasn’t until official sources – via the wire services – confirmed it that we knew for certain what was happening.

Sure, the guy was the first to report on the assault. But right now there are hundreds of people tweeting “there’s police on my street”, or words to that effect. Until something more official is delivered through more conventional means, those observations remain precisely that – observations. We shouldn’t over-hype their importance in the news machine.

He goes on to look at the key role the wires play in reporting news from far-flung parts of the world, and filing reports from thousands of events which 'real' newspapers can't afford to send someone too. They are, he rightly suggests, the unsung heroes of journalism - but in making the argument he's also pointing the way to what's wrong with an awful lot of those 'future of journalism' pieces we end up reading.

Almost without exception, enthusiastic predictions of what journalism will look like in five years focus on the internet. Beat journalists need to engage with social media to develop new sources, we're told. 'Data journalists' will be able to uncover official skullduggery at the click of a button. The future of journalism is online.

And we'd argue, actually it isn't. As social media, smartphones and the ubiquity of the web enable news to travel around the globe at the click of a button, journalists will have increasingly less to do with the news distribution process. Instead, the value we'll bring is in authoritative, reliable news gathering. Any Tom, Dick or Harry with an iPhone will be able to video police in their street, or pore over spreadsheets of Government spending data. But journalists' job will be to get out there and confirm what's actually happening, to turn internet chatter into a confirmed news event.

And also to bring the 95% of the world which still happens offline, online.

It probably won't happen, of course. There's a real danger that most journalists will be made redundant (Dave's post highlights job cuts at PA and Reuters) and the rest will be trapped at their computers, furiously regurgitating SEO-heavy churnalism to keep pace with ever-increasing traffic targets. But our real value is in getting out there and covering stuff. We're going to need more wire journalists.

Quote of the Day: 28 May 2011

The Times' columnist Giles Coren, on his unwitting and anonymous appearance on the front of last week's Mail on Sunday:

Turns out the “TV star” was me. Now that’s misleading journalism: stretching the definition of “star” to include anyone who has thrown a pie at Sue Perkins while wearing a ruff.

Deputy Home News Editor - Independent

A decent and pretty senior role is going over on the Independent's home news desk - they're looking for a deputy home news editor.

You'll need to be an experienced journalist on another national or a large regional paper, and will need a 'detailed knowledge of British politics and national affairs'. There's also a managerial aspect to the role, so you'll have to be an 'organisational wizard'.

Apply with CV and covering letter to the home news editor Oliver Duff at applications@independent.co.uk.

Meanwhile in Surrey...

While injunctions may have dominated the national media for the past week or so, back in the real world of local papers life goes on - and in Surrey it's frankly hard to keep up.

A reader sends us the following gem from the Surrey Advertiser, which is pretty much the complete local paper news story: facts, suspense and in the last line, a healthy dose of tabloid speculation - even if it is after the fact.

Investigation after 'object' found in River Thames 

POLICE have confirmed an object discovered floating in the River Thames in East Molesey was a large doll. 

Officers were called to the scene, close to Cigarette Island, in Hampton Court Way, just before 12.30pm on Tuesday (May 17), after reports a body had been found. 

On arrival at the scene an object was located and removed from the river by officers and taken to a local police station for analysis. 

The object was confirmed as being a large doll made of material and wood. 

Speaking to the Surrey Advertiser, a neighbour said they had believed it was the torso of a dog.

To be honest, the quote marks around 'object' in the headline baffle us - be it body, doll or dog-torso, it's object-ness was surely beyond dispute.

But otherwise a top piece of non-news, and very clearly inspired by the Bridgwater Mercury's floating turtle-pig. Have we just invented a new genre of journalism here?

Stat of the Day: 25 May 2011

333

That's the number of gagging orders the courts have issued in the past five years to protect celebrities, children and private individuals, according to the Independent. Their splash today is a more thorough version of Fleet Street Fox's excellent summary on Monday - those protected include a 'gambling aristocrat', four child abusers and a 'company accused of pollution'.

Reporter - Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph

The Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph is recruiting a senior reporter.

Although an NCE qualification would be standard for this kind of role, there's no specific mention of one in the ad, and no specific experience requirement either. But you will need to be a 'natural leader' who's 'keen to progress their career', and they promise the chance to establish yourself on the newsdesk.

An interest in 'new media and social networking' would also be an advantage.

Apply with CV and covering letter as Word documents to Jan Evans, secretary to the acting editor Neil Pickford, at jan.evans@northantsnews.co.uk. Deadline Friday 17 June.

What about the other injunctions?

While it's pleasing to finally be able to write what everyone else already knew about Ryan Giggs, it's important to remember that the change came not as the result of a legal ruling, but simply because an MP used parliamentary privilege to break the court order. The injunction is still alive and well.

Fleet Street Fox has a list of most if not all of the current injunctions in the British courts - about 80 in total - and she's done a bit of analysis:

Of those 80, eight strike me as completely fair. Two involve children, and three private individuals who simply want to stay that way. The sixth is about personal pictures found on a stolen laptop and the seventh is a private medical matter. The eighth is the Goldsmith injunction. 

Thirty one involve extra-marital affairs. Three are about alleged blackmail, which does not seem to have been reported to the police. Three are aimed at shutting up former employees, and six at keeping former wives or cuckolded husbands quiet. Three specifically mention prostitutes and one appears to be about financial matters. 

