Turning the corner

By Simon Wright (Personal piece)

“I know what is around the corner – I just don’t know where the corner is.” – Kevin Keegan (Former England manager)

SORRY Kevin, no-one knows what is around the corner, but the unexpected can happen so easily to derail things.  However, the second part of that quote can sometimes be said when you are looking for love.  However, this isn’t me pining for something special, this is turning around the corner and feeling positive about me again and that’s the first time I can say that about myself in a long time.

      I can’t quite believe it; it has been such a positive week but the trick worked.  As people who know me, follow the blog, I think the problems I’ve faced of late have been well-documented.  I’ve been a troubled soul before ‘production week,’ last week.  I returned feeling refreshed, with as much power from a standard Duracell battery and ready to take on everything again.  However, what was important was to bring my old self back and return to the caring, supportive, relaxed side that had worked so well in the final weeks of second year at University.  I feel that I have achieved this and I’m on the edge of continuing this momentum.

        Mondays can be such a long slog; but the 9-6 day (with a three hour gap in-between) is good practice for all trainee journalists.  Not only does it remind those who have undergone placement and faced this, it is what is to be expected at the minimum after graduation.  I came home feeling that everything went according to plan and that is the first Monday I’ve felt like that since my birthday over six weeks ago.  I got something out of all the timetabled lectures/sessions, was encouraged by progress made in a group project and understood how to reference a dissertation within your work.  Yep, it was all largely encouraging.  If there was a black mark, then it was confirmation of a choice of five topics for a 2,000 word feature; abortion, death penalty, the right to bear arms, freedom of expression and something else that I can’t remember!  Not a great choice, but as one of my close friends on the course Ellie said the other week, it is no good complaining about this in a proper job.  We all have strengths and weaknesses and sometimes you need to work on the weaknesses.  Excitement is not going to feature in this piece when I write it up, but I can stay encouraged by attempting something that might not only help me understand the law a bit more, but you never know what you might find out in your research.  Oh, I’m not writing about abortion or the death penalty, I do have my limits when it comes to this!

It certainly is and something I want to get used to

       The good vibe continued on Tuesday when I went in to have my first detailed meeting with my tutor on my dissertation.  For stating the obvious, I will not be revealing what I’m doing, but I had already written up my first chapter and felt ahead of the game.  There was a lot of red pen on the paperwork I sent in, which could be seen as a bad thing.  However, the feedback was very detailed, very constructive and I know what I can change and attempt to improve; e.g.; my exaggerated use of language.  Criticism can come in many forms and it is something I have struggled time and again to accept.  I’m one of those who would rather learn and improve, rather than someone come up to me and say; ‘Your work is rubbish, start again you imbecile!’  I still feel confident in meeting my dissertation targets and believe I’m well on track to succeed with one of the toughest challenges.

         It doesn’t end there; I’m now feeling like I’m contributing far more to the group project on Silverstone and motor racing too.  I’m helping out with two of the three tasks and only attempting to stay clear of the third task on the worry that a technical involvement (i.e. editing) will end up in me having to change the tougher individual project.  I feel everything is under control with this too and the good news is I can restart the production folder.  Okay, it’s not the most attractive piece, but for me, a crucial one.  For those who probably were ready to write me off and they may have had a point a fortnight ago, my message now is ‘Who’s laughing now!’  I’m not one to brag, never have been but I feel like I have proven myself and I can cope with third year.  Yes, it is a shame that it took seven weeks to get a grip of it, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.  While I am mentioning laughing, I love that song by Jessie J!

         Has there been any frustration this week, not personally anyways.  BlackBerry’s do seem to have a severe lack of application memory space and the bumbling Sepp Blatter still refuses to quit as FIFA president after a disgraceful comment he made about racism in football.  However, both events are out of my control, so I will not let these issues bother me.  On the charging side of things, I would like to know why the FA (Football Association) charged Luis Suarez 32 days after Liverpool played Manchester United in the Premiership.  Suarez is alleged to have said something to United defender Patrice Evra in the 1-1 draw last month at Anfield.  You would have thought that he would have been charged on the Monday after the game, not a month later.  However, it is the alleged bit that really strikes me and can be used so much in journalism.  ‘He allegedly said,’ or ‘I think this guy has no place in society’ allegedly – it is a word that is so often used to protect quotes and sources.  That’s the thing with this; we don’t know what Suarez said and that’s the same with John Terry in the QPR v Chelsea stormy encounter.  The British justice system has been questioned in the past, but I’m maintaining the belief that these two are innocent until proven guilty and they shouldn’t be trialled by media. 

