Boundlessology: November 2009

Tuesday 17 November 2009

First stab at compiling a frequently-updated news story (from scratch)

Our first attempt at building a news story whilst gaining information from several sources, requiring the article to be updated each time with additional information requiring the article to change stance slightly every time. Time taken - including interviewing spokespeople and writing - roughly an hour.

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Article 1 - with information provided by a coastguard spokesman:

A major landslide has occurred at Bowleaze, Weymouth in Dorset this morning, yet no casualties have been reported.

A cliff face gave way at 9:10am this morning after torrential rain and high winds for several days in Bowleaze, Weymouth in the south coast of England. No casualties have been reported, a coastguard spokesman said today, with the area sectioned off for the time being whilst the debris is cleared. As of yet, the extent of damage is unsure, with police and coastguard patrols currently working to resurrect the situation.

The cliff face, belonging to the Jurassic Coast, is part of a National Heritage coastline and as such is part of a national landmark in England. Cliffs are known to be unstable, and it is not uncommon that the landslide has occurred in such circumstances.

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Article 2 - with information from the coastguard spokesman and a Fire and Rescue spokesman:

A party of around 10 people have been reported trapped after a major landslide occurred at Bowleaze, Weymouth in Dorset this morning.

A cliff face gave way at 9:10am this morning after torrential rain and high winds for several days in Bowleaze, Weymouth in the south coast of England, leaving a party of 10 trapped under several hundred tons of debris.

A call for help had been made by an apparent member of their group, said Dorset Fire and Rescue spokesman Rocky Robinson, yet Robinson stated that it was unsure if the call had come from a member either safe or stuck in the debris. The area has been sectioned off for the time being whilst the debris is cleared in effort to save the people. As of yet, the extent of injury or damage to both the victims and the surrounding area is unsure, with police and coastguard patrols currently working to resurrect the situation. A cliff rescue party, lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter have all been called in to try and free any survivors

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Article 3 - including information from the two spokesmen and a school headteacher:

Twelve people, including 10 students and 2 teachers, have been reported trapped after a major landslide occurred at Bowleaze, Weymouth in Dorset this morning.

Students and teachers of Woodroffe School, Lyme Regis, in Dorset on a geology field trip have become trapped in thick mud after a landslide hit Bowleaze Cove at 9:10am today. A cliff face gave way after torrential rain and high winds for several days in Bowleaze, Weymouth in the south coast of England, leaving the group of twelve trapped under several hundred tons of debris. Although the school will stay open, with school children unaware of the accident, Betty Taylor - head teacher of Woodroffe School - has contacted victims’ parents. Deputy head Martin Martin has also been called to the scene to relay information between the school and the parents.

The Year 13 students had planned for a geology field trip at Bowleaze Cove before the landslide trapped them in thick mud, with some students trapped in mud “as high as their necks”. Ms Taylor admits that it’s now a “race against time” to rescue the party, who are currently stuck on a plateau facing high tides – possibly meaning there is less than ninety minutes for the group to be rescued. The plateau is hard to access, with a cliff rescue party, lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter all being called in to try and free the group.

A call for help had been made by one of the teachers of their group, said Dorset Fire and Rescue spokesman Rocky Robinson, yet Robinson stated that it was unsure if the call had come from a teacher either safe or stuck in the debris. The area has been sectioned off for the time being whilst the debris is cleared in effort to save the people. As of yet, the extent of injury or damage to both the victims and the surrounding area is unsure, with police and coastguard patrols currently working to resurrect the situation.

A member of staff at Woodroffe School is currently waiting at Dorchester County Hospital in preparation for any casualties requiring medical attention, yet it is unsure whether the students will need to be driven via an ambulance or airlifted there depending on the extent of their injuries.

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Article 4 - including the two spokesmen, the headteacher, and a post-incident report from a trapped teacher:

Twelve people including 10 students and 2 teachers, have been rescued after being trapped in a major landslide at Bowleaze, Weymouth in Dorset this morning

Students and teachers of Woodroffe School, Lyme Regis, in Dorset on a geology field trip were trapped in thick mud after a landslide hit Bowleaze Cove at 9:10am today. All have been rescued safely and are being treated at Dorchester County Hospital for minor injuries.

