My first council meeting

As part of my news writing folio for college, an article has to be written based on a council meeting. So, on Tuesday just past, my class trooped along to the Kirkcaldy Town House where we sat in on a Regulation and Licensing Committee meeting.

The applications dealt with were mainly taxi driver licence applications and late licensing for venues. I will admit I found out quite interested if a bit worried about who Fife Council will give a licence to!

There was one guy who had numerous speeding offences and was caught using his mobile phone while driving.I was sure that he would be refused but no, he got his licence granted with a warning. (This means that although he has his licence, if he his caught speeding etc or comes before the committee again he will automatically lose his licence.)

The applicant that I chose to cover was a guy who was applying for a taxi driver licence but was up against police objection. The guy had speeding offences going back to 2008, was caught using his mobile phone will driving his lorry. He is also employed by a coach firm and needs the taxi licence to be able to continue working there.

He had a ready-made sob story ready for the councillors and eventually they granted him his licence for a year.

I’m still surprised about how lenient the council is regarding handing out licences. It seems that anyone can get one.  

When does their conscience kick in?

When the news first broke about the News of the World hacking into the phones of celebrities, I must admit I wasn’t too surprised. They’re a sleazy tabloid for goodness sake!

Fast forward a few months, and the paper has been shut down and the Leveson inquiry is currently in the news.  To me, the celebrities whose phones were hacked well, sorry but I have no sympathy for them. As my granny used to say “You live by the sword, you die by the sword”. I know that everyone is entitled to their privacy but they can’t seriously put themselves on the same wavelength of that such as the family of Milly Dowler and the McCanns?

Recently, Piers Morgan has been involved with claims that phone hacking went on when he was editor at the Mirror. Of course he denies this. Wouldn’t you? Another thing my granny used to say was “when rumours spread, there is truth somewhere”

Someone somewhere needs to take responsibility for this whole sorry mess. It’s dragging journalism, as a profession, through the mud.

When I sit in class at college, right above my computer is the NUJ Code of Conduct. Members of the NUJ are expected to abide by the 12 set of principles that seemed to be overlooked by the majority of newspapers and journalists today. I feel like posting them all a copy of these principles along with a copy of the Press Code of Conduct. When do their consciences kick in and the guilt takes over? Even in my class, articles have been written using shall we say, dishonest means. I couldn’t. I’d be wracked with guilt and couldn’t live with myself. Plus I actually want to be a journalist, not just play at it.

I want to be a journalist not just because of my love of writing but because I want to make a difference in some way no matter how small. (I originally wanted to be a music journalist but I’m kind of swaying towards investigative journalism.)

I remember back in first year when my law lecturer asked us if we would ever work for the Sun newspaper of similar tabloid. Everyone put their hands up. Not me. I like to think that I have some sort of morals and principles.

I’d rather end up working on the checkout at a supermarket then sell my soul to the devil and work where dishonesty and phone hacking becomes the principles that journalists follow. Maybe I’m a martyr or maybe my conscience would just kick in.


http://www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/

Shooting the messenger: journalism in Russia

You may wake up in the morning to a cup of coffee and the news or pore over the newspapers with a bowl of cereal. The media, journalism and our right to free speech are part of our daily lives and we take it for granted. With the exception of countries like Iraq, where conditions resemble that of a civil war at times, nowhere is the life of a journalist more dangerous than in Russia.


By speaking out against the Russian government, The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) may have you followed, intimidated or even murdered. According to the International Federation of Journalists, approximately 96 journalists have been killed in Russia in the past 12 years, although those numbers may be higher.


Nearly 70% of journalists working in Russia have been targeted in some way. That may include being followed, their apartments broken into, being assaulted and even murdered. Nowhere in Europe is life more dangerous for journalists than in Russia, and no newspaper there has had as many of its journalists killed as Novaya Gazeta, known for being critical of Russian government policy. Russia is ranked fourth in terms of countries with high death tolls of journalists with those reporting on politics and government corruption being targeted the most.


While the large number of journalists who are killed and attacked may reflect the country’s high level of violence, there is no doubt that many have been targeted mostly because of their work. During the first years after the fall of the Soviet Union, under President Boris Yeltsin, Russian journalism was exciting, tough and brazen. Then, during the process of privatization, the government bought up parts of the media landscape from TV channels to the most important newspapers.