          Finally, Christmas is not far away now and I can’t wait.  It is weird for me to feel like this, especially as it didn’t appeal so much a few years ago (2006, 2007 era).  Christmas is a time of year where you forget the bad times and remember the good moments, not just in the present, but the past year too.  It is a time for reflection, a time to be with family and the time to indulge in all that food, drink and TV.  In fact, the build-up is almost just as exciting as the day itself.  Let’s never forget the meaning of the festive season and for anyone who says; ‘It’s not Christmas yet,’ it's on TV now and here is my vindication that it is;

See you next time!

Pondering short-term failings and longer term possibilities

By Simon Wright (Personal Piece)

NEXT week is what the University calls ‘Production Week,’ ‘Reading Week,’ whatever you want to call it.  Once again, it will provide me with the perfect opportunity to go home for the week, which at the end of the day, is where my true heart is and where I belong.  Not only will I use the opportunity to refocus, but it is time to ponder my next move in the long-term.

      I am one of those people who like security and want to sort things out and not have grave uncertainty hanging over me.  I’m afraid I don’t have that privilege at the moment and it isn’t a nice feeling to have.  None of us want to have this feeling and perhaps that explains the tricky start I’ve had to my final year at Uni.  We all choose to study on the degree for the right reasons and have to deal with the constructive criticism, the knockbacks and the disagreements of opinion in a calm and dignified manner.  There are tough times for everyone in journalism and as they say in the legendary bobsled movie Cool Runnings; ‘Rise above It.’ For example, I was annoyed to find out on Monday that a feature piece which I had already planned out has been changed to a series of topics that don’t interest me in the slightest.  Not only did I feel like I had wasted some of my time, but it would have been nice to hear about this at the start of the year, not five weeks into the course.  However, sometimes you need to take a step back to appreciate the compromises that have to be made.  I’m aware that you can’t complain if you get a job and have to write something that you don’t have any interest in.  So, no kidding, writing about the death penalty will not excite me but I’ve got to get on with what has been set.  I took things too far and moaned about it on Monday evening on Facebook and let’s face it, nobody was impressed.  Fair enough, it wasn’t a wise move and following up from last week; I hold my hands up and should have kept my mouth shut on the matter.  If I don’t like it, I know where the exit door is.  It will probably help in the short-term not using Facebook for three whole weeks, letting things blow over and take a much-needed break from the social network site which has taken a grip of control of late.  Christmas isn’t that far away, and I must approach that in the season of goodwill, not be the green-eyed Grinch monster!

       Throughout the first month of my final year, I will honestly say that it has been a struggle, far more than I could have anticipated.  However, have I dealt with things in the right manner?  Probably not!  The relaxed approach to everything at the end of last year will return while I am at home next week because let’s face it, nobody like serious, moody Simon.  Not even I like myself when I’m like that.  It might take a knock on the head to help, but we are now in the beginning of November.  I’m going to treat it as a new month, new start and forget the tough times of the first month.  As one of my closest friends said to me via the wonderful BlackBerry Messenger service on Sunday night; I’m a stronger person that what I have shown so far.  Yes, we all get disappointed and frustrated when certain aspects are changed and if you don’t, I’d nominate you for ‘World’s Strongest Individual!’

      So, that’s the short-term goal; to return to my old self, be more open and deal with disappointment in a more concealed manner rather than blowing up on one of those rants.  However, the long-term is still uncertain and that is a test that might be harder to crack.  I know in myself that I am good enough to make it and I’m certainly not burnt out by journalism.  To be honest, I never have been.  True, I get annoyed with some of the media’s tactics in reporting a story nowadays and of course, the phone hacking scandal of the summer really changed the landscape of how media and journalists are seen to the general public.  I still want to chase my dream of ultimately being successful in this industry, but probably need guidance in the next move I make.  I’m 23 now and don’t want to be doing more years of constant studying, especially as I came to University two years later than most of the rest of the course I currently study on. 

