BROADCAST JOURNALISM MODULE

Today we did an audio vox pop in class. I asked five students on the Uxbridge Campus at Brunel University: Do you feel safe travelling by bus? I got a mixed response, but most people I spoke to were fine with bus travel. I eagerly went back to the newsroom and downloaded my vox pop audios, only to discover that the files did not save onto my file. With tomorrow's law exam looming I decided to head back over to the main newsroom and refresh my brain of NCTJ Media law and try to sort out my disabled riding feature. Luckily there is still hope and time: Natasha has agreed to still be in it. Interviews posted soon. In the meantime I need to get a memory card and prepare another vox, plus edit on Audition and create a 20-25 second audio for next Wednesday. I will be a busy journo over the next week....Hopefully I will get time to upload my news stories from my work placement at the Uxbridge Gazette.

WORK EXPERIENCE COMPLETED: 15 DAYS IN A NEWSROOM.

I am finally relieved to discover I have completed my required 15 work experience in a newsroom environment, as part of my MA in Journalism course required as part of the NCTJ accreditation. I have had the wonderful opportunity to develop both in print and broadcast journalism through volunteering on three radio stations and my local newspaper The West London and Bucks Gazette series. I have had 20 vox pops published for the Gazette and various other articles from animals tales to issues concerning councillors and disabled parking bays. At Hospital Radio Hillingdon, I have been a volunteer since March 2007, and have assisted with fundraising days from the Autoshow to a school fete in Northwood. I also read a 4 minute local news bulletin once every five weeks which is broadcast to patients for a whole week. Part of the process is to read 3 short news stories and the light hearted "And finally..." I also have to edit my recordings on Adobe and transfer the files onto the system. This process often takes 2-3 hours from beginning to end. I have also helped on Steve Hickman's 'Out and About Show' on a few Sundays to visit patients on the wards and record their voices on a broadcast vox pop. I have also been doing work experience at The West London and Bucks Gazette Series since July 2007. Since the course started I have been in the newsroom almost every Friday plus I have attended 2 Mondays. 91.8 Hayes FM asked me to join 'The Gerard Conway Breakfast Show' in November 2007 as a newsreader. I spent 2.5 weeks there, plus Christmas morning in the studio. My main job is to read the national news headlines, but I have also assisted with on air role plays, 'What's On' Guide in the local area, reading the local news, and interacted on Gerard's show answering questions on air. I will return in February. And finally, I have presented a 2-hour news programme with Jennelle Dronkers on University Radio Brunel called 'News and Reviews', and I also assist the marketing department. At the moment I'm helping to write a story about the relaunch of their station. Hopefully this does not mean an end to life in the newsroom just yet. I have enjoyed my time in all of the newsrooms and will now return to broaden my experience and finish my NCTJ portfolio. I still have five news stories and one feature to write. I'm off now to revise for those vital NCTJ exams. I will get back to blogging on the Uxbridge News Desk within the next two weeks.

Never a break from the newsdesk!

I forgot to mention in my last entries that due to the increase in shorthand classes and the increasing demands on the journalism industry to pass/qualify in teeline shorthand at 100wpm, Jennelle and I will no longer be presenting 'News and Reviews' on University Radio Brunel because there just are not enough hours in the day or days in the week. I will however still play an active role in URB's marketing department and will hopefully have a story soon about the relaunch of Brunel's radio station. Hopefully it will get published and gain a wider audience.

91.8 HAYES FM

I have taken a break from newsreading on 91.8 Hayes Fm due to the demands of the fast approaching NCTJ exams in shorthand, law and public affairs. Hopefully I should play a small but active role in February when the stresses and demands of exams will slow down for a while and I can get back to the reporting and newsreading jobs I thrive on in the "real world" of news reporting. And from me it's time to sort out those media law notes and practice my teeline speeds. They say journalists have to show full commitment to the profession by losing sleep and skipping meals. I personally feel it's time to recharge the news reporter batteries and start the day afresh on a good night's sleep, raring to go in the fast paced news environments and buzzing with questions as I interview lots of people. And finally it's goodnight.