Next came Putin as president of Russia. He declared the restoration of the Kremlin's political authority. The Kremlin proceeded to let companies closely associated with the government purchase one publishing house after the other. The result is that tough investigative journalism has now become a rarity in Russia. According to Vsevolod Bogdanov, the chairman of the Russian Union of Journalists, 261 Russian journalists have been killed since the fall of the Soviet Union. Only 21 cases have been solved.


One of the most famous journalists murdered in Russia is Anna Politkovskaya. A Russian journalist, author, and human rights activist, she was well-known for her opposition to the Chechen conflict and President Putin. Politkovskaya made her name reporting from lawless Chechnya, where many journalists and humanitarian workers have been kidnapped or killed. She was arrested and subjected to a mock execution by Russian military forces and also poisoned while reporting on the Beslan school siege, but survived and continued her reporting. She was finally shot and killed in the lift of her block of flats, an unsolved assassination that still continues to attract international attention. No one can say for sure who killed Politkovskaya, but the Russian military officials who later found themselves in court because of her articles would have an obvious motive. The Russian government goes to great lengths to make sure the political system under which so many journalists are murdered, isn’t scrutinised.


A journalist who knows just how far the FSB will go to stop a story being published is Luke Harding. He was the Guardian's correspondance in Moscow and in his time there, he got a good look at the new Russia under Putin, focusing especially on corruption in the country. This British journalist however, began to notice things. His home was broken into. He received strange phone calls at weird times of the night. Email accounts were hacked. Harding now believes that with a story he actually played a minor role in, he had gained the attention of the FSB, the feared successor to the KGB. “My name was on the story that two of my colleagues back in London wrote. I only played a small part in it but after that, the sky fell on my head. I became an FSB target.” recalls Harding. After many instances of state intimidation, he was eventually expelled from the country earlier this year, making him the first Russian journalist expelled since Soviet times.

Could the intimidation of journalists be a direct consequence of having Putin in power, whether he’s Prime Minister or President? Harding certainly thinks so. “Putin sets the tone. What he’s done is restored this classic Russian authoritarian model and brought back old KGB habits and one of those habits is sort of spying on journalists, just like the 'good old days'”


The problem with journalism in Russia is not just censorship – that would be easy to deal with. The problem is the general circumstances in which Russian media workers as well as journalists from other countries, have to exist. Attacks on journalists are violating their human rights in being allowed to report freely. In over 170 judgements handed down since 2005, the European Court of Human Rights has found Russia responsible for serious human rights abuses in Chechnya alone. Journalists who report there and speak out against the government are in danger and should be included in these statistics.


Journalists in Russia are not unionised as they are in the UK and other parts of the world. There isn't a single organisation overseeing professional ethics. There is no one to ensure that they are safe while they do their job. Or rather, the system that should protect them, is the one that is killing them.


“People sometimes pay with their lives for saying aloud what they think. In fact, one can even get killed for giving me, a journalist, information. I am not the only one in danger. I have examples that prove it.”
― Anna Politkovskaya

Journalism in Russia Article is Done!

Well my in depth feature article titled 'Shooting the Messenger:Journalism in Russia' is now finished. It's really been done for a while now but I wanted to make sure it was just right and I have to say, I'm actually quite proud of it. As an inspiring journalist, the topic interests me quite a lot and I learnt so much while carrying out the research. I knew bits and pieces about the Russian government and the KGB (now the FSB) just what I had picked up on the news and in newspapers. It's a really interesting topic when you get into it and a real eye opener to learn how another country is run and how they treat journalists.


Here in the UK, I think we take the media for granted and I think we should value our freedom of speech more than we do.


I'll post the article up here as soon as my lecturer as read it so keep checking back to read it and I hope you enjoy reading it as I did writing it, it is one of articles that I am most proud of.


Peace and Love




Do What You Love And Love What You Do

I love music and I love writing so it kinda makes sense for me to combine the two and try to make a career out of it. So that is what I'm aiming to do. Last weekend I attending a friend of mine's gig in Glasgow. It seemed the perfect opportunity to  write a review about the gig and use it for my college work. Kill two birds with one stone as the saying goes. I think it is harder than it seems to write a review of a band because you want to get across to the reader the atmosphere of the gig and also how well the band played, the songs they did etc without boring them to tears and giving them a minute by minute account of the night.

