1) Complain about how crazy it is that someone with a journalism job wants someone like you to work for free.
Real salary: £0. Potential salary: £0.

or

2) Help a company or someone within the industry which you want to work, research and write articles that may get you exposure and get you a real job.
Real salary: ~£0. Potential salary: >£0.

or

3) Successfully apply for and get a job that pays money in journalism.
Prerequisites: a lot of option 2)

(Please note: ideal lifetime role may not be available for first-job employees with no experience; compromise required)

Wikileaks has released a video showing the needless killing of Reuters journalist Namir Noor-Eldeen, his driver, Saeed Chmagh and up to a dozen others by an Apache helicopter in Baghdad, 2007.

Channel 4 News Senior Programme Editor Ed Fraser has called for a “William Peers-type inquiry” into the killing and cover-up, referring to the Peers Commission investigation into the My Lai massacre in Vietnam.

The video footage directly contradicts what Major Brent Cummings, executive officer of the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, said to the media after the incident: “No innocent civilians were killed on our part deliberately. We took great pains to prevent that.”

The video was leaked to Wikileaks by US military whistleblowers after a Reuters Freedom of Information request failed gain access to the video.

Read the full transcript at the special website on the killing of Namir Noor-Edleen and Saeed Chmagh set up by Wikileaks.

The events shown in the video
In the first attack the Apache kills approximately eight individuals, including Reuters journalist Namir Noor-Eldeen, who is clearly carrying a camera slung under his right arm.

Saeed Chmagh is injured by the first attack, and is seen limping away. The Apache gunner says over the radio that he is hoping Chmagh is carrying a weapon, so he can kill him.

A minibus, with several adults and two children inside appears on the scene. Several adults, clearly unarmed, leave the minibus and attempt to carry Chmagh away.

The Apache gunner then gains clearance to shoot, and hits the minibus repeatedly.

Later, a US military patrol arrives. A Humvee can been seen driving over the body of Namir Noor-Eldeen. Soldiers can be heard joking over the intercom about this.

The video also shows US soldiers on the ground carrying two wounded child from the destroyed minivan.

Below is an essay I submitted to David Leigh’s Investigative Journalism class.

The biggest factor influencing the effectiveness of investigative journalism is the state and the laws within which it is being practiced. The effectiveness of journalism is often defined within the paradigm of “states”. Reporters Without Borders maintains the press freedom index, which ranks states according to their record of press freedom. Even in conversation the importance of the state in influencing journalism is repeated: we’ve all heard the stereotype that the British press (with its tabloid newspapers) scrutinises the behaviour and actions of politicians more effectively than the American press.

I believe that direct and indirect influence from the state system in which journalism is conducted is one of the biggest hindrances to the furthering of universal principles of investigative journalism, and that investigative journalism is most potent when it bypasses or overrides this influence. What should be desired is an international attitude to investigative journalism, based in the principles of international human rights law, and international cooperation. The international system of states is the biggest roadblock to this aim.

It’s useful to start with a country with one of the most powerful states in the modern world: China. Until relatively recently the Chinese state could have been said to have encouraged investigative journalism. Over the last 30 years, loosened party control of the media and new media outlets have firmly established investigative journalism practices within mainstream media. In the past party officials encouraged investigative journalists willing to spend time in digging out corruption. “These new journalistic developments were not in opposition to the party: on the contrary, the party leadership encouraged and supported many of them.” Continue Reading »

Photo credit: The Pub by mild_swearwords on Flickr

James Brown has an interesting anecdotal post up over at Organ Grinder about the best time to get articles commissioned in magazines. He says this week is the best time due to a combination of “end of year list exhaustion”, plenty of trips to the pub and lowered expectations as to what stories are out there.

I think the situation is a little different on newspapers.

Most of the national newspapers have had their Christmas parties already*, and this week most reporters are working their arses off trying to get all the work in so they can be with their families on Christmas Day. Just think of the Sunday papers. Their busiest days of the week happens to coincide with Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

One of the tips from Brown’s post is to get chummy with editors who are sloshed up in the pub after work. I’m not sure if starting a commissioning relationship with someone who’s drunk is a great idea: if they don’t know who you are at the pub, they’re unlikely to remember you in the morning!

The best way to get commissioned is still, and has always been, pitching the best stories you can find, but I’m sure there’s something to be said for pitching them when expectations are low. I think Brown’s post bears that out: the scoops he mentions includes an unprofiled Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer and a Jack Dee before his first TV appearance. That’s how you get commissioned.