     Where do I go next then is the question?  The possibility to do an NCTJ accredited course is very tempting.  I’ve been checking out prices for a variety of courses.  The cheaper option would be a Distance Learning course, which I can do in my own time, over a maximum of two years.  Unfortunately, my University isn’t NCTJ accredited, so areas like shorthand are not included on my course.  In hindsight, it’s something I probably should have thought about more when I was making decisions on University in the winter of 2008.  Sports journalism is where I wanted to end up then and it still is today, but I don’t know if I should be more specific in what I am aiming for.  I feel that without getting an NCTJ course or training for one in a job, I can’t see myself reaching and fulfilling my goals.  Summer 2012 is certainly the best option for this, but I wouldn’t mind getting a bit more guidance in this area.

     So, this is something I would like to timetable at while I am at home next week.  It’s no harm pondering over your options and actually, it’s a good thing that I’m trying to keep open-minded on this.  Unfortunately, the unpredictable economic climate and the lack of jobs out there mean that an uncertain future is one that faces a lot of us.  I won’t lie; it’s a small world and not a great feeling to have.

       In summary, sort out the short-term faults of recent weeks and return to University on the 14 November as a far better and more positive person for the testing start; something I know I’m capable of.  In the long-term; give your goals some thought over the next week as playing the waiting game is rubbish!

An odd and tricky week

By Simon Wright (Personal piece)

I FEEL at the end of this week to be in a far more positive frame of mind about events, but even I have to admit, it has been an odd week for many of us.  It’s seen its fair share of sad events, which affected me and also brought tragedy on the University of Northampton.  I think this week has reminded everyone of the real perspectives in life because at the end of the day, no-one knows what is around the corner.

       Having believed that last week and the start of my third and final Uni year had been a blip extended into Monday.  It really shouldn’t have, but it did and again, I only have myself to blame.  I was buzzing last weekend, until I heard the tragic news of the crash in America that claimed the life of British racing driver Dan Wheldon in Las Vegas.  I didn’t take it well at all and seeing the accident really shook me up.  Throughout Monday, the crash video on YouTube kept replaying through my head and I lost my focus of the bigger picture, which was bad.  I’ve seen a tribute programme that Sky Sports did last night to the Brit, who won the prestigious Indy 500 event twice, which is a unique achievement.  He touched many people’s lives in motorsport and he will leave a legacy through that community and his many fans that have been saddened by his loss.  So, why did it affect me so much?  Basically, I’ve never witnessed death in motorsport, which as people who know me, is a passion of mine.  Throw in the fact that he was British and grew up in the tiny village of Emberton, within my hometown of Milton Keynes and that made me worse.  Now if that makes me an odd person; for me to love my hometown and British motorsport, then I’m sorry, but that’s who I am and whoever doesn’t like it, I don’t care.  In these instances, I’m a private person, couldn’t really share my thoughts on this sort of thing and that wasn’t a good thing.  As the week has gone on, I’ve felt better and more within myself, but I just didn’t feel like buzzing or smiling my face off on Monday.  I didn’t feel like it, no point faking it in my view.  In spite of that, I should have shown more motivation and belief in myself on Monday and had to have a serious think about myself that evening.  I wasn’t coming across well and it was time to refocus my energy and effort – no more excuses.

      For me, the rest of the week has ended up being far more positive.  A lot of my journalism course buddies are beginning to take stock of the fact that Twitter is turning into such a useful source for communication and keeping up-to-date with the news.  I got a BlackBerry last week (whilst all the signal problems were occurring) and can’t keep myself away from Twitter.  I will now aim to use this far more often than Facebook, especially for professional standards.  Note to self; no good moaning on Twitter now, just in case you get a famous journalist following you!  Maybe my tweet on Scottish poet Robert Browning in midweek wasn’t my smartest move, but there you go!

      I also feel that I made a significant breakthrough with my dissertation this week.  Although things had been going well, they had stalled in the past fortnight and I was in desperate need of gaining more research and academic references from books.  As a course, we have been strictly told to not rely on the internet, as it isn’t a preferable source.  The tutors are expecting between 10-15 books to be used in bibliographies come marking time and I only had six.  It wasn’t looking great, especially as books cost a load of money, which is always a commodity in this day and age.  I went to the Uni library in midweek and found far more useful information and books that I could have imagined.  Not only do I feel that I have saved a fair bit of money, which might have turned into a complete waste, but I feel that I have now made significant progress to begin typing up my first chapter next week, which is encouraging.