A cliff face gave way after torrential rain and high winds for several days in Bowleaze, Weymouth in the south coast of England, leaving the group of twelve trapped under several hundred tons of debris. Although the school stayed open, with school children unaware of the accident, Betty Taylor - head teacher of Woodroffe School - had contacted victims’ parents during the accident. Deputy head Martin Martin had also been called to the scene to relay information and updates between the school and the parents. The school have been in contact with as many parents’ of those affected as they can, with those uncontactable to gain updates of the situation when possible.

The Year 13 students had planned for a geology field trip at Bowleaze Cove before the landslide trapped them in thick mud, with some students trapped in mud “as high as their necks”. Ms Taylor admitted that it was a “race against time” to rescue the party, who were stuck on a plateau facing high tides – possibly meaning there was less than ninety minutes for the group to be rescued. The plateau was hard to access, with a cliff rescue party, lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter all being called in to try and free the group. At the time of the event, a passing speedboat had also stopped to help the group, of which trapped geography teacher Shelley Osbourne said she “owed our lives to”.

A call for help had been made by one of the teachers of their group, said Dorset Fire and Rescue spokesman Rocky Robinson, who was later identified as geology teacher Denis Landsbert. The area had been sectioned off whilst the debris was cleared in effort to save the people. Osbourne’s biggest difficulty was “keeping everyone calm”, with rising tides meaning that some students suffered panic attacks during the entrapment, and besides mild cases of hypothermia, bruising, shock and trauma, no long-term injuries were sustained. Now-freed Osbourne remarked that she was “so pleased to be alive…it felt like an eternity [being trapped]”. The group were trapped for just over ninety minutes before all being rescued safely by rescue teams and the passing speedboat. Recalling her first thoughts regarding the scenario, Osbourne said that the occurrence “felt like an explosion rather than a sliding of mud”, and repeatedly praised the emergency services for their role in ensuring the party’s survival.

All of the victims are being treated at Dorchester County Hospital, where they can be safely assessed for any future injuries and later released. A member of staff at Woodroffe School was waiting at the ward in preparation for any casualties requiring medical attention, yet was unsure as to whether the students would have needed to be driven via an ambulance or airlifted there.

Coincidentally, the field trippers were studying the instability of the rock face at Bowleaze Cove before the landslide occurred. The cliff face, belonging to the Jurassic Coast, is part of a National Heritage coastline and as such is part of a national landmark in England. Cliffs are known to be unstable, and it is not uncommon that the landslide has occurred in such circumstances.

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Article 5 - FINISHED ARTICLE, including all reports and a last-minute update from geology teacher Denis Landsburt.

Eleven people including 10 students and a teacher, have been rescued by ex-footballer Jamie Redknapp and wife Louise after being trapped in a major landslide at Bowleaze, Weymouth in Dorset this morning.

Students and teachers of Woodroffe School, Lyme Regis, in Dorset on a geology field trip were trapped in thick mud after a landslide hit Bowleaze Cove at 9:10am today. The Redknapps were passing on a large speedboat, and instantly got “stuck in and dirty” to eventually pull out 7 of the eleven victims. All have been rescued safely and are being treated at Dorchester County Hospital for minor injuries.

Geology teacher Denis Landsburt was unharmed in the landslide, and able to escape before the rocks fell upon the plateau where the party were trapped. Upon raising the alarm, he too was unafraid to assist in pulling out the students. The further five, who were trapped too far in the mud to be pulled out, were later rescued by emergency services including lifeboats and helicopter crews. Landsburt wished to “thank the people who saved us”, referring to Jamie and Louise Redknapp as a “really heroic, brave couple [to whom] we owe our lives to”.

The Year 13 students had planned for a geology field trip at Bowleaze Cove before the landslide trapped them in thick mud, with some students trapped in mud “as high as their necks”. Ms Taylor admitted that it was a “race against time” to rescue the party, who were stuck on a plateau facing high tides – possibly meaning there was less than ninety minutes for the group to be rescued. The plateau was hard to access, with a cliff rescue party, lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter all being called in to try and free the group. At the time of the event, a passing speedboat had also stopped to help the group, of which trapped geography teacher Shelley Osbourne said she “owed our lives to”.

The cliff face gave way after torrential rain and high winds for several days in Bowleaze, Weymouth in the south coast of England, leaving the group of twelve trapped under several hundred tons of debris. Although the school stayed open, with school children unaware of the accident, Betty Taylor - head teacher of Woodroffe School - had contacted victims’ parents during the accident. Deputy head Martin Martin had also been called to the scene to relay information and updates between the school and the parents. The school have been in contact with as many parents’ of those affected as they can, with those uncontactable to gain updates of the situation when possible.