*News International’s party had to win the prize this year. Apparently they hired out a massive warehouse, and had Jedward, Peter Andre and others performing next to giant stalls themed to each paper.

In light of the recent rumours regarding the possible demise of The Observer newspaper, I put together this brief history of the publication. The main sources were The Guardian’s “History of the Observer“, an article from The Guardian’s ad info page “A brief history of the Observer” and a Guardian piece called the “Observer timeline“.

1791
The Observer’s first issue was published on December 4th, 1791. Founded by WS Bourne, he believed that “the establishment of a Sunday newspaper would obtain him a rapid fortune”, but ended up putting him into debt only three years later. He eventually failed in an attempt to sell the title to the Government.

The first edition solicited “Advertisements and Articles of Intelligence” for future issues, and featured news regarding the manufacturer of axle-trees for carraiges and a newly patented “washing machine” alongside advertisements for a local Grocer and various remedies for corns, fits, gout, rheumatism and scurvy.

1814
The newspaper was bought by newspaper magnate William Innell Clement, who ignored the Lord Chief Justice’s reporting restrictions on the trial of the Cato Street Conspirators. Clement refused to attend the court case against him, helping to establish the principle of freedom of the press.

1861
During the American Civil from 1861-1865, the paper sided with the North, prompting a fall in readership.

1891
As the new Editor of the paper, Rachel Beer published findings that Count Esterhazy had used forged letters to condemn Captain Dreyfus to Devil’s Island.

1905
The Observer was bought by Lord Northcliffe. Northcliffe later appointed a harrowing and prophetic editorial on the Treaty of Versailles, saying that the Treaty “left the Germans no real hope except in revenge’”. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, Garvin used the paper as an outlet for his fervent anti-Nazi views.

1948
David Astor joined the Observer as Editor, aged 29 and after only a year’s experience working on the Yorkshire Post. Before he became editor, he removed the paper’s political allegiances through the vesting of its ownership in a trust, and is widely regarded as responsible for the paper’s distinctive liberal voice. He also brought on many of the newspaper’s most famous alumni, including George Orwell, Vita Sackville-West, Arthur Koestler, Philip Toynbee, Jon Davy and Kenneth Tynan.

1956
The paper became the first major national newspaper to openly oppose the Government’s action over the Suez Canal, publishing an editorial on November 4th 1965 that declared “We had not realised that our Government was capable of such folly and such crookedness”.

1963
Kim Philby, Middle East Correspondent for the Observer, defected to the Soviet Union.

1964
The newspaper was known for speaking out often against apartheid, notably publishing articles covering Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment in 1964. Editor David Astor personally sent Mandela legal books to read during his incarceration.

1987
The newspaper published a one-off mid week edition to publicise the Department of Trade and Industry report into Mohamed Al Fayed’s conduct in his battle for control of the department store Harrods.

1993
GMG acquired the newspaper after competition from The Independent, who wanted to merge the paper with The Independent on Sunday. The paper’s potential closure prompted 132 MPs to sign an early day motion supporting its continuance as an independent newspaper. The Primary Sponsor David Winnick wrote that the undersigned “recognises the importance of The Observer continuing as a separate newspaper and would be opposed to it being sold to a newspaper group which already has a Sunday paper; and therefore believes the best course available in the public interest and to provide a diversity of views within the Press is for the paper to be sold to The Guardian, which does not currently have a Sunday paper.”

1999
Published a transcript of a secretly filmed conversation with Kevin Reid, son of the Scottish Minister at the time, John Reid. Kevin Reid told an Observer reporter posing as a businessman that Beattie Media, the PR firm he worked for, was able to give privileged access to ministers.

2003
Under the editorship of Roger Alton, the Observer controversially put its support behind the invasion of Iraq.

2008
The Observer moved from its old separate office in Herbal Hill, Farringdon, to share the Guardian’s new office in King’s Cross.

Courtesy of City University Investigative Journalism MA graduate James Ball (blog, twitter), here is a general reading list from the course that I personally think would be suitable for anyone interested in journalism. If you buy second hand, you can get the entire list from Amazon for around £65 including postage too! Comments by James.

-Any of David Leigh’s back catalogue (there are all hugely out of date, and out of print, but he’s a great writer and amazon has them cheap second-hand). Try High Time, The Wilson Plot, The Liar: Fall of Jonathan Aitken, and Sleaze: The Corruption of Parliament.