Some are absurd: one involves allegations someone is losing their hair, while another is about a man who died after he got an injunction but it still can't be reported. One is about failures by a doctor who was criticised by a judge in a social services case, but cannot be identified. 

Eleven involve allegations about a crime - either committing one, or the investigation of it. Two appear to relate to the alleged sexual assault of children. 

Fifteen have been brought by sportsmen, twelve by stars of stage or screen, five by singers, and four by well-known business people. Most are millionaires, some multi-millionaires. Seven have been brought by women; the rest men. 

The respondents are four of the major newspaper groups, two specific journalists, whistleblowers, and victims of misconduct of one kind or another. 

I believe there would be a very strong public interest case in reporting about 20 of them. A further 17 are so well-known already, or cover behaviour that's already in the public domain, that I can't see a strong argument to ban the stories. About a dozen more are so-so, but could be argued one way or the other. The remainder I don't have enough information to judge.

A story's truth is no defence against an injunction, and nor, it seems, is public interest. Many of the injunctions are themselves secret - we at least may be allowed to know what we're not allowed to report, but no one else is.

This isn't just about footballers and kiss 'n' tells. Those who've taken out injunctions include businessmen and politicians, some of the most powerful men in the country, and certainly some of the wealthiest. Protest about the public's right to privacy all you want, but somehow injunctions and superinjunctions always seem to end up protecting the lifestyles of the rich and famous.

It's understandable why the red-tops went gaga over the Giggs gag. But it would be a shame if the campaign against injunctions stopped here. This story is much bigger than Ryan Giggs...

Giggs gag clears the front pages

Schillings lawyers are market leaders in 'protecting those in the public eye from unwarranted intrusions into their personal lives', and boast on their website: 'We use the laws of defamation, privacy and copyright to protect the reputations, privacy and confidentiality of our clients, helping them and their advisers to manage what is published and broadcast about them.'

They don't come cheap. Ryan Giggs paid them thousands - in fact, the Daily Mail reckons the injunction cost 'in the region of at least £150,000' - to do their worst. How's that working out for him?

Game over?

Posh behind bars

FleetStreetBlues has long grown used to the misleadingly tantalising headlines put above the MailOnline's picture-led celeb 'stories' - and despite ourselves, we can't stop clicking. But even by their usual standards, this is a particularly impressive effort.

Apparently:

The former Spice Girl looked like she had been locked up in a humorous photo taken of her outside her management office.

Through the red railings surrounding the 19 Entertainment offices in Battersea, South West London today, it gave the illusion the pregnant star was behind bars.

Hilariously adding to the illusion, her assistant was dressed in prison-issue orange T-shirt.

MailOnline picture desk, we salute you.

Reporter - The Wharf

Ever fancied working in the tall building at Canary Wharf? Well, now's your chance - and you still get to work a local newspaper beat. The Wharf is recruiting a senior reporter.

You'll need to be NCE-qualified with a track record of breaking exclusive stories - that's about all the ad says really, although some online savvy will probably help too, as there's mention of the website and Twitter feed.

Apply with CV, covering letter and salary expectations to the editor, Giles Broadbent, at giles.broadbent@wharf.co.uk, with 'Job Application' in the email subject line. Deadline Friday 10 June.

Ryan Giggs photo leads Metro front page

A touching photo celebrating family values as the Manchester Utd winger celebrates winning the team's 19th league title. Sweet.

The Sunday scoop: The Sunday Herald fronts up big time

There's really only one contender for the Sunday scoop this morning, and that's due to an astonishing display of journalistic ballsiness from Glasgow, where the Scottish national newspaper the Sunday Herald has finally broken the superinjunction everyone's been talking about.

They've published a giant picture of the player in question on their front page, with the thinnest of black lines obscuring his eyes. (We won't be publishing it here just yet, but it seems to be widely available on Twitter, natch). The player is apparently explicitly named inside the paper as well.

Sometimes all it takes is the first person to come forward. Forget whichever other journalists claim to be first in the coming days. The Sunday Herald is Spartacus.


UPDATE: The Spectator point out they were technically free to get away with it because CTB's lawyers forgot to apply for an interdict at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. What happens if copies get sold south of the border?


UPDATE NO 2: Jon Slattery is also Spartacus, apparently.

Journalist faces jail for naming footballer subject to injunction on Twitter

The Mail on Sunday's splashed on the ongoing superinjunctions farce - and this time it's a 'top journalist' who's in the firing line.

The journalist, who can't be named, faces jail after allegedly writing tweets, which can't be mentioned, which revealed the name of a Premier League footballer, who can't be identified, who took out an injunction, the terms of which can't be reported, to prevent the disclosure of something which can't be disclosed.

In fact, there's so little that can be reported about this case now that in an accompanying piece looking at how the footballer's name is widely available on Twitter - and revealing that almost half the public already know exactly who he is - the Mail on Sunday simply resorts to blanking out key parts of the article.  The way things are going, readers are going to have to start writing their own news stories soon.

It's official: the most sought-after job vacancy in the history of journalism

Ask most young journalists or would-be journalists where they'd like to work, and chances are the Guardian will come up in the first five seconds of their reply. Whether it's down to their commitment to open-access online journalism, a secret admiration of Alan Rusbridger or simply because the paper looked really cool in the Bourne Ultimatum, working at King's Place is, for many, the dream.

