You have power, use it well!

All my journalist friends will cringe at this and will think I'm in the wrong career, but who cares!

I've just watched Tony Blair's speech to the Labour Party today. The media makes things sound so bad and yes, I know, we are here to put spin on the story, but he's not that bad! He even made a comment about us - we concentrate on the rumours and gossip and never report the real news or something. But he has got a point. I shall say at this point I have never voted Labour.

Journalists have real power in society. We can influence people's opinions, just as we've seen in the coverage of the Blair farce. But we don't have to abuse that power. With power comes responsibility and I want to be a journalist who hunts for the truth, not hazy facts. Being a newspaper journalist, I'm the lowest of the low and people can't believe the words "ethical" and "reporter" can go together but I want to prove them wrong!

Yes, Blair was stupid to announce his retirement years before he intends to step down and the media are plugging away at that angle until it's done to death (a time long ago by the way), but at the same time we should use our power in society for doing good. That sounds cheesy but if you have morals you'll agree.

Blair outlined loads of things they have done in 10 years, but that kind of stuff gets swept under the newsroom carpet leaving the gossip to report. Perhaps there's more room for writing about the improving local school or new hospital in regional newspapers, but, like Blair it seems, I am an optimist. But let's face it most people don't read local news they watch national news. They miss out on the good stuff - the grassroots "what's the council doing for our school?" reporting. It's much more interesting and has much more substance than reporting the same old thing again and again.

The public only want to know when Blair is going because the media keep reminding them they do! That's not what's important in politics; it's the grassroots reporting. That's why I went into journalism and I believe that's what people want to read about.

So... the moral of my random rambling: you have this power. Be responsible and use it well!

Personality test 2

I did this test about 6 months ago, before I became a Christian. So I thought I'd do it again to see what has changed. Do you think it's accurate?

Global Personality Test Results

Stability (43%) moderately low which suggests you are worrying, insecure, emotional, and anxious. Orderliness (60%) moderately high which suggests you are, at times, overly organized, reliable, neat, and hard working at the expense of flexibility, efficiency, spontaneity, and fun. Extraversion (73%) high which suggests you are overly talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting at the expense too often of developing your own individual interests and internally based identity.

Take Free Global Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Here's a link to the results of the last test I did. It's slightly different. Personality test 1

In hospital for a week...

...and I'm not looking forward to it! It's for my epilepsy, to try and find a place they can operate on. Yep, that's right, brain surgery! It's the only option left really.

Anyway the week-long visit is an EEG (electroencephlagram if anyone wants to know) where I have loads of electrodes on my head plugged into a machine to measure my brain waves. They want to make sure I have a turn so they might take me off my medication, sleep deprive me or give me alcohol (one of the triggers). Yes I know some of you will think that would be the best option, but it is actually quite scary having an epileptic fit!

I'm going to be attached to this machine for up to a week, so it's lots of reading and watching TV. I'm actually seeing it as a bit of a holiday, from the chaos of home. In a 3-bedroom house there's my brother, sister-in-law and their 5-year-old daughter, my sister and my Mum and me of course. I'm on the sofa! And that's not a joke!

So a holiday in hospital. Maybe I should wait until I taste the food!

I'm still alive!

Just giving an update of my life, since I've forgotten I had a blog for a few weeks (again!)

Actually I've been quite busy. No, not a job yet, but I've been working on The Oxford Mail for the past 3 weeks. I've got more stories in a week than I ever got on the Cardiff Evening News! There's a trainee reporter vacancy as well. They've just advertised it in the paper not out of Oxford because they want a local person. Well, I'm already in there!

The first week I was there, I had this one line email and telephone number about a charity event a group of firemen were doing. Well, I turned it into a really good human interest story with an interview with the parents of a child helped by the charity. I organised it all and I think I surprised them... Work experience people aren't supposed to work on weekends! I don't want to show off but here are a few of my articles so far:
Every day is a real bonus
Pensioner urges action on rats
Ghostly guide stalks streets
Council trys to ease rubbish woes

I'm settling in really well and starting to get in with the newsroom banter etc. I've applied for the job, but haven't heard a peep from the editor whose office is about 5 metres from my desk! I'll let you know when I do!