Tuesday 10 November 2009

Journalism Practice - Brown/Janes Debate

Another quick practice article, written in four minutes....

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A message of condolence by Prime Minister Gordon Brown has backfired after Brown misspelt the name of a deceased soldier in a letter to his mother.

Mother Jacqui Janes received the letter of condolence after her son, Jamie Janes, was killed in Afghanistan. However, in the letter, it appears that Brown had misspelt Jamie’s last name – managing to write ‘James’ instead of ‘Janes’.

Brown apologised upon hearing the accusation, and confessed that his handwriting and eyesight had always been bad from an early age. The error was in no way intended, and Brown has expressed his deepest apologies for any harm caused.

Messages of condolence are always hand-written by Prime Minister Brown upon hearing of a death at war. In these letters, Brown writes how the soldier had been a hero for the country whilst expressing his sorrow regarding the soldier’s death. This is the first letter to have been reported misspelt, and although the letters have been reported to be rushed, it is one of Brown’s personal policies that bereaving families get recognition from himself of their loss.

Jacqui Janes has publicly expressed her anger and upset regarding the spelling error, accusing Brown of mindlessly writing the letter without any sincere empathy. She has told national newspapers that she is disgusted by Brown, and would have rather received nothing than a misspelt letter.

Tuesday 3 November 2009

"What makes a good reporter?" - Interview with the 'Guardian Diary Editor' Hugh Muir

The best way to find out what really makes a good reporter is by asking an experienced working journalist. Hugh Muir, 46, is just that, and has had his fair share of ups and downs throughout his relatively short career. Since his early days at the Newham Recorder as a trainee for five years, he has excelled in numerous print and broadcasting companies to cement his place as the current Guardian diary editor whilst still being a tw

ice-weekly columnist for the newspaper.

Hugh did not attend university, stating “I couldn’t bare anymore studying”, so instead gained his NCTJ accreditation whilst at the Newham Recorder. In that time he became the chief reporter and news editor before having several stints as a freelancer where he has written for the likes of the Mail on Sunday, ITV News, Five News, BBC London News, Five News and the Daily Star.

Hugh hardly took a breath before reeling off a list of must-haves for being a good reporter. “Persistence is really number one. You may not be the most aware journalist, but a persistent journalist will always beat a clever, non-persistent one”. He also added that you need to be “confidently curious”, whilst giving an example of a young Guardian journalist who he knew that, at the G20 riots in London last year, he got eye-witness reports before writing an article before getting a genuine picture of what really happened. His report, differing from the first reports of the riots, stated with evidence that a policeman had attacked a demonstrator – not the other way around. The writer knew this was “bollocks”, and his article was published by his trusting editor, stirring a soon-to-be mass debate about what really happened that fateful day.

Hugh said “huge scepticism” was also helpful – “if you don’t completely believe a story, don’t run it”. He quickly backed this up by saying that “checking” was another top quality, “my most miserable day is when things go wrong that shouldn’t have – no journalist likes this”. Showing his experience, Hugh added “It is just as much your job to keep the incorrect stories out of the papers than it is to put the correct ones in there”.

The married man earns a “comfortable” income at the Guardian, and has admitted he “didn’t have the worst of rides” before getting where he is today, with most of his jobs coming to him rather than being chased by Hugh. One employer handed him a job after seeing Hugh perform well on a job, simply remarking “they’re all sending you bonkers, want to come and work for us?” Hugh admitted that he “wanted to be a writer, or work in radio”, and was told that for that to be possible he must take a journalism course. Although he got “pushed into it”, he regrets nothing, and is extremely happy at what he has achieved in such a short space of time.

More News Report Training...

More training today at one of our News Journalism seminars.

This time the usual practice news report was followed by a more unconventional description of my home street, an Indian restaurant down that road, and a detailed description of my sister.... As you do...

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A bus was left stranded at sea today after stalling and being dragged 30 foot by the current at Sandbanks, Dorset this morning.

At 6:31am this morning, on the first journey of the day, the Wilts & Dorset bus from Poole to Swanage Ferry suddenly stalled on the slipway to Sandbanks before being pulled into sea by the tide. At the time of the event, it was high tide, and within minutes the bus had been dragged 30 foot into the sea. However, the driver and all seven passengers managed to escape safely.

The bus has since been brought back out of the water, with a team of Royal Marine divers helping clip the bus onto a toe-line before the bus could be dragged back out. Since the bus was so far in the water, it wasn’t close enough for a crane to save it.