And if they had the choice, which they don't, some kind of breaking news, online-coverage live-blogging gig would complete the fantasy.

Ah, journalism tutors and hoary old news editors the length and breadth of the country say wisely. But such jobs don't actually exist. Until now.

That's right - the Guardian is advertising for not one but two 'tenacious and driven' news reporters to cover breaking news and 'anchor' live blogs, and the chances are, it's going to be the most replied-to ad in the history of journalism. Back in 2009, there was a bit of a fuss after we revealed that 1,200 applicants went for an online reporting role at the Sunday Times. This should break 2,000, easy.

If you're interested, then the full job spec is here, and the crucial thing to note is that they're after someone with 'proven experience working for a national media organisation or high-profile website'. Note to the hundreds of postgraduate journalism students out there eagerly sharpening their CVs: your blog is not a 'high-profile website'.

Other than that you'll need 'top-notch writing skills, plenty of online experience and a proven ability to generate news exclusives'. Oh, and it's a nine-month fixed-term contract.

Apply via the Guardian website. Deadline Sunday 5 June, but we'd highly recommend not leaving it to the last minute. Apply early, apply often.

Quote of the Day: 21 May 2011

The Times' columnist Matthew Parris, on the reason FleetStreetBlues winces every time it hears a journalist arguing for a privacy law:

Each step towards pre-censorship follows the last, and follows inevitably. If we are to follow Europe and develop a law on privacy, Parliament will sooner or later conclude that waking up a judge and seeking an injunction before dawn is too haphazard, and things will have to be systematised. We will get a committee and a code. The code will be useless but the committee will be real; and after this must come a statutory obligation on newspapers to consult, in advance, the person they are fingering, or the committee, or both. 

And then we shall have censorship. And I prefer anarchy, with truth as the only criterion.

FleetStreetBlues' best-ever work experience placement

A massively belated plug this, but we're still in time to flag up the Wannabe Hacks' search for the UK's 50 best journalism placements.

Here's the deal:

We want you guys to nominate your best journalism-related placement and explain why it was so good in just 40 words. You might have learnt a lot from it, made a particularly good contact or perhaps even the realisation that you didn’t want to work for the paper or section. You might have got a couple of bylines or interviewed your favourite celeb, it’s completely up to you. Just make sure to include the publication, the section (if applicable), how long you spent there and if it was paid/expenses or neither.

It's been a while since FleetStreetBlues did any work experience, and then, as now, it was more a necessary rite of passage than a particularly educational experience. But for what it's worth, our nomination comes from a two-week spell (unpaid) at the Sunday Telegraph, way back when, before it moved to Victoria.

The two weeks consisted of sitting on the news desk running errands for the reporters, writing up NIBs and fact boxes and being on the phone almost constantly, trying to build up a series of rather unlikely stories. No bylines, but there were a whole bunch of 'Additional reporting by' credits - and we particularly remember sitting in on a start-of-the-week conference where a bunch of stuttering reporters nervously pitched stories to an unimpressed Dominic Lawson. All in all an entirely realistic introduction to Fleet Street.

Now it's your turn - but don't send your stories to us. Instead, email top50@wannabehacks.co.uk or tweet at them @wannabehacks.

Subbing genius or a grave mistake?

We're not quite sure if the following headlines show brilliant deadpan wit or are simply confusing - but sub-editors in Cambridge surpassed themselves with stating the obvious yesterday.

Cambridge First ran the following story:

Body found in Cambridge cemetery 

A body has been found in Histon Road Cemetery in Cambridge. 

The cemetery has been cordoned off at both its Histon Road and Victoria Road entrances while police officers wait for a coroner to arrive. 

Early reports indicate the death is not thought to be suspicious.

The Cambridge News wasn't much better - they went with 'Man found dead in cemetery'.

Hat tip: Alasdair Pall

Quote of the Day: 19 May 2011

The Times' columnist Camilla Cavendish on why Dominique Strauss-Kahn was for years untroubled by muck-raking gossip-merchants in his own country:

Every trainee journalist in this country starts out wanting to be Woodward or Bernstein. In France, they want to be the media philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy.

Reporter - Fraserburgh Herald

The Fraserburgh Herald up in north-east Scotland is recruiting a reporter.

Reporting directly to the editor, you'll be taking on the usual general reporter role - courts, councils and local sport. You'll need to have significant journalism experience or have completed a university degree in journalism. An NCTJ qualification is preferable, a driving licence essential.

The ad promises this is an 'enviable' position, although our man north of the border is rather more downbeat: 'To tell the truth the only things I know about Fraserburgh are that it has heritage as a fishing town and had a smack problem in the 1990s/early 2000s.'

If that doesn't put you off, then you can apply to the editor, Ken Duncan, via the Scotsman.com website. Deadline Friday 20 May.

Reporter - Bridgwater Mercury

Ever wanted to write about floating turtle-pigs? Now could be your chance - the Bridgwater Mercury is hiring a reporter.

It's a senior role, to work on both the Bridgwater Mercury and another paid-for weekly, the Burnham and Highbridge Weekly News. You'll ideally be NCE qualified, although if you have a NCTJ qualification you may be considered. There'll be plenty of scope for working online too, including video reporting.

Apply with CV and covering letter to the news editor Matthew Colledge, at matthew.colledge@bridgwatermercury.co.uk. Deadline Tuesday 31 May.