PARTNERSHIP: Me and Farida both know what it takes

      The post-group meeting from the Silverstone trip went fairly well too, despite my dismal mood on Monday.  Ideas have been drawn up for all three aspects that my group has to do now and I’d say we are in a strong position with at least two of the practical elements now.  The TV side of things isn’t looking fantastic as I write this, but that has the element to be changed, especially when you have the best journalist on the course that will always give 100 per cent and is working incredibly hard full stop.  No, I am not talking about myself here, I’m talking about Farida.  I don’t say much about friends on here, in case it embarrasses them, but this is what I will say about Farida.  She is committed to the cause, dedicated to her profession and has done so many work placements in the past two years; she has taken so much from them.  I’ve never seen anyone who I’ve gone through the education ladder as motivated and driven as her and I know that she is going places in journalism.  Plus, she is such a caring, trusting and respectful individual too.  In third year, I am slowly coming around to the belief like those Coca Cola adverts of ‘Eat football, sleep football, and drink Coca Cola!’  My motto for this is ‘Live journalism, breath journalism, succeeding at journalism!’  I know Farida is already doing this and I’m lucky to have met someone like her who you can have a laugh with and share information, but can motivate and drive anyone to do even more.  Oh and for all fellow journalists out there, follow her on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/FaridaZeynalova, it’s a great feed for her emotions! 

      However, whilst some of us go from strength to strength, others have opportunities taken away from them.  I started this blog talking about an incident that affected me, so I’ll finish mentioning about the tragic events of the early hours of Wednesday morning.  I’m sure a lot of you have seen the news reports of the crush at the Lava: Ignite nightclub in Northampton which claimed the life of 22-year old student Nabila Nanfuka.  Nabila was a third year student at the University of Northampton, studying Leisure & Tourism.  I personally didn’t know her; I know some on our course did.  These sorts of incidents just show how life can be so precious to us and remind us of the cruel twists of fate that can just happen, when you don’t expect them to.  RIP Nabila and thoughts go out to her family and friends at what must be a very difficult time for them.  I know there was an emotional memorial service on one of the campuses yesterday and I do hope the University will do something to mark Nabila’s time of studying here.  She shouldn’t be forgotten by anyone who is currently studying at the University of Northampton.

      It’s been an odd week, full of ups and downs, satisfaction and vindication, fate and tragedy.  What will October’s final week bring; who’s to say, but hopefully a quieter week for everyone after this week’s dramas.  For me, this involves a flying visit home to Milton Keynes and I can’t wait!

Thank you for reading!

RIP Dan Wheldon and Nabila Nanfuka

Running on empty

By Simon Wright (Personal piece)

THE second week back at University has thrown down more challenges and has literally left my head in a spin.  As I sit here typing this out, I know I need to shape up and get things sorted out, otherwise I’m throwing my degree into the rubbish bin and that would be a massive shame.

PREPARATION: Frank Wrathall's Toyota is rolled out into the paddock

      Today saw the entire journalism group head down to the home of British motorsport, Silverstone.  The trip formed part of the main group project we have to do on motor racing in general, with today’s focus mainly on the finale of the British Touring Car Championship which takes place at Silverstone this weekend.  Preparing for the trip in the build-up and a lot of my colleagues couldn’t see the point of going.  I was remaining cautious about how it would go, but deep down, I was really excited.  I had never been to Silverstone, so this was a great opportunity and a fantastic chance to experience the motor racing scene from the pits, paddock and media centre.  By the day’s end, it felt like I was the only one who felt short-changed and fractionally disappointed and everyone else was in high spirits.  So, why did this happen?

      There are a number of reasons for this.  Some I will go into detail now and others I won’t.  The group I’m working in were hampered today by not having a tape to collect any video footage.  This was a frustrating experience and we missed out massively because of this.  What happened to the tape, I don’t honestly know.  Maybe we didn’t get one?  Perhaps it had been carelessly misplaced or maybe someone fancied using two tapes without checking.  Either way, it was a massive blow and means that unless some of the group make a return trip, the video part of the assignment is frankly, screwed up.  The main basis of the day was to take part in a media day challenge; which was to write a 300-word preview on the touring car finale this weekend.          The prize was tickets to the conclusion of the season on Sunday.  Unfortunately, our group didn’t win, which was a shame, but everyone was very phlegmatic in defeat.  