The bus, only recently bought, is thought to have cost around £200,000 when new, yet is still worth around £150,000 since, after the diesel engine has been dried out, will still work.

Street Scene

The first things you’ll notice are the door numbers. For some reason (well, actually it’s because the train station takes up the space of about 10 houses) the door numbers on one side of the road are 20-30 numbers lower than that of the other. I live at number 124, yet live opposite number 98. This is a nightmare for the postman, but more than anything it’s a nightmare for me when ordering a pizza, since the delivery man always seems to deliver to number 125 when the pizza place is only down the same road, so really he should know by now!

The road itself gets quite bendy and hilly toward the middle, with a cluster of shops dominating most of the street. As you walk down from the never-ending row of houses, there’s a library to your left – that always seems to be empty, yet the council seem it’s a good idea to revamp it…

There’s a whole load of takeaways down the road, with a chicken shop open til 4am – yep, one of those knock offs of KFC that sound the same but taste disgusting unless you’re so pissed you don’t care. There’s a pizza place, a Chinese and 4 Indians – all of which do pretty damn good food actually. There’s a card shop, which has a surprisingly good range of cards for the birthdays you always forget, and a train station opposite all of this that carries all the lucky people to work every day.

It always gets busy at the start of the road, with the railway crossing being caught up between four bus stops, a school, and two pubs. Why someone thought this was a good idea I’m not sure, since the buses carrying the drunks, the school kids and the workers always getting stuck on the corner of the turn-in to the street, creating a huge jam.

The Place

The Purbani is possibly the smallest Indian restaurant of the lot, yet has that warming feeling when you walk through the door that you’re home. As you walk through the heavy blue glass door, there’s always a waiter or two that stop whatever they’re doing – usually making drinks or creating take-away orders – and give you a hearty handshake. They all seem like you’ve made a huge positive impact on their life, with a huge smile lighting up their faces. Stood there in formal gear, waistcoat to accompany, you feel like royalty. You’re ushered to your table. As you get closer to the tables, past the waiting area for food deliveries, the wonderful smell of true Indian food dominates your nostrils. The combination of chicken, lamb, duck, whatever you can think of, makes you remember what it feels like to be truly hungry, even if you’re not. The tables are set out grandly, with space not an issue for this little company, as style is the priority here. The chairs are deceivingly comfortable – as you approach and put your coat on the long metal backs, and the waiter carefully pulls out the chair just enough to whip your legs under the table before he pushes the chair back towards you, strapping you to the table, you get a warm fuzzy feeling as the cushion suddenly feels like a huge soft pillow.

A glance at the bar is never far away. The bar has a huge assortment of spirits and mixers, with fridges full of Cobras waiting to be popped open by the two barmen working at the time. Funnily enough, most of the spirits are British, yet there is very few British beers lying around. The music is the only odd thing in the place. You’d half expect the cliché bangra music flooding your ears as you enter; yet they seem to play an unheard-of radio station from two decades ago. Strangely, this is hardly noticed over the beautiful smell emerging from the kitchen.

Vivid description of a person

A workhouse is probably the best way to describe her, and the first thought that would come from my head after thinking this would be the sheer amount of money she’d have to play with. The only thing is, none of it is ever seen, since most of it is blown on drink or clothes to be honest!

By morning she’s a primary school helper, at a school near my house. By afternoon, she does a similar job in a football stadium helping out in a sort of community support scheme. She absolutely loves children, and there is rarely a day where she doesn’t come home with a story to tell. Usually, she’ll come home with a beaming smile on her face and say every minute detail about her day at work, yet on the off-day she’ll also happily rant about one sod or another who’s royally ruined her day. Of course, this is always accompanied with an ever-listening mother and a bottle of wine whilst sitting in the back garden. As it gets dark, they don’t make a move to go in; they simply whip on the patio heater and turn a few lights on indoors to light up the place.

Although she seems to think she’s a bit chubby around the sides (what girl doesn’t), she’s training to be a personal trainer. Although I’ve yet to see her in action, judging by the dedicated amount of time spent at the gym, and the slim figure she shows off every Friday night in a brand new dress, it’s only a matter of time before it all clicks into place for her new career move.