Would anyone like to feature in a feature?

I am required to write a feature of around 1,500 words for the feature module for the MA in Journalism. Are there any stories, or issues anyone would like to see reported/covered by the national or local press? The feature will be targeted for a relevant publication and may be published. If there are any issues you face, or situations/current news/updates on older stories please let me know by leaving your contact details and a comment on this post. Unfortunately I couldn't write the disabled horseriding feature because of time constraints with my interviewees....but hopefully one of the Uxbridge News Desk readers has an alternative story for me? Thanks, I look forward to hearing your views no matter how controversial or opinionated.

HORSERIDING FOR DISABLED RIDERS: APPEAL FOR INTERVIEWEES

I am writing a feature about disabled horseriding and the health benefits of riding with a disability. If you know anyone in the local area with a disability who enjoys riding, or would like to ride, please leave your contact details as a comment on this blog if you would like to appear in my feature or know of anyone willing to be interviewed. Thanks.

COMING SOON IN 2008 ON THIS BLOG

Over the next few weeks I will upload the articles I have had published in the Gazette and also upload the vox pops I carried out in Uxbridge from July-December 2007....

RADIO ON XMAS DAY

I went to the Hayes FM studio on Christmas morning between 9.30am-11.00 to watch the Raymond Jackson and Angela Kanwar breakfast show. It was good fun and a great opportunity to meet some of the other presenters for 91.8 Hayes FM. They played lots of requests and gave a mention to the online viewers requests. The station broadcasts around Uxbridge, Hayes, West Drayton, Ealing, Southall, Greenford and Harlington. However, you can listen anywhere in the world by logging onto their website: http://www.hayesfm.org/. I will be back on air around the second week in January reading the daily national news headlines at 7.20am. In the meantime it's back to the newsroom at Brunel for revision and coursework.

WORK EXPERIENCE ON CHRISTMAS DAY

Tomorrow we have been set the challenge of writing out the Queen's Christmas Speech in shorthand....and I will be going to 91.8 Hayes FM to do some work experience for an hour or two. It seems there is no escaping from the heavy workload that comes as part of the package of being a postgraduate trainee journalist. Even on Christmas Day we must remain dedicated because our job as reporters is to capture the news as and when it happens. The news is always with us...even on Christmas Day. We may take a few hours away from the news desk but we never really leave it. Being a journalist is a 24/7 profession, and as trainees the sooner we get used to it the better. Merry Christmas everyone.

COURSEWORK BLOG

As part of the News Writing Module we had to create a blog with seven news articles and reflective reports to showcase our newswriting skills during the first term of the MA. The last 12 weeks have flown by..... Here's the URL of my blog submitted for assessment on Friday 14th December 2007: http://westlondonnewsbykatiegoodall.blogspot.com/ The showcase includes interviews and video footage generated between September 2007 to Novemeber 2007. Five of the articles were published in the Gazette Series, mainly the Uxbridge Gazette during my work placement.

THE TO DO LIST

IT'S FINALLY the end of term. It's been a great learning curve and an opportunity to develop core journalism skils such as shorthand, law, government, news writing, work experience and meet other trainee journlists both on the MA in Journalism course at Brunel University and during my work placement at The Gazette series. I've also had the opportunity to do some broadcasting this semester. I joined 91.8 Hayes FM as a news reader for the Gerard Conway show, and I'm on air reading the national headlines around 7.20am. Jennelle and I also started our show on URB which is University Radio Brunel, but the station is closed now till after the New Year. I also have to record a local news programme for Hospital Radio Hillingdon soon, and will pop in over Christmas and help co-present some shows. This has definitely been one busy term for Team Journo....and one busy holiday. Despite my best efforts to be organised, I still feel I have mountains of paperwork. I must learn not to be a perfectionist and start writing more.......Well here goes with a list. My To Do List for .2007/08..... Practice Shorthand Revise Law Revise Government Write an NHS Feature Sort through my notes Go to the gym Write 5 News stories and one feature for my portfolio. Prepare local news and URB show Edit this blog Scan newspaper articles into blog. The list still goes on but I will finish here. Merry Christmas and Happy 2008. I will take a couple of weeks off from Blogging but will update this site in January 2008.