GLORY: My group (Rochelle, Farida & Tamika); three new podium contenders!

     Everyone knows that I am a competitive soul, always have been and always will be.  Of course I would have liked to have won, but we had a go and it didn’t work out.  I have learned to be ‘Magnanimous in victory, gracious in defeat.’  I congratulated the four winners; Amanda, Tom, Shamina and Rebecca on their deserved success and actually, the article is a very good choice and a clear winner.  The article that our group wrote was on the day, not strong enough.  You can read the excellent work of my fellow University colleagues on the official Silverstone website now at; http://www.silverstone.co.uk/news/latest-news/BTCC-news/Silverstone-revs-up-for-a-dramatic-finale/

     I didn’t gain any new contacts, which was disappointing and didn’t make as many visits as I would have liked around the area too.  We did though; interview one of the leading title contenders for this weekend’s event, Jason Plato.  Plato likes to speak his mind, but he was very helpful to us and was a pleasure to interview.  I asked him whether he would take more pride and satisfaction in a third title if it happened on Sunday.  His answer was thorough but very clear and understanding and I was pleased to have asked him such a well-thought question.  We also spoke to the BTCC series director, Alan Gow, who wasn’t giving away too much on how he thought Sunday would go, but was still a very useful interview.  The drivers and teams were all very friendly to us and that was nice.  So, it wasn’t all bad today.  However, I was expecting a bit more and when you don’t get it, you can’t help but feel a bit disappointed with the final experience and it’s best to be honest rather than grit through your teeth.

      I must admit, I haven’t prepared myself properly for the New Year and I think it is starting to take its toll on me.  I’m disappointed with myself to have fallen into old traps from last year and I can’t quite figure out why this is the case.  I probably assumed that it would be a slightly more relaxed start to year three of my degree and instead, it’s ‘Bang Bang, WHALLOP!’ from the outset.  Why did I not see this coming?  I set out high standards for myself and unfortunately, I’m not meeting up to these at the moment.  In fact, I’m not even close and need to turn things around.  Wednesday was a prime example.  I couldn’t help giggling over some of the hilarious jokes about the crashing of the BlackBerry server on Twitter, but after that, I lost concentration, motivation and all sense of direction in what I was doing.  Why did I do that?  My head wasn’t in the right place and I’m not talking literally here.  I am my harshest critic as I feel that it is the best I need to do, so I can achieve the best.  Maybe last year’s stinging criticism from my lecturers has hit me harder than I have let on.  I can’t change what happened last year; I must move on!

     I think an impending family anniversary hasn’t helped matters this week.  I don’t want to go into details, as it is a very personal matter and talking about it only makes things more emotional.  The issue affected me very closely at the time and I think it always will.  I was close to this person and looked up to them in a big way.  This time of year is always a difficult time for yours truly. 

     Hopefully next week, I will return to my old self – as I have let myself down this week.  The old me must return too, the focused and more relaxed me.  In March, I turned over a new leaf.  Nobody’s perfect, so let’s just hope this week was a blip on the agenda. 

Someone put me on charge, as I’m running on empty, it might help haha!

Welcome back!

By Simon Wright (Personal piece)

DEEP: I feel like under one of these already!

IT HAS been a long summer, probably a bit too long – but the first week back at University was what I thought, a relaxing week back into the swing of things.  Ha!  Dream on.  Instead, I now have a pile of work that leaves me feeling like the celebrities in 71 Degrees North; buried underneath an avalanche!

     First day back and it was my 23^rd birthday.  The timing could have been a bit better, but at least I got to spend the day with my closest friends from my journalism course at the University of Northampton.  I got many happy returns from colleagues and some lovely cards from the really close friends that I have.  You know who you are, so I’m not going to mention you in person.  First day back began with a 9am lecture on radio.  I’m no fan of radio journalism and think it is quite out-of-date.  If I listen to radio, it’s for sports commentary on Five Live and sometimes will have it on before I go to sleep.  However, I don’t listen to it, their evening programmes are so bad it just helps me get to sleep quicker.  Radio journalism went out-of-date in around 1994 and I can’t help think that, especially when we live in the technological, social networking age of today.  However, it still might be interesting to find out a deeper background into the subject at least.  For the first hour, I sat on my own, just feeling slightly nervous.  I don’t know why; guess I just didn’t want to be the centre of attention.

