A Government Minister wants all children to be able to read music by the time they leave primary school – but being someone who can, I fail to understand the importance. Nick Gibb is an MP on one of my newspaper’s patch, who also happens to be Minister for School Standards. Writing in the Times…
Category: Headlines
First shoes lead to fascinating trip down memory lane
When the battered old suitcase comes out and your other half and mum are present, it’s usually a signal for the dust to be blown from those pictures of you in the bath. It was therefore a relief to me (and readers of this blog, no doubt!), that a post-Christmas visit to my home town…
Why we are caught in a vicious social media circle – and negativity won’t solve anything
Used well, social media can be an incredible force for good. But too frequently it descends into a playground to kick around the same old complaints, aimed at the same old targets. Retail is a regular recipient of fault-finding. Just days before Christmas, a Worthing Facebook group debated a deserted evening high-street scene. The majority…
Producing a newspaper at Christmas: behind the scenes in journalism
Christmas is a time to unwind – but for many local journalists, the big day is not so relaxing. Depending on their newspapers – and breaking news – reporters drawing the short straw this year would at the very least be expecting an unwelcome phone call to draw their lunch to a swift conclusion. Let’s…
Making national news and finally cracking sleep after 11 months
Everyday life is pretty hectic at the moment – and that has impacted on how much I’ve been able to write recently. But even then, a lot has been achieved in blog terms. My last post leapt to the defence of pregnancy and parenthood company Bounty after it received a bit of a battering in…
BBC’s Press: a drama to make us journalists cringe
The titles of new BBC journalism drama Press roll and it’s already irritating most of the journalists watching. There’s some fancy shots of notepads with lots of longhand. Where’s their shorthand? Did the reporter flunk their entry exams? Why are they being burned? Their owners must be pretty confident they won’t need to defend any…
Spotlight, Press and the inside story into a major investigative journalism team
Oscar-winning biopic Spotlight aired on BBC Two last night, giving viewers a thrilling insight into the United States’oldest journalistic investigations unit. It was a timely showing, with new show Press airing for the first time last week to some mixed reviews from journalists, who questioned the accuracy of the British journalism drama. While I’ve yet…
Can we as parents help reduce worrying trends of youth knife crime?
Journalists encounter the very best – and worst – of our communities. Among the worst issues I have had to deal with in my career is knife crime, a persistent problem which is sadly getting worse rather than better, according to national statistics. As a trainee in 2014, I reported on the most horrific court…
From Majorca to Morocco: how life as a journalist is the best job in the world
Juggling life as a journalist and a parent is a really tough one, with both demanding not only bags of time but being pretty intense. Both are among the best jobs in the world and I wouldn’t change anything. But it’s fair to say that the nature of my blog will sometimes highlight how tricky…
Word is spreading about Headline Spews!
Headline Spews and our story has been featured in a special interview on a parenting website! One of the great things about becoming a dad blogger has been connecting with others doing the same – and one of them is Jamesy Mulhern, based in Ireland, who featured us in his ‘Fantastic Fathers’ section. Read the…