APPEAL TO FIND PERCY THE PEACOCK

Thanks to the news writing module I have managed to help a resident in Hillingdon launch an appeal to find one year old Percy the Peacock who has been missing since August when vandals broke in and set him free. It's in this week's Uxbridge Gazette. If you can volunteer to help Stan Atkin around the farm or if you find Percy, call him ASAP or pop into Pet's Corner and offer Stan a helping hand. Click on this link for more information and to watch my second video interview: http://westlondonnewsbykatiegoodall.blogspot.com/search/label/MISSING%20PEACOCK%20APPEAL

INTERVIEW WITH STAN ATKIN, PETWORTH GARDENS, HILLINGDON.

Here is a three minute video I filmed of Stan Atkin,70, Owner of the pets in Pet's Corner. Here he is launching an appeal for funding to help maintain the animals and their home. He would also like helpers to assist him on the farm.

CAR CRASH ALONG THE UXBRIDGE ROAD

This is a photograph I took of the crash barrier story I covered for the Uxbridge Gazette. It still has not been repaired since the beginning of September when two cars smashed into it. See the on-line Gazette article I wrote at this link: http://icuxbridge.icnetwork.co.uk/uxbridgegazette/headlines/tm_headline=police-called-to-two-car-smash&method=full&objectid=19727718&siteid=68148-name_page.html

PETS CORNER

Today I went to Pet's Corner, a farm and animal sanctury, in Long Lane, Hillingdon to interview animal owner Stan Atkin for my animal story for the news writing module. Here are some of the pictures I took. The article is on my coursework blog: http://westlondonnesbykatiegoodall.blogspot.com/

NIBS: NEWS IN BRIEF

Being a newsreporter is all about condensing words and generating snappy punchy copy that gets straight to the point. In newswriting class we have to write NIBS (news in briefs). I really enjoy the challenge of sticking to a word count and being creative with words. Here is my best 3 NIBs to date. BOGUS gardeners stole £55 from a widower's kitchen table as they told him his apple tree posed a danger to passers-by in Beck Road, Ilworth. The victim, 84, spoke to two fair-haired men in their 30s yesterday at around 8.45am. The third thief entered the unlocked back door. The two men at the door had a rough appearance, and one had an eagle tattoo on his left arm. Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact Yeltham 412311. A WIDOWED pensioner was left devastated after his 12 beloved pigeons and newly-hatched chicks perished in a fire in wooden outbuildings at his home on Monday. Two fire crews responded to an emergency call at 7.15pm at Wakeman Road, Sidston. A spokesperson for Sidston Fire and Rescue Service said a possible cause of the fire was rubbish being burned in the garden. The owner, Mr Arthur Staten, 70, said: "I'm so devastated about this. Those pigeons were my mates." INFESTATIONS of bed bugs, fleas and rats in Ealing will soon be wiped out thanks to a new team of pest controllers. Two new officers and two vans have been hired to reduce the current waiting list from six weeks to eight days. Councillor Sue Emment said: "The team gets up to 25,000 service requests a year and it's not an easy task." Residents can reduce pests by not feeding pigeons and storing their rubbish away from small animals.

VIDEO CLASS AND PHOTOSHOOTS

This has certainly been a week of photographs and videos. On Monday I attended a photoshoot with Jennelle and Delia outside Liquids Nightclub in Uxbridge posing with a cup of coffee and my baker boy hat to show that Brunel students really do have respect for the local area. Unfortunately it did not make this week's Gazette but there is always next week.

Thank you to all the students and staff who gave me brilliant quotes to use in my piece. Hopefully there will be an article published soon....

Thanks to my models who posed outside in the cold like true professionals.

