Local newspaper journalists a disappearing breed

They are shedding 20 more editorial jobs at my local paper the Eastern Daily Press. Must be a high proportion of jobs, as I guess there are only just over a 100 editorial posts at the company Archant anyway.

Couldn't help wondering how many public relations professionals there now are compared to journalists? The ratio of people wanting to create news, compared to those wanting to find out and write about it.

My guess is that there are thousand more PRs now trying to talk to local newspaper journalists - who are working ever harder, with less time to find stories and get out and meet people.

Indeed, Archant suggested that shedding journalist jobs would enable them to 'consolidate' editorial coverage - especially in the digital economy. Also, they suggest that in future journalists will be out in the community more.

Again. I'm wondering how this might happen? Perhaps local village correspondents (hopefully not unpaid, although I fear they might be) will become more important contacts for PRs than local journalists? Liz Hollis

How to come up with ideas

Ideas are currency for freelance writers. Googling around about better ways to come up with better ideas, I found a tip from Weinburg (with no first name reference unfortunately). It is called the 'fieldstone method'. She or he suggests that if you collected two or three interesting looking stones a day you could eventually build a wall. The analogy is that you should collect ideas in the same way with the aim of leading to bigger and better ideas. They suggest you make a note of two or three things a day that interest or bother you as you go about your day. Eventually, you will start seeing patterns as ideas coalesce (what a great word that is) around some central themes. Creativity and innovation are not about coming up with something completely new in a vacuum, Instead ideas build from other ideas and over time, thanks to your gathering of daily jottings about things that interest/bother you, you will eventually see a trigger for an even bigger idea - a feature, book, programme, website, business idea. Good luck.

Conference - Beyond the Paywall

Beyond the paywall
How to pay for quality journalism in a digital world?

Conference: 9 May @ City University, 6.30pm, London.

It's time to search for a solution to how journalism can still continue in a digital world. This conference at City University in London looks as if it's going to tackle some of the big questions. With an esteemed panel of speakers, it will be interesting to see what they think...

Chaired by the UK Press Gazette's Dominic Ponsford, the panel is Geordie Greig, Dan Sabbagh and Stevie Spring.

A year ago Emily Bell, head of digital content at the Guardian, condemned paywalls as 'a stupid idea', says Dominic Ponsford.

But now, he adds, the mood around paywalls is changing. The Telegraph is looking at metered access from September and Mail Online is looking at signing up to the Google One Pass digital system.

This will all be debated at the City University conference at 6.30 pm on 9 May.

www.city.ac.uk
www.pressgazette.co.uk

Ridiculous press release from Electrolux

This ludicrous press release has just come through from Electrolux - you couldn't make it up!

Dear journalist.

To mark the end of the 8 year long development of its latest dishwasher spray arm, AEG is celebrating the significance of the arm in all its glory. Therefore they are now launching the site www.stateofthearm.com paying a tribute to the importance of the arm in the worlds of sports, culture, technology and telling the stories of the engineers behind the development of one of the biggest arms in time.

Please visit our Electrolux Newsroom UK for more information and for high res images:

http://newsroom.electrolux.com/uk/2010/11/29/in-pursuit-of-the-perfect-arm-%e2%80%93-from-guitar-players-to-dishwashers/

Please do not hestitate to call if you have any other questions,

Best wishes

Susan Dean

Electrolux Press Office UK

+44 7778 791373

Press Gazette saved from possible closure

News in that the much-loved Press Gazette - the trade press for the industry in the UK, has been saved from possible closure after being acquired by publisher Progressive Media. News coverage on the website and on Press Gazette’s network of blogs will apparently resume today and the May issue of the magazine will go out as normal. Press Gazette will also be moving offices this week from Old Street to Paddington. The new address will be announced in due course.

Recipe for writing success

Writer Adele Parks, 40, described in the Times earlier this year, how she set out to become a writer - and achieved her goal.

Her comments are inspiring, but rather daunting. She has talent but worked hard to succeed. A combination of flair and slog in equal measure.

"Because I was very goal-orientated, I followed the regime that my husband used to train for marathons. He exercised three hours a day, three days a week and five hours at the weekend. I took the same timetable to write and devised a work plan: what I should read, how much I should write and the structure of the book.

"My plan was to drop off the first three chapters and a synopsis to my agent on my 30th birthday. A friend who had been reading my first draft came across an interview with Jonny Geller, of Curtis Brown, who said he liked 10-word pitches.

"So I dropped the work into his office the day before my birthday and with it I put a synopsis with the words...'Anna Karenina meets Bridget Jones but heroine gets to live'. He loved it."

Journalism "sinks" to new low with yet another bizarre award

I've blogged earlier about the annual journalism award for writing about turkeys (posted Friday 3 April). Now there's this - a journalism award for the best writing about ceramic tiles and bathroom furnishings. I know journalism is in a poorly state - but this, er, "sinks" to a new low.

Ceramic Tiles of Italy Journalism Award 2009Deadline: 15/05/09Details: This award will recognise the best published article/report on the Italian ceramic tile industry and/or Cersaie 2008 (the international exhibition of ceramic tile and bathroom furnishings).Prize: The prize is a commemorative plaque to be awarded at the international press conference at Cersaie 2009, along with a three-day stay in Rome for two people prior to the conference, with travel, board and lodging paid for.Address: Press Office, Ceramic Tiles of Italy, Viale Monte Santo 40, 41049 Sassuolo ItalyTelephone: +39 0536 818 111 Fax: +39 0536 807 935Email: info@italiatiles.comWeb: http://www.journalism.co.uk/shorturl/GGHWB/

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