     In the afternoon, we had our first group session for a very interesting project on motor racing.  People who know me will understand my strong passion for motor racing (see F1 and MotoGP reports), but I’m only into the racing side of things.  All the technical malarkey does not appeal to me and it is only F1 and MotoGP that I follow very closely.  I used to watch rallying, but got bored when the same guy kept winning every rally, have never been a big fan of sportscars or racing in America (Indy 500, CART etc) and as for national motorsport, what championships are they?  Our project is based on the final round of next weekend’s title decider at Silverstone for the British Touring Car Championship.  Five drivers can still mathematically claim the title and the BTCC is an okay racing series.  I watch a few rounds on TV, especially when nothing is on the box on a Sunday afternoon, but it isn’t something that has passion to me; just another racing championship.  The project involves a trip to the home of British motorsport on Friday and that does excite me, no matter what.  It will be an interesting day and an interesting project.  I already reckon that this year is going to be tough, no doubts.

     Thursday morning bought the sad news of Steve Jobs death.  The Apple figurehead (I will do a tribute on here in the next few days) has had a massive influence in the way we talk, communicate and appreciate the technological gadgets we have.  I’m not an Apple person; I don’t eat the fruit and have had regular problems with their software, especially on the iMac’s.  Nevertheless, I use iTunes on a regular basis to listen to my music and no-one can doubt the vision that Jobs had for Apple and the world.  His death is very sad and although I reckon the company will survive without too many issues, they will miss his leadership.  The world is a poorer place without him.

     As for my dissertation, (yep I have to do one of them this year), the early beginnings are looking good and I just wish I had more books I could buy.  I now have an official question title in place and I am probably less than a fortnight away from beginning to type out my first chapter.  Although I won’t reveal the topic on here, the clue is that it is to do with broadcast journalism.  Broadcast journalism is an area where I don’t like doing it, but I seem to end up with better results than the traditional strength I have; print journalism.  If that’s the case, it made my topic fairly easy and sensible to choose.  I have already had a positive meeting with the tutor I will be working closely with, so early signs suggest that although it will probably take me to the brink on more than one occasion, it is something I’m going to enjoy researching, without wanting to do something else.

     One of the presents I got for my birthday was F1 2011; the new racing game on the Xbox 360.  Actually, I’m finding it a real challenge to play, which is great for any racing simulation, as I normally find them too easy to play.  I have achieved a second place finish with Williams in the Barcelona event and have a habit of making great starts from solid grid positions, but it is very realistic.  The days of winning the championship in your first year with Virgin Racing are a distant thing of the past.

HAPPY: Posing with fellow blogger and close Uni friend, Farida

     My lengthy birthday celebrations came to a conclusion with another trip to the Balestra nightclub on Thursday in town.  More people came than I had been expecting and it was a great night, even if the music was a bit naff.  It was a lovely night and a great way to finish the week off with the majority of my closest buddies.  As much as I was hoping to make it a regular feature this year, the workload will determine that and if week one is anything to go by, it is more likely to be a monthly rather than a fortnightly basis.

     So, week one of my final year at University has finished and there is bound to be plenty of emotional rollercoaster’s along the way.  It is great to be back around people who mean a lot to me, but the gauntlet has already been thrown down, so I’d better start trying to dig myself out of this avalanche!

      Welcome back everyone!

The end for the News of the World

By Simon Wright (News and personal piece)

CLOSURE: The final edition of the paper will be on Sunday

AFTER 168 years of exposing celebrities, shaming politicians and campaigning for better human rights, this Sunday will see the final ever edition of the News of the World.  Rupert Murdoch has taken the controversial decision to axe the newspaper, in a desperate bid to bury the phone hacking scandal which has dominated news headlines across the world this week.  Some 200 journalists have lost their jobs as a result of the decision taken by News International at its Wapping headquarters, but chief executive of the company, Rebekah Brooks – who was editor of the paper during the scandal, has remarkably held onto her job.  This morning, Andy Coulson – another former editor of the tabloid paper and former press aide in David Cameron’s coalition government was arrested for his role in the phone hacking, as well as allegations into payment to members of the Metropolitan Police.

