WNOL package on student loans

Back in April, students looking forward to the easter break were told that when they returned to Westminster they wouldn't be getting the loan instalments they were expecting for their final terms. This is my report on the story for Westminster News.

WNOL report on the pain of Valentine's Day

This Valentine's Day a book was published documenting the dangers of going on dates with "psychos". This is my piece for WNOL.

WNOL report on drug trials

This is a package I did for WNOL about students from Westminster University taking part in drug trials for cash.

Westminster News Online driving package

Here's my report for WNOL on the claim by a driving school that young people are driving dangerously because of video games.

From Coventry to Normandy (via Faslane)

I'm off to Scotland on Friday for the NATO exercise I'm taking part in with a group of people from my course and I sure hope we'll have a swell time, just like these fellows.

I had a good few days at the BBC in Coventry - this afternoon I got to interview the chairman of the Haemophilia Society at Warwick University, who spoke to me about the start of an inquiry into how a generation of people were infected with HIV and Hepatitis C in the 1970s and 80s.

The patients were made ill when they were given blood transfusions from contaminated supplies, but until now the government has resisted calls to allow an inquiry to go ahead.

I also did a couple of telephone interviews and a few sets of the inevitable vox pops.

While my documentary progress has been lamentably slow (for which I mainly blame Rachael), I've enjoyed working at BBC Coventry and Warwickshire again and am really looking forward to ten days on an aircraft carrier.

Sent to Coventry - again!!

I'm back at BBC Coventry and Warwickshire for a few days of voluntary work experience.

There still doesn't appear to be a logo for the station on the internet so I've had to make do with this little gem, showing the delectable Mrs Pru Poretta, who somebody has decided looks like Lady Godiva.

I've been chasing a couple of Coventry stories today, including an initiative announced by Coventry Police Force that is supposed to help them stamp out antisocial behaviour.

So what resources are being devoted to this ambitious project? Hundreds of officers? Extra CCTV cameras across the city? Community Support Officers?

Nope.

A grand total of one patrol car is being solely dedicated to eradicate antisocial behaviour from the whole of Coventry.

I can almost hear the hoodies running for cover.

Nonsense!!!

In my opinion, there aren't enough notices up in shop windows that are essentially meaningless.


So here's one:

What does it mean? A fine prize* to the first person to correctly guess where this sign appears and what it means.

* Prize not available. Competition not open to anyone who was in the bar last night that I showed the picture to. You know who you are.

Westminster News is go!!

Since I last blogged back in January I've been absurdly busy, completing my second work experience placement at Sky News (where I disappointingly failed to make it on air) and back on the course, where we've started our TV Journalism course.

We've been broadcasting a daily news programme, Westminster News, for the last few weeks and it's been a challenging but amazing experience so far.

Technical problems have been common but we've taken it all in stride and have managed to get some really good programmes on air.

I'm presenting a lunchtime show with Vix next Tuesday, which will no doubt be a fine addition to my showreel.

Two weeks down, one to go

I finished my work experience placement at BBC Coventry and Warwickshire today, having really enjoyed the fortnight I spent there.

I was given loads to do and never felt like I was sitting around bored, or that I was being handed the crap jobs becauase I was 'only the work experience boy' (I did make coffee a couple of times and I've noted the details for the discussion we'll inevitably have in our radio class when we all get back).

I worked on some interesting stories and got to do loads of interviews and voicers as well as some vox pops, although not as many of those as I expected.

I managed to get three packages and four sets of vox pops on air, as well as three clips of me in an RAC driving test simulator with hands-free mobile phone kits in my ear and all of them attracted fewer complaints than Big Brother, so I was obviously doing something right.

The one thing I didn't achieve was my original aim of presenting a show by the end of the placement, so I'll have to rectify that next week at Sky News. Adam Boulton should watch his back.