It is easier if you know the band though. You know what their set list is going to be ahead of time and you also know what tyope of music they play and most importantly you know if they are any good! You need to have a good ear for music and be able to try to write objectively soemthing that I am still trying to work on.

Bob Dylan once said "A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do". I try to live my life by that quote and hoefully will be able to achieve it.

John Watt RIP

One of the units included in the journalism course that I'm doing is a graded unit. We work together as a class to produce an online newspaper. Individually, we have to write two articles plus an accompanying video.

For one of the articles, I chose to write about Dunfermline Folk Club's 50th anniversary. The club has been around since the 60s and has seen many famous faces through its doors including Barbara Dickson and Archie Fisher.  It was co founded by Jack Beck and John Watt who sadly passed away this week. He was one of the most significant influences on the development of folk music in and around Scotland. John had a deep regard for the traditions of music in Scotland, and his songs carried an honesty and romance about the realities - and stupidities - of life that was instantly recognisable as being Scottish. He left a mark on everyone he met and gave inspiration to many. I was lucky enough to have met John while writing the article. Although he was gravely ill, he welcomed my visit to him in the hospital with warmth and enthusiasm. He recounted memories and experiences from his time at the Howff with great detail and affection. I feel very lucky to have met him.

The painting created by local artist Ian Moir

 To celebrate 50 years of the Howff, local artist Ian Moir was comissioned to create a painting capturing the true meaning of the Howff. The painting was presented to John Watt's wife, Cathy at the Folk Club Gala on 29 October. John Watt was an inspiration to many and loved by all who met him. He will be sadly missed. Rest In Peace John. 

A painting was commissioned from Ian Moir to remember the Dunfermline Howff, and was presented to John's wife Cathy at the Folk club's gala weekend.

He was an inspiration not only in the music scene but also as a person. He will be sadly missed. Rest In Peace John.

I am currently researching an article on journalism in Russia. What first attracted me to this topic was the secrecy of it all. No one really knows (well maybe the Russian government does) how many journalists and related media people have actually been killed in Russia while doing their jobs.

I’ve been reading articles written on it and reading up on the KGB and the FSB and even bought Luke Hardings’ book ‘the Mafia State’ which is his account on his experiences as a foreign correspondence in Russia. I have to admit it is creepy stuff, the lengths the FSB will go to stop a story or news story being published is madness. I've got some interviews lined up and I've done a couple already and I've got some good quotes for the piece which hopefully will add a personal element to the story

I’m about half way through writing the article, its only to be 1000 words, and I feel I’ve learned so much not only about who the journalists who have been targeted but also about the Russian government and the country’s human rights policy. It has to be the first feature I’ve written which I’m really interested in and hopefully that will show when its finished and my lecturer reads it. I’ll keep you posted as to how it turned out.

Amnesty International's report 'Beaten Up For Speaking Out'

Luke Harding 'Mafia State' book review

Committee for the Protection of Journalists website

Anna Politkovskaya well-known journalist who was murdered in Russia

Movie Review - Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

A spy thriller set in the bleak days of the Cold War sees Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Tom Hardy star in Thomas Alfredson’s film based on the novel by John le Carre. Oldman plays George Smiley, a retired MI6 officer who is brought in to uncover a Soviet Spy in MI6. And trust me; it won’t be who you think it is.

Having first been a BBC drama in the late seventies starring Sir Alec Guinness, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy works amazingly well on the big screen and sticks closely to le Carre’s novel.

Although the film is slow to start, covering the background of the operation leading to the discovery of a mole being present in MI6 and the links of  the four main characters, what it delivers is a thriller which engages the viewer and has them guessing all the way through the film, determined to find out who the spy is.

The film sees Smiley (Oldman) try to sniff out who the mole is among the three other main characters, Haydon (Firth), Percy Alleline (Toby Jones) and Roy Bland (Ciaran Hinds). Together these characters are the Tinker, the Tailor, the Soldier and the Spy. But who is who?

The film features a great part played by Benedict Cumberbatch who plays Peter Guillam, Smiley’s right hand man, who risks everything including his job to unearth the mole. The viewer is on the edge of their seats to see if Guillam meets the same end as Ricki Tarr played by Tom Hardy.

A host of British talent crops up in the film including Kathy Burke and John Hurt. It is British cinema at its best. No special effects, no CGI and no 3D. What Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy proves as that a film as good as this with a strong plot line does not need any kind of added extras to make a film watchable, just good strong actors which this film as in abundance.