     The News of the World has come under significant fire for the phone hacking of famous celebrities and politicians already this year.  Film star Sienna Miller, former deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, PR guru Max Clifford and TalkSport radio host Andy Gray were amongst the victims.  Some of these disputes were being settled with significant compensation packages.  However, the twisted events of the last week have led to the downfall of the biggest selling newspaper in the UK. 

      The trouble started when it emerged that the mobile phone of murdered teenager Milly Dowler in 2002 had been hacked into by rogue journalists.  As the days rolled on, more scandals emerged.  Also targeted were the parents of murdered Soham schoolgirls, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman and victims of the 7/7 terrorist attacks in London – on the eve of the sixth anniversary.  The final death knell was when it emerged that some families of servicemen who fought for the country in Afghanistan, but never came home also had their phones and voicemails listened into.  Police have confirmed that they have had 4,000 complaints of mobile phones being targeted and the scandal is likely to cost News International £120million.  Media regulator OFCOM is investigating News International’s other businesses, including fellow newspapers under the branch; The Sun and The Times.  It also throws the proposed takeover of BSkyB into severe doubt, with culture secretary Jeremy Hunt forced to delay the go-ahead for the bid until September at the earliest.

QUESTIONS: Murdoch has decided to keep his chief executive

     Murdoch was reeling yesterday.  For a man who loves making news, he looked scared as he desperately tried to escape questions from pressing journalists on a golf course in Idaho, USA.  It seems though that under fire Brooks will keep her job as chief executive of the organisation, despite the cost of many other innocent positions.  Labour leader Ed Miliband, who has criticised David Cameron for his handling of the situation all week, is furious that Brooks still has a job, despite her knowledge of such illegal journalism practices.  He told the Daily Mirror;

     “It’s clearly people power that has forced this decision.  It’s the result of the revulsion that people felt at what happened at the News of the World.  The one person who seems to be staying in her job in chief executive Rebekah Brooks who was the editor at the time Milly Dowler’s phone was hacked.  I don’t think News International can hope to start to move on while she remains in place.” 

     The lawyer for the Dowler family, Mark Lewis is also saddened that those responsible are still in higher positions; “It’s sad that people will end up losing their jobs, but those responsible are still there.”  Current chairman of News International James Murdoch was interviewed by ITN’s political editor Tom Bradby last night.  He gave his full backing to Brooks and insisted he had no choice to announce the pulling of the plug for the paper;

     “The good things the News of the World does has been sullied by behaviour that was wrong.  Indeed, if recent allegations are true, it was inhuman and has no place in our company.  The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account, but it failed when it came to itself.”

     Celebrities have used Twitter to express their views on the newspaper’s axing today.  Singer George Michael said; "Today is a fantastic day for Britain.  These beliefs are in no way an excuse for any of my behaviour in recent times.  I was happy to do my time, because I was so ashamed.  But... I believe every individual, whether privileged or the average citizen, deserves the law.  And many of us rich or poor have been denied it by News International.  You gotta have faith in Karma.  Today it's very real. And I hope the families of Milly Dowler and all the others who died...."

     Former editor of the Daily Mirror Piers Morgan lamented the move, although he did slam their actions; “Shocked and saddened by closure of the News of the World.  Scandals of past week indefensible, but has been a great British newspaper."

     Founded in October 1843, the News of the World has an annual circulation of 3million readers today, despite the powers of 24-hour rolling news, social networking sites and the radical growth of the internet.  It is famous for its hard-hitting interviews and massive investigations that send celebrities into a pit of shame.  Some of its most famous moments included the undercover sting that exposed Sven-Goran Eriksson into agreeing to take over as Aston Villa manager in January 2006.  Eriksson, contracted to England at the time announced his departure after the 2006 World Cup finals just days following the ‘fake sheikh’ investigation.  It has also revealed Prince Harry’s experimentation with drink and drugs in 2002 and the spot-fixing involving Pakistan cricketers during last summer’s test series in England.  Unsurprisingly, the News of the World has also had to fight many libel cases.  England footballers Ashley Cole and Wayne Rooney have received damages out of court for sleazy stories that made the front page headlines, whilst former FIA president Max Mosley used an invasion of privacy into allegations regarding his private life in March 2008.  Mosley won £60,000 in damages, but lost the battle to change privacy laws in the UK only two months ago.  The News of the World has been underneath Rupert Murdoch’s News International banner since 1969.

