I have worked in the media for over 25 years, and in that time I’ve done everything from an interview with a vampire to doorstepping rogues traders to being infested with tropical bugs after filming in the Ukraine. Here are eight odd facts about my journalist career. At university I joined the fencing club, but […]
Case study: mistakes in a media interview
Watch this. It’s a bit long, but it’s worth it. It’s a debate that took place last week on Newnight between Nick Davies from the Guardian and Jules Stenson, who was features editor of the News of the World. As well as being about a topic of great interest to those in the media […]
5 top tips for would-be journalists
‘The media’, journalist, reporter, presenter, film-maker – all incredibly popular career choices. And therefore incredibly competitive. Whether you want to specialise in music, health, sport or politics … Whether your hero is Jeremy Paxman or Piers Morgan … Whether you see yourself as the guardian of the sword of truth or the editor of the Sun […]
Reflections on the phone-hacking scandal
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been gripped by the continual and ever more shocking revelations in the phone-hacking scandal. It may be just because as a journalist by training, and a media consultant by profession, I’ve got a particular interest, but the implications of the fall-out could touch us all. A few random […]
Why does John Humphries always interrupt in interviews?
John Humphries is a well respected journalist and broadcaster. As one of the long-standing presenters of Radio Four’s Today programme he has a fearsome reputation as an interviewer. He’s well know for never letting anyone off the hook and for constantly interrupting. Personally I don’t think that reputation for savagery is entirely deserved. He is […]
What not to do in a print interview
When we are media training clients, almost to a man – or woman – they believe that an interview with a newspaper is far easier than one with TV or radio. After all, in a print interview you’re clearly not making a fool of yourself in front of an audience of millions, going bright red […]
Straw poll: Do you care about Andy Coulson?
Among other things, last week’s news was dominated by the resignation of Andy Coulson as David Cameron’s Director of Communications. Having worked with him at the beginning of my career, (see Andy Coulson, me and our first job) I’m particularly interested. And it’s an issue that has absorbed journalists and politicians. But I’ve been wondering how […]
Five ways Twitter can help you get media coverage
@leonamurray: (BBC Essex): It’s a long shot but is there a chatty #Essex independent bed retailer on Twitter? Looking to talk about King size beds on @sadienine show @BBCWomansHour: If you don’t have a uniform, how do you decide on appropriate workwear? Do you follow a dress code or is there an unwritten set of […]
What my careers adviser told me
I could have been an accountant. Or a civil servant. That’s what my university careers service thought I should have done. Truth be told, I’d have probably been far richer! Getting into journalism was impossible, that’s what they said. But I was determined. I wanted to become a journalist. Why? I blame it all on m […]
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