She’s not one to get down over nothing, and always seems to be bubbly. Her eyes are always lit up, even though sometimes there may be a little too much make-up around them. There’s always a smile never too far away either, no matter if it’s real or fake…

The Fuss

Exercise. Training. The word CV doesn’t mean a sheet of experience to show to your employer; CV for her means hitting the gym. So much so does she seem to obsess over it that it’s dominating her working life as well as her social life. Never is there a day where she comes home from work tired. It’s like there’s a motor inside of her that won’t stop working until it’s sweated at least a gallon of water out of every pore in her body. As soon as she enters the door at home it’s out with the workbag and in with the gym bag. Sometimes to save time, she’ll hit the gym before home, often getting home past 8 or 9pm and managing to cram dinner in before it’s off to bed. She’s adopted running from her little big brother, and every day after her gym sessions either me or her make sure we both know how far she’s managed to run this time around. I usually make a comment judging on the way she tells me this – most of the time she’s out of breath and looking more like death than a friendly school teacher, but occasionally she doesn’t look too worn out so I tell her she should push next time. Of course, not one to bow down to a challenge, she does just that and the next day she’ll come into my room and tell me her new distance managed today – further than yesterday.

She’s a really healthy eater – of course, being a vegetarian does help immensely. Often I steal some of her food; she really can make anyone hungry at the drop of a coin, and I’ve found myself eating once-disgusting concoctions of bowls of vegetable they call ratatouille amongst kilos of Quorn just because it looks so damn good.

The weird thing is, however tired she may look at night, by morning-time she’s ready to do it all over again, as if she’s just had the most amazing relaxation holiday anyone could ask for. How she manages to put out so much energy is beyond me – and this is all without the help of meat.

There is literally only one day a week or so where she won’t want to go to the gym, and this is only if her hangover is so bad that the word ‘treadmill’ will result in vomiting. Even with pulled muscles, even with a bad knee that shouldn’t be ran on, she’ll happily run a good few miles just to put it to the man!

Voxpop on Child Obesity

Child Obesity is “levelling off” – What do Bournemouth University students think of this? Why could this be, when obesity in England is notorious for being at a high rate?

Recent estimates suggest that obesity levels are slowing, rather than “rising” as fast as first suggested say the National Heart Forum. Students of Bournemouth University said they could identify to why this might be. Computer Animator Ola Hamletson blamed “food chains and bad habits” for the rise in obesity in the first place, with parents “not caring” about what their children eat. However, the student said if he were a parent he would only “very occasionally” let his children eat fast food.

Harry Kenble, studying Forensics and Crime Scene Science, commented that with the help of “more advertisements on television about the health risks [of fast food] made parents more aware or frightened about unhealthy eating”.

Stuart Parsons, of the same course, said that “government pressure” over time has made healthy eating a “priority” amongst Britons. He also remarked that “doctors and schools teach you more”, backed up by Kristina Timms who said that “with so many health schemes and more education about unhealthy foods” it is easy to see why these figures are slowing. The student, studying Sport Psychologist, said that “people are more aware of the health risks” too.

Sunday 1 November 2009

First FansOnline article!

Just started a month's trial at http://fansonline.net/stokecity/index.php meaning I'm now the news-giver for all things Stoke City-related. This'll be the first of many, so much so that I may be forced to support them one day!

Check the article out at: http://fansonline.net/stokecity/article.php?id=247

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Stoke will feel hard done by by yesterday's Premier League encounter against newly-promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers.

A 2-0 lead at the break proved not good enough for Tony Pulis' men, with two second-half goals by Joey Craddock delaying Stoke from rising further up the league table.

However, Pulis felt after the game that Stoke were punished by two controversial instances in the build-up to both of Wolves' goals. Pulis was "disappointed" that both goals were given.

Pulis felt that the free kick leading to Wolves' first goal shouldn't have been awarded whilst Craddock was in an offside position before scoring Wolves' second of the game, denying the Potters of the coveted three points

In the post-match interview, Pulis stated "we're not happy because it was a poor decision in the first place to give the free kick and then Craddock was a yard and a half offside at the far post after the ball into the box was flicked on by a Wolves player".

Wolves' boss Mick McCarthy walked out with respect for Pulis' boys, conceding ""I am sick of playing well and just getting a point, although you have to be happy with a draw here."

However down-hearted Pulis was at throwing away a two goal lead, he admitted that it felt good to be in their current position in the league table, saying "It says a lot about how far we have come that we feel that way after two wins and two draws from last four games".

With 16 points in the first 11 games of the campaign, Pulis' men have made a great start to the new season. If Stoke had won yesterday, they would have been on equal points with Liverpool and Manchester City, a point no doubt filling Stoke fans with hope and optimism for the rest of the season.