MY VIEW

My symphony is with those affected by the disgusting practices

Although the celebrity phone hacking scandal is totally the wrong way to go, the cynics would say that to be famous, you are going to get negative headlines and therefore, these sort of practices.  However, once bereaved families are targeted, it becomes totally indefensible and inexcusable.  The practices are sick and I can’t believe that some rogue journalists would stoop so low to get a story.  Clearly there was no news in the world!  I am very saddened by the whole issue and of course, I have every symphony with the families of Milly Dowler, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, the 7/7 victims and families who have lost their loved ones at war.  For their families to basically go through the whole nightmare in the public eye once again is really sad. 

     I am not saddened by the closure of the News of the World.  Frankly, I felt the paper was full of unproven gossip and garbage.  I already boycotted The Sun anyways, due my anger over their coverage of the 1989 Hillsborough football stadium disaster.  Who I do feel sorry for are the innocent journalists, who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.  However, Rebekah Brooks keeps hers.  It is unbelievable that she can still be backed by News International, especially after being the editor while Milly Dowler’s phone was being hacked into.  How can she sleep at night!  If she had any decent piece of soul in her body then she should do the honourable thing and resign.

     I do hope the BSkyB takeover doesn’t go through either.  Murdoch did introduce the concept of 24-hour rolling news into the UK and has revolutionised English football with the Sky Sports Premiership deal.  Great things for sure, but I don’t think it would be in the audience’s interest for a rogue media organisation to own BSkyB, no matter how viable and profitable it is. 

     Will people miss the News of the World?  Honestly, I don’t think so.  The Today newspaper was the last major paper to get the chop and that was owned by Murdoch in November 1995.  No-one remembers it today.  Rumours are already flying around that The Sun on Sunday will be launched, so it will probably just be same stories, and similar angles with different name.

     If there is a winner this week, it has to be Ed Miliband.  The Labour leader has really managed to show some steel and determination to push for change in the British press industry this week.  Miliband has put David Cameron under pressure and for me; the Prime Minister has not been convincing enough.  If Andy Coulson is charged by police, it puts David Cameron in a very difficult and stressful position.

     Ultimately, one of the main losers will be those studying journalism at colleges and universities.  The Press Complaints Commission code needs a total rework and the new restrictions and ratifications that will come into force will just make the job for journalists even tougher.  Fewer jobs will be around and if any budding journalism student had commonsense, don’t work for Rupert Murdoch!  He doesn’t care about people’s feelings; he’s only after money and that’s all he’s ever thought about.  So, he is the male version of Janine Malloy from EastEnders then!

     It has been a sad and damaging week for the British press industry.  The phone hacking scandal has dragged the reputation of many names in media through the mud and there are many losers in this.  The story won’t go away and is going to drag on for the rest of the year, especially with enquiries and investigations likely to continue.  If News International can ditch a newspaper and think it will solve the problems, they are seriously mistaken!

One more message; RESIGN REBEKAH! YOU’RE A DISGRACE! 

Consistency is the key

By Simon Wright (Personal piece)

FIVE weeks into my extended summer holiday and I can’t say that it has been a bundle of fun.  Don’t get me wrong, I love to have time off as much as anyone, but it becomes very difficult to motivate yourself, especially when you don’t have an ambition/target to set yourself.  Nevertheless, I can fully now appreciate that after a tricky spring period of the year, summer has brought some lovely (and unpredictable weather!) and some summery results. 

     Yes, two weeks ago, I got the conformation of my grades for the second year of my journalism course at the University of Northampton.  On reflection, I really can’t complain, and although the overall module results could have been slightly better, I was thrilled with my consistency in the separate units that make up a module.  Nearly 80 per cent of all the units I did ended up coming back with B grades, which for the hard graft and effort I put in during the last academic year, is a thoroughly merited result. 

     Some grades really surprised me actually.  I got a B- on the Broadcast Portfolio segment of one of my