-Ghost Plane, Stephen Gray. Heavy read, but the network analysis stuff Grey did on the planespotters’ records is frankly brilliant

-Smartest Guys in the Room, Elkind and McLean - great book on unravelling enron

-Tell Me No Lies - Pilger; best anthology of 20th century investigative journalism going.

-All The President’s Men - the one that started it off

On a more practical note:

How To Lie With Statistics - best stats primer I’ve ever come across, written in the 1950s, less than 150 pages long, bit of a page turner, and still in print

Your Right To Know, Heather Brooke - getting a bit dated (new version coming next year), but really handy for Freedom of Information. Though lots of the useful stuff is online at www.yrtk.org

Investigative Reporting: a study in technique, David Spark (online preview here) - a good basic primer.

Flat Earth News, Nick Davies

Bad Science, Ben Goldacre

Also interesting, this list of Journalism books that every journalism student should supposedly read.

UPDATE: here’s the official reading list from City University for the Investigative Journalism 1 and 2 modules.

The ones marked with an asterix are highly recommended.

Heather Brooke, Your Right to Know: A Citizen’s Guide to the Freedom of Information Act, Pluto Press (2007)*

Hugo de Burgh, Investigative Journalism, Routledge (2008)*

Mark Danner, Torture and Truth: Abu Ghraib and America in Iraq,

Nick Davies, Flat Earth News, Chatto and Windus (2008)*

Harold Evans, Good Times Bad Times, Phoenix Press (1994)

Stephen Grey, Ghost Plane: The Untold Story of the CIA’s Secret Rendition Programme. Scribe Publications (2007)*

David Leigh and David Pallister, The Liar:The Fall of Jonathan Aitken, Second Edition, Guardian Books*

David Leigh and Ed Vulliamy, Sleaze, The Corruption of Parliament Fourth Estate 1997

David Northmore, Lifting the Lid, a Guide to Investigative Research (Cassell)

John Pilger, Tell Me No Lies: Investigative Journalism and Its Triumphs Vintage (2005)*

Anthony Sampson, The Arms Bazaar

David Spark, Investigative Reporting: A Study in Technique

Gillian Tett, Fool’s Gold, Little Brown 2009 *

Martin Walker, Dirty Medicine

Woodward and Bernstein, All The president’s Men*

And the general investigative journalism reading list.

News & Production

Anna McKane   Newswriting (Sage, 2006)*

David Randall   The Universal Journalist (Pluto Press)

Features & Research

Angela Phillips  Good Writing for Journalists (Sage, 2007)*

Brendan Hennessy  Writing Feature Articles  (Focal Press)

Sally Adams   Interviewing for Journalists (Routledge)*

David Northmore  Lifting the Lid: A Guide to Investigative Research      (Cassell)

Writing & English

Hicks, Gilbert & Adams Writing for Journalists (Routledge)*

Wynford Hicks  English for Journalists (Routledge)*

Harold Evans   Essential English (Pimlico)*

General

Richard Keeble  Ethics for Journalists

Anna McKane   Journalism: A Career Handbook (A& C Black)

Nick Davies                            Flat Earth News (Chatto and Windus) 2008*

Dawn Johnstone                     Teeline for Journalists*

Structure of Government

You will receive a comprehensive reading list for the Structure of Government module at the start of term, but in the meantime

you could look at:

Bill Jones et al. (ed). Politics UK. (Pearson 2007)

Media Law

McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists by Tom Welsh, Walter Greenwood and David Banks  (2007) *

Law for Journalists by Frances Quinn (2007)

burning paper from the last 10 years of my life by The Shifted Librarian on Flickr

Some commentary on David Carr’s article, United, Newspapers May (Could, Possibly, Might, Will Hopefully, With Crutches) Stand. I’d like to rename it “United, Newspapers Will (More Likely) Fall.”

-

Back when I was a young media reporter fueled by indignation and suspicion, I often pictured the dark overlords of the newspaper industry gathering at a secret location to collude over cigars and Cognac, deciding how to set prices and the news agenda at the same time.

It probably never happened, but now that I fear for the future of the world that they made, I’m hoping that meeting takes place. I’ll even buy the cigars.

Got news for ya’ David, even the non-smoking newspaper men ain’t meeting anymore.