Letter to the editor

Local papers are always desperate for letters. A full letters page helps show a publication is in touch with its readers, provoking debate and reflecting their concerns, and so sometimes the bar a scribbling has to clear in order to make it into print isn't set that high. Green ink is not an automatic disqualifier.

Political parties, charities and campaign groups are of course well aware of this fact and do their best to exploit it by providing pro forma letters for their supporters to send in. Substitute a couple of key words, fire off an email and hey presto, you're part of a grassroots movement.

The key, of course, is to remember to substitute the couple of key words.

A FleetStreetBlues reader who works on a local paper in south London sends us the following email they've received from a delightful lady called Evelyn - carefully addressed by name to the newspaper's editor.

Subject: NAME OF YOUR LOCAL AREA is at increased risk of homelessness 

Please consider this letter for publication.  

Nationally 88,000 people are at risk of being made homeless because of a cut to Housing Benefit. In [NAME OF YOUR LOCAL AREA] single people aged 25 to 34 will see their benefit slashed from [ONE BED RATE] to [SAR RATE], as they are forced on to the lower "Shared Accommodation Rate" of Housing Benefit. 

Accommodation at this rate is frequently inappropriate, unavailable and unaffordable. It is clear that a cut of this size will cause huge problems for people who are already struggling. 

I am deeply concerned that this will lead to homelessness in [NAME OF YOUR LOCAL AREA] and elsewhere. 

I very much hope our elected representatives will be vigorous in challenging the Government about this potentially disastrous measure. 

Yours sincerely
Evelyn 

Bless. She doesn't seem to have quite got the idea.

Why the NUJ's 'Cashback for Interns' ruling is a hollow victory for journalists

We've been biding our time since the announcement last week that the NUJ had won its first victory in its 'Cashback for Interns' campaign because we suspected there might be more to the story. Turns out we were right. 

Briefly, the story is this: Keri Hudson, an Interactive Media Production student at Bournemouth University, worked as an unpaid intern at the My Village website earlier this year. With the NUJ's support, she went to an employment tribunal after leaving the company to claim back pay, arguing that she deserved to have been paid for the role that she performed, which she claimed included line-managing a team of writers.

The appeal to the tribunal was successful, and - to general acclaim from across the journalism world - she was awarded £1,024.98 last week.

Regular readers, of course, will know that FleetStreetBlues has never been a fan of the campaign. Back in February we stirred up a bit of a row by pointing out that the campaign would actually result in an end to all unpaid casual work experience placements. (The NUJ's Work Experience Guidelines explicitly state that the only people who don't have to be paid the minimum wage are those who are at school, or who are paying to be study journalism as part of a recognised college course.)

So it will comes as no surprise that we were rather underwhelmed by the court ruling - but that was all the more true when the Press Gazette finally managed to get hold of the other side of the story from the publishers of the My Village website, TPG Web Publishing, earlier today.

The company claims that it was completely unaware that the employment tribunal was even taking place on the day in question, was unable to attend to defend itself and is now considering whether to appeal. Here's what they said:

Interns are not used by all companies as cheap labour, as reports suggest. Internships are set up to give graduates work experience, allow them to try their hands at a specific career and basically improve their employability – particularly valuable in these difficult times for those looking for jobs. 

A lot of time and resource goes into training unqualified and inexperienced interns to prepare them for working life and this is done at company expense. In the case of My Village, interns not only benefited from getting their work published and attributed to them but they were often treated to free lunches and event tickets from the venues they reviewed. Some interns from MyVillage.com have been offered full time work because of the experience gained. The most recent case being that of one intern who joined leading mortgage industry magazine Mortgage Introducer as a full-time reporter. 

However if publishers are to be punished for helping inexperienced volunteers gain work experience, these opportunities will become few and far between. The outcome will be more graduates in the unemployment line with no experience to their name. What chance will they have?

It's a valid argument - and while it's impossible to know for certain the ins and outs of the NUJ case, it does seem as though victory has been declared a little prematurely. A quick spot of Googling reveals a massive gap  between what Keri saw as her role at the company and their perception of her as 'unqualified and inexperienced'.

On her LinkedIn profile, Keri describes her position at the company as a 'senior editor', and writes:

I manage the team of writers at MyVillage, delegating tasks and training new members of the team. I also run the different editorial on the site, producing various titles which the team then research and write. Liasing with at the various film/entertainment/food & drink/music PR agencies that send us content is also part of my daily tasks, along with the development of MyVillage's social media marketing strategy and maintenance. Aside from this, I write various reviews and articles for the site, specialising in arthouse film, fashion and live music.

But a quick look at her Twitter feed around that time paints a rather different picture, as she praises her 'amazing internship' for allowing her to review a cocktail bar, reveals how her 'heart was practically beating out of her chest' after her first-ever interview with a band and then tackles her first-ever restaurant review. All fantastic experience for an unpaid intern making her way in the journalism world - but hard to reconcile with someone performing a 'senior editor' role.

(Keri has since been in touch and points out that these tweets date from the part of the internship that she hasn't claimed back pay for).

Ultimately it's hard to begrudge Keri her pay award, regardless of her true level of experience - she clearly worked hard, and no one should have to work for free for up to nine weeks just so they can build a career in the industry they love.