Hopefully the article will show that not all students behave disrespectfully when out and about on the town-just a very small figure and a small minority of the student population.

Today we had to cancel the Brunel University Radio photoshoot because there was only one photographer and he had to attend another story....perhaps it's for the best, we should wait until the presenters are more established in their roles and have lots to say about their shows.

In today's class we learnt about filming short videos and editing footage. It will take a while for the old brain to remember jpgs and other endings after an hour and a half of lines and squiggles in shorthand...plus we were still recovering from our tests....it's too soon. Better start revising.

Anyway check out 'News and Reviews' on Monday if you listen to URB on-line. If there are any volunteers who would like to help the station with engineering, you're urgently needed so that we can broadcast to a mainstream audience. And speaking of volunteers, the station also needs funding for an FM licence, so if you have any ideas please contact the marketing team at URB.

Here is my first video of the class showing everyone hard at work learning the video recording/editing software. This is a short film I recorded on my digital camera, at the most amateur level, but it's good practice. Please excuse the feeling of unease as I move the camera quickly across the room, I was trying to capture as much as possible in as little time.

I will keep you posted on my endeavour to master my digital camera....

FRONT PAGE STORY!!

To my great delight I made my first front page by-line on The Ruislip Gazette last Wednesday. I helped Ruislip and Northwood reporter Hannah Falkingham and fellow trainee journalist Luke Edwards gather views from the residents of Northwood. We asked residents: What should the council improve in Northwood if they can invest £200,000 in the area?

NEWS AND REVIEWS

Hi Everyone,

Jennelle and I are going to present our Uni Radio show B1000 or University Radio Brunel called 'News and Reviews' every Monday between 12-2pm. We finish just in time to go to Teeline class, and perhaps check out Primark in Oxford Street to review the latest and greatest fashion trends.

I will keep you posted on how you guys can tune in and ring in.

Bye for now....

INTERVIEW WITH JOHN MCDONNELL MP

By Katie Goodall

JOHN McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington describes himself as: "Hard working, confident and committed." Brunel graduate Mr McDonnell has a hectic schedule of attending parliament, updating his blog (see http://www.johnmcdonnell.org.uk/about-john.html), writing articles for the national press, and campaigning for the local community. Politics is a career he says he "drifted into, rather than planned" because he became involved in many community events, resulting in him climbing the political ladder to becoming an MP. He said: "I am a socialist, and believe in equality for all people."

Being an Uxbridge resident who lives 15 minutes away from Hayes, I was curious to know if anything was being done about the lack of a shopping centre in Hayes Town. He replied: "I am the Chair of the Board, and we've been working on it for 10 years." He added: "There are many core shops such as Iceland, Wilkinsons and Woolworths, but the town is still suffering after the closure of Sainsburys."

Two weeks ago I did a Vox Pop for the Uxbridge Gazette about the Crossrail development. McDonnell said: "I support Crossrail because it is a major aid to redevelop the lives of people. In 20 minutes you can get from Hayes to Central London. It will open up the access for many people across to the East. It will provide more job opportunities for people in Hayes to find jobs in London. It will also increase people's enjoyment, as they can travel into London more easily for entertainment and go to restaurants. There has been a dramatic improvement since Ken Livingstone became Mayor of London."

McDonnell is also involved in local community radio stations. He said: "Yes I listen to Hayes FM, and I would definitely talk on it. I was involved in the planning process, and worked with Sutish [Sharma] to raise funds, and gain the licence. It was going to be at Uxbridge College, but they had no room. I was involved with Desi Radio in Southall. I really enjoy the wide range of music on Hayes FM. I was meant to go down to Hospital Radio Hillingdon during the broadcast marathon, but I had a meeting."

When asked about the recent story in the press about MPs jumping the dinner queue, he responded: "That's rubbish, total nonsense. Yes, I saw that article. As a socialist, I believe in equality for all people, and I would never jump a queue."

Also see John's website for lots of political information: http://www.john-mcdonnell.net/