Even casual followers of the newspaper industry could rattle off the doomsday tick-tock: a digitally enabled free fall in ads and audience now has burly guys circling major daily newspapers with plywood and nail guns. The Rocky Mountain News is gone, The San Francisco Chronicle is on the bubble, and dozens of others are limping along on the endangered list.

Including the very paper that this column appears in.

Magazine and newspaper editors have canceled their annual conferences (good idea: let’s not talk to one another). But perhaps someone can blow a secret whistle and the publishers and editors could all meet at an undisclosed location.

Alright, so you saw that link about the newspaper people not meeting. My bad. Maybe for your proposed secret meeting they could try emailing each other?

My fantasy meeting goes something like this: a rump caucus could form where the newspaper industry would decide to hold hands and jump off the following cliffs together on the following actions.

No more free content. The Web has become the primary delivery mechanism for quality newsrooms across the country, and consumers will have to participate in financing the newsgathering process if it is to continue. Setting the price point at free — the newspaper analyst Alan D. Mutter called it the “original sin” — has brought the industry millions of eyeballs and a return that doesn’t cover the coffee budget of some newsrooms.

Unfortunately printing information on paper don’t seem to be selling either. And as far as I can tell, internet articles behind paywalls don’t seem to sell either.

The big threat would be that newspapers could lose the readers they have, lots of them. The mitigating factor is that a lot of those readers aren’t paying anyway. And keep in mind that people are already paying for quality content all over the Web: The Wall Street Journal, Consumer Reports, The Arkansas Gazette. Tiered Web access — from a bare-bones free product to a rich, customized subscription — could be among the solutions.

Isn’t part of the problem that newspapers seem only want to churn out one-product-fits-all? Since when have newspapers cared about who the hell I am? This article doesn’t even allow comments. How are they going to customise anything to suit my needs? (by the way, any information that does get revealed through these “customized subscriptions” will end up being free anyway.) [insert something about the internet destroying boundaries to information/mp3s/movies]

No more free ride to aggregators. Google announced that it would begin selling ads against Google News, with almost no financial accommodation to the organizations that generate that news. The book industry — of all Luddites — has extracted cash from Google, as did the wire services. Google, The Huffington Post and Newser have built their audiences and brands on other people’s labors. Continue Reading »

Just got this email from City University’s “Postgraduate Admissions Team”:

“Owing to the number of applications received, we will be unable to contact all candidates invited to interview by the 6^th of March. We aim to be in touch regarding the status of your application by the 20^th of March.”

@MichaelHaddon says “You will need to get used to things like that if you come here for your MA, administration is not the department’s strongpoint!”

I’d be willing to cut some slack to the department here. There’s some evidence that MA courses in the UK have had a massive increase in applications recently, so it’s probably unavoidable. I’m just angry I’ll have to wait another couple of weeks. The suspense is killing me!

This article was originally published in Hullfire, Hull University’s very own magazine. Since they have a horrible web presence, I’m republishing the article here.

The days of journalism taking place in smoke-filled newsrooms by hardened hacks with inky fingers are long gone, if they ever existed in the first place. As a student trying to get into journalism, it’s best to abandon all sense of romanticism about the craft you wish to enter. Journalism can be done by anyone, at any time. All you need is the willingness to look for fresh angles, an ethical perspective that means you’ll always look for and present the truth and the nouse to start a blog and send a pitch to the right commissioning editor at the right publication, at the right time. Continue Reading »

 
Image credit: Flat Earth News by Scleroplex on Flickr

I’ve been listening to the City University’s massively informative series of talks from the Centre for Investigative Journalism, and you should too. I liked Nick Davies’ talk so much, that I decided to paraphrase/transcribe some of it, and added some of my own thoughts.

Don’t bother reading all the newspapers, watching all the TV news shows, listening to all the radio broadcasts.

Why? Because if you’re constantly listening to everyone else to find your news, and all everyone else is doing is constantly listening to everyone else to find their news, then you get a shallow echo chamber where everyone is reporting the same small set of stories and everyone reports on the small small set of stories in the same manner.

Objectivity sucks

Davies cites Martin Bell’s reporting of the war in former Yugoslavia. Some stories have such an inherent emotional content that you are distorting the story if you don’t express it deliberately and overtly. In this war, one side was literally raping the other. If you stand there and coldly report the story while people are being raped and pillaged, you’re distorting what’s happening. It is utterly impossible to objectively report on events. The objective story doesn’t exist. Continue Reading »