But it is increasingly hard to see what the NUJ hopes to achieve with this wrong-headed campaign.

This kind of tribunal ruling isn't going to suddenly force employers to see the light and start paying lots of casual interns - they'll simply stop taking them on.

It isn't going to open up journalism to people from all backgrounds - it's going to further limit access to those who can afford costly journalism courses.

And it isn't going to help the careers of the supposed beneficiaries in the long-term - minimum wage back pay is poor compensation for permanently blotting your copybook with any future employers by publicly demanding money for a job you agreed at the time not to be paid for.

Europe Business Editor - Associated Press

Here's a senior role in business journalism - the Associated Press is hiring a new Europe Business Editor.

As you'd expect from the title, your job will be leading business news coverage across Europe - you'll be based in London, but coordinating editors and reporters across the continent.

You'll need at least seven years' business news or editing experience, preferably at a news agency, and while the job's primarily in English, speaking one or more other European languages will be a big plus.

Apply via the AP website here.

Pick Me Up wants to bring you down

Ever wondered how magazines like Pick Me Up (tagline: 'real life like you've never seen it before') manage to find the incredible stories they put on their front page? (Our favourite in the current issue? 'My chin won't stop GROWING').

Well, the answer is surprisingly prosaic - they sent journalists out to look for them, and sometimes pay for them too.

FleetStreetBlues' reader Caroline Sutton brings us the happy news that Pick Me Up are now looking ahead to the summer and for their next issue are hoping to commission the ideal feature with a 'summer holiday line'. That has to be a positive story, right?

Well actually, here's the commendably upfront message the reporter - whose blushes we'll spare - sent round looking for stories.

Media outlet: Pick Me Up specials 

Summary: A strong crime or relationship story 

More info: Hi there, 

We\'re putting together the next Pick Me Up monthly special. We would like to commission a strong story, ideally with a summer holiday line, for example, murder, rape, sex abuse, stalkers, weird relationships, love rats etc. 

Please send me anything suitable that you are pitching around to the other magazines. We can bid. 

Thanks!

'Murder, rape, sex abuse, stalkers...' Whatever happened to 'Phoarr what a scorcher'?

Daily Star Sunday reveals list of injunctions

A top piece of investigative journalism looking at the scale of the current injunctions craze comes from a somewhat unlikely quarter today, with the Daily Star Sunday suddenly coming over all Woodward and Bernstein.

Their top line's a good 'un - one superinjunction currently still in existence actually applies to someone who's since died - but it's the list of 50 of the injunctions currently out there which is even more impressive.

The alphabet soup includes:

AA: An order granted to a footballer over his private life. 

AMM v HXW: TV star who denies he had sex with his ex-wife after remarrying. 

CC v AB: Married celebrity with young kids who had affair with woman for several months wins order preventing her husband from spilling the beans. 

DFT v TFD: High-profile public figure being blackmailed by alleged mistress for large amount of money. 

E, F & G: Celeb family over personal matter. 

EEE v GGG: Premier league footballer over alleged affair. 

MNB: Wealthy married man over details of sexual relationship. 

NEJ: Well-known actor who slept with Helen Wood, right, the Wayne Rooney hooker. 

POI v Person Known As Lina: Man to stop publication of photos and/or video taken in private place. 

TUV: Famous woman over theft of “visual images” stored on a laptop. 

WER v REW: Man – who is related to someone of note – blocking details of an alleged affair. 

ZXC v BNM: Footballer over fling.

You can read the full list here.

The journalist who put the list together, Tom Savage, apparently spend two solid days reading through all the injunctions served on Express Newspapers since 2003, and he's been answering some questions on Twitter about the list. The ones the lawyers let them print, anyway...

Hate superinjunctions and everything they stand for? Don't forget to sign up to FleetStreetBlues' 'Can't write, won't write' campaign. Email cantwritewontwrite@hotmail.com or tweet your support with the hashtag #cantwritewontwrite.

The Sunday scoop: 'I'm sure there are a few people who think we have stolen the baby'

As far as serious political stories go, it's all about Chris Huhne again this week, with both the Sunday Times and the Mail on Sunday splashing a second time on the beleaguered energy and climate change secretary.

The killer quote in the taped conversation to a witness from Huhne? 'There is no way that there is any evidence to this story unless you decide or give some legs to it by saying something. OK?' Ooops.

The Observer's 'PM's adviser: health reform is chance to make big profits' isn't a bad headline either, but this week we're going to forget about politics and go a bit tabloid. Not to the News of the World, mind, who lead with yet another development in the interminable X-Factor judging saga, but to the Sunday Mirror, who offer up a classic red-top human interest tale: 'Our little white miracle'.

Not the weightiest news story in the world, perhaps, but it's different, and makes you want to read more. Good work.

'Osama bin Wankin'

From the ever-reliable New York Post, which surely deserves to be an honorary Fleet Street red-top...

The super-duper injunction

First there was the injunction, which banned newspapers from writing about something or someone.

Then there was the superinjunction, which banned newspapers from writing about something or someone and also banned them from writing about the fact that they couldn't write about something or someone.

Then there was the hyperinjunction, which banned people from talking about the subject of injunctions, specifically including 'members of Parliament, journalists and lawyers'.

And now there's this, from the Daily Telegraph today, which has compiled a list of almost 80 gagging orders issued over the past six years.

One super-injunction is so binding that even the name of the judge has been kept secret. He can be referred to only as Mr Justice [xxxx].

Clearly we need a new name for this, but we're fast running out of words. The super-duper injunction?

Don't forget to sign up to FleetStreetBlues' 'Can't write, won't write' campaign, or Tweet your support with the hashtag #cantwritewontwrite.

Editor - Galloway Gazette

The Tweeddale Press Group in Scotland is recruiting an editor to oversee two of its weekly paid-for titles, the Galloway Gazette and the Carrick Gazette.

You'll need to be a jack of all trades - as well as experience of managing a team and news nous, you'll need a working knowledge of Scottish law, design skills (preferably with InDesign) and an understanding of multi-platform publishing.

The job's based in Newton Stewart in south-west Scotland, which our man north of the border reliably informs us is where the Wicker Man was filmed (the original, rather than the remake).

Apply via the Scotsman.com website. Deadline Tuesday 31 May.

Sorting out the Strachans

(A day later than planned, this, but Google's Blogger has only just been fixed - and we couldn't let this one pass without comment). 

Rule number one in writing about dodgy, potentially libellous newspaper reports? Try not to inadvertently libel someone else entirely.

When the Press Complaints Commission ruled against the Mail after it incorrectly claimed that 'Scottish socialite' Ian Strachan was bisexual and had a cocaine habit, along with a number of other false allegations, the Press Gazette was, as you'd expect, immediately on the case. 

And here's how they reported it yesterday:

Cue a serious 'Oh s**t' moment at Press Gazette Towers, and a frantic email correction half an hour later desperately clarifying that not only is Scottish football manager Gordon Strachan not a coke-snorting bisexual, but that the Mail had never incorrectly suggested that he might be. 

Content Editor - Telegraph

The Telegraph is recruiting a 'content editor' to work on its business desk.

It's a hybrid role, with subbing, writing and online responsibilities. You'll be helping to manage the finance section of the site, writing breaking news and creating multimedia content.

It's also a rare instance of a job on a national aimed at those fresh out of university - they describe it as an 'entry-level position that is likely to suit a graduate who has had their work published across print and online platforms'. An interest in business journalism is important.

Apply via Gorkana here.

Moment of impact

This, from the Manchester Evening News and picked up by David Higgerson, has to be one of the most striking uses of a CCTV image on a front page ever (click on the image to enlarge it).

To be honest, the 'pony hoofing his way to soccer stardom' on the right hand side does slightly detract from the overall power of the main image - but it's still a top piece of design.

The secret of happiness is copying and pasting

While it's a far-from-complete tool for weeding out shoddy journalism, FleetStreetBlues assumed that the high-profile launch of the Churnalism.com website last year would have immediately put paid to the most egregious examples of press release copying and pasting. We assumed wrong.

Check out the following story from the Telegraph's website last week, mercifully un-bylined, which is headed: Secret of happiness is remembering the good times, say scientists.

It's based on this press release from San Francisco State University in the US - and when we say based, we mean lifted. It's an almost perfect replication - Churnalism.com reckons it's 89% cut and 99% pasted, and an astonishing 2,966 characters overlap.

Some similarity between the two, of course, isn't surprising. Science journalists have long been particularly prone to sticking closely to press releases, often largely because of the complex material they're dealing with, and if the press release ain't broke, why fix it? 

But to copy the whole thing word for word, line by line, takes a special degree of laziness - and while the Telegraph website's the worst offender in this instance, it's not the only one. 

The print edition's version of the same story - which was bylined, to science correspondent Richard Alleyene  - rated as 71% cut and 66% pasted. That isn't reporting, that's subbing. 

And before the other papers get too cocky, the Independent and the Mail also ran articles with significant similarities to the press release. Churnalism is alive and well.

Quote of the Day: 9 May 2011

A superb letter from the wonderful Fleet Street Fox which begins 'Dear celebrities' - and pretty much defines what our 'Can't write, won't write' campaign is all about:

Fame is a pie, and you have to eat all of it. You don't get just to eat the cream off the top but have to force down the rest as well... 

...Be aware that if you are one of those celebrities who phones up picture agencies, who cuts a deal for a percentage of the syndication fee, who 'makes friends' with showbiz columnists, whose mortgage and self-worth rely solely on being a public figure, then you have ordered a bigger pie. For this you get more cream, but also more of everything else.

Superinjunctions become the new status symbol

So we've been championing 'Can't write, won't write', a campaign to simply and completely ignore all celebrities who decide for whatever reason to take out a superinjunction or other gagging order. The Daily Mail prefers to take the direct approach, dropping all kinds of unsubtle hints as to the identities of injunctees into random articles and then splashing this morning on the fact that the names were released on Twitter yesterday. That'll work too.

Interestingly, the line they've been pushing for a few days now is that innocent celebrities are having their name besmirched - a problem which, to be fair, is probably not entirely helped by wall-to-wall coverage in the Daily Mail.

No judge has given any indication that they realised giving a gagging order to cover up the sexual misbehaviour of one celebrity could damage the reputations of the innocent. 

At the weekend, TV presenter Gabby Logan issued a fresh denial over false rumours that she has had an affair with BBC colleague Alan Shearer. She was again trying to damp down internet speculation sparked by a privacy injunction granted by a judge to a different TV star. 

The mother of two said the gossip was ‘unfair’ and declared of the allegation that she is having an affair: ‘I am not and never have.’

Our favourite line though came at the bottom of a Mail story on Saturday, which offered the following gem:

Bizarrely, footballers now appear to be competing to enhance their reputations through their privacy injunctions.

Yesterday’s gag says the player concerned may be referred to as ‘a top Premiership footballer and/or soccer ace/star’. In fact, the footballer is not a household name.

FleetStreetBlues is fully behind anything which brings the current gagging order craze to an end, and we'll be watching what the unlikely alliance of Twitter and the Daily Mail comes up with in the coming days with interest. But if they can't between them crack it, then we remain convinced that denying media-hungry slebs the oxygen of publicity might work.

Find out more about the 'Can't write, won't write' campaign here, and to show your support, email cantwritewontwrite@hotmail.com or Tweet #cantwritewontwrite.

The Sunday scoop: Chris Huhne feels the heat - and 'Osama killed sat on loo'

Bit predictable this, given that a) it's the heavy-weight political splash in both the Sunday Times and the Mail on Sunday and b) Chris Huhne's former wife just happens to have spoken out the week after his 'Cabinet bust-up' with David Cameron.

But it's a solid story placing a minister under real pressure at a critical time for the coalition, and in a relatively thin week otherwise (the News of the World's topless shots of Pippa Middleton are not, we're told, all its front page cracks them up to be), a worthy recipient of the Sunday scoop award.

On which note, it's worth quickly mentioning the relaunched Sunday Sport - back today after a brief hiatus, and apparently on top form. We weren't able to find any of its content online, but if you're interested, then its front page looks a little something like this:

Quite how they managed to scoop the world on the Osama photos, we have no idea, but it does allow them to brilliantly claim inside that he was a 'shitting duck'. Welcome back guys.

Quote of the Day: 8 May 2011

From a curious article about the actor Hugh Bonneville in the Mail on Sunday today:

Hugh’s devotion to wife Lulu is so strong it is understood he is known to fellow thespians as the Ryan Giggs of the showbusiness world, after the famously family-orientated footballer.

For some reason comments on the article have been closed...


UPDATE: Thanks for the comments - we'd probably better not publish any either though...

The boobs are back in town

So tomorrow sees the return of the much-missed Sunday Sport, thanks to a deal with its founder David Sullivan. And according to this week's Popbitch, it's coming back with a bang.

The Sunday Sport is back this weekend. They say you can expect to see "a topless 51-stone woman who yearns to be 60-stone, a Royal porn scandal and a Premier League footballer who paid a hooker £5,000 to poo on his chest".

In all good newsagents tomorrow.

Channel 4 News cameraman turns life-saver

They're the reliable, unsung heroes of broadcast journalism - but it turns out TV cameramen have some other pretty useful skills as well.

Channel 4 News journalists were apparently having dinner in Edinburgh's swanky Tower Restaurant last night, after covering the SNP's landmark victory, when a woman started choking. Up stepped cameraman 'Graham' to save the day, intervening to use the Heimlich Manoeuvre.

Krishnan Guru-Murthy related the incident on Twitter, and political correspondent Cathy Newman also chipped in:

My cameraman just shot and edited my piece, and then saved someone's life in a restaurant. Give that man a pay rise!Fri May 06 21:50:40 via OpenBeakCathy Newman
cathynewman

Sealed with a kiss

The Telegraph's weekly world edition was faced with a dilemma this week: how to cram two global news events, each very different in nature, onto one front page? Ah, that should do it...

Hat tip: Peter Thal Larsen

One hell of a byline

A decent post on the Wannabe Hacks site today argues in staunch defence of tabloid values, in response to a recent Charlie Brooker column in the Guardian:

At their best tabloids can provide unparalleled coverage of sport, celebrity and popular culture, subjects that are no less important than politics, science and religion. 

Tabloids understand that these subjects matter to their readers, and as a result can tap into the mindset of their readers arguably better than other newspapers.

All a refreshing change from the usual 'I want to write for the Guardian' (or in fact 'I want to be Charlie Brooker') spiel - but we couldn't help be a little distracted by the magnificent name of the guy who wrote the piece: Oscar Williams-Grut.

Oscar is apparently a second-year history student at Cambridge University and news editor on student paper The Tab - you can follow him on Twitter here. Something tells us his is a name to watch...

US paper gets date of 9/11 wrong

'Mistakes happen' is the tagline of the excellent Regret the Error site, which collects newspaper corrections and clarifications from around the world, and in the aftermath of Osama bin Laden's death earlier this week mistakes didn't just happen. Mistakes abounded.

Many of the worst culprits were guilty of somehow substituting 'Obama' for 'Osama', and inadvertently reporting the demise of the US' 44th president. But in the breaking news confusion which followed Obama's announcement, there were some other real doozies which slipped in, such as this one from the Los Angeles Times:

Bin Laden obituary: The obituary of Osama Bin Laden in the May 2 Section A incorrectly reported the date of his Al Qaeda network’s terrorist attacks on the United States as Sept. 11, 2011. The attacks took place in 2001. Additionally, the obituary omitted the day Bin Laden was killed. It was early Monday in Pakistan.

Reporter - Post

Incisive Media's insurance trade B2B publication Post is looking for a reporter.

They're after someone with experience writing news on a local paper or trade magazine - an NCTJ qualification or equivalent would be an advantage but isn't essential. They bill the position as a decent route on to the nationals, too - four senior reporters have made the step up in recent years, apparently.

Apply online via the Incisive Media website here.

'Can't write, won't write': Campaign supporters

We've had an incredible response so far to our 'Can't write, won't write' campaign, with emails, Tweets and comments all expressing support.

To find out what the campaign's all about, and how it could help journalists hit back against superinjunctions by simply refusing to write anything at all about anyone who takes one out, click here. And to add your name to the list of supporters, please email cantwritewontwrite@hotmail.com or send a tweet including the hashtag #cantwritewontwrite.

Here, in no particular order. is the list of people who've backed the campaign so far - we'll be updating this list as support grows. Where possible we've included a link and said what people do (obviously if a journalist supports the campaign, that represents their own views and not those of the organisation they work for). If that hasn't been possible and you'd like to add your details email us at fleetstreetblues@hotmail.co.uk.

• Lucy Buckland - Croydon Advertiser reporter
• Emily Heward - Halifax Courier journalist
• Matt Gaw - Brighton Argus news editor
• Sarah Rainey - Daily Telegraph reporter
• Jill Parsons
• Paul Taylor
• Kirk Ward - West Sussex County Times news editor
• Danny Wright - Selby Post & Goole Times and journalism student
• Jenny Purt
• 'Holly Golightly' 
• Toby Higgins - Halifax Courier journalist
• Victoria Bartram - Ross Parry Press Agency feature writer
• Ben Hall
• Trevor R Nunn
• Patrick Neylan - maritime industry writer and editor
• Caris Davis
• Andy Halls - Blog Preston journalist and editor
• Natasha Browne
• Journalist Works - media training company
• 'Curlymax'
• Duncan Bick
• Leana Dimaio
• Leah Borromeo
• 'Robo'
• Lisa Adams - Daily Record feature writer
• Richard Burns
• Adam Shulman
• Joanna Geary - The Times community editor
• Tom McArthur
• Charlie Harris - journalism lecturer
• Dean Willis
• Lara Fist
• Catherine Neilan - Broadcast deputy news editor
• Caebrwyn - local blogger
• Jim Richardson
• 'Public Watcher'
• Gaby Hinsliff - former Observer political editor
• Rachael L Mitchinson - journalism student
• 'Miriamlaila' - lawyer
• Kerry O'Boyle
• Jamie Baker
• Rachel Kennedy - BBC news editor
• 'Beljonjets' - freelancer
• Louise Watson - PR
• Stephen Stockwell - Australian journalist
• David O'Leary
• Francesca Williams - BBC journalist
• Carol Grant
• Angela Burns
• Jon Morris
• Joanna Carr - BBC editor
• Janine Rasiah - journalism student
• Euan McMorrow
• Jim Coulson
• Joanna Till - Croydon Advertiser reporter
• Geoff Ambler
• Sam Burnett

Again, to add your name, email cantwritewontwrite@hotmail.com or Tweet the hastag #cantwritewontwrite. Thanks for the support.

'The more I discover about dead man, the more suspicious I get'

For anyone who's been following the latest developments with the Ian Tomlinson case, the following article over at the Press Gazette is well worth a read.

In it, Guardian reporter Paul Lewis explains how he got his first break in the case which made his name. (In fact, the article itself was first written in August 2009, but it was never run online and the Press Gazette have only now cannily uploaded it.)

I was on the bus when my editor called. A man had died the previous evening during the G20 demonstrations, which I had been reporting.

All we knew about Ian Tomlinson at that time was he was a man wearing a Millwall shirt. I called the Millwall Football Supporters Association - no answer. I got my pad out on the bus and started calling all the mobile numbers of people I took quotes from the previous day, to see if they had seen anything.

One of them had, and I waited an hour at an estate in Shepherd’s Bush for some teenagers to bring me photos of Tomlinson, and another hour convincing them not to sell the pictures to the tabloids.

He goes on to recount word for word the email he sent his editor after going through the pictures back in the office: 'I know there are thoughts I’m a conspiracy theorist, but the more I discover about dead man, the more suspicious I get. Things don’t add up and the police are cagey. Post-mortem postponed. Again.'

Read more here.

Senior Reporter - Ellon Times and Inverurie Herald

With regional reporter vacancies rather thin on the ground at the moment, this is a decent opportunity up in Scotland. The Ellon Times and Inverurie Herald are recruiting a senior reporter.

You'll need to be able to 'hit the deck running', apparently, and must have completed a university course in journalism or have a decent level of experience - an NCTJ qualification is preferred. A driving licence is also essential.

Our man north of the border reports that both towns are about 20 miles from Aberdeen, and Inverurie in particular is apparently a 'stunningly beautiful' place.

Apply with CV and covering letter to the editor, Ken Duncan, via the Scotsman.com website. The job ad lists the deadline as Friday 8 April, but as it's since been reposted we're guessing that's out of date - just get your application in asap.

Motoring writer - Press Association

Here's a pretty niche role - the Press Association's 'motoring department' is hiring a writer to produce motoring content for a range of print and online publishers.

You'll be doing news, features and road tests, and so obviously need a full driving licence as well as a 'keen interest' in motoring. An interest in motorcycles and video/photography skills would also be an advantage. The job's based in Bristol.

Apply with CV and covering letter to matt.joy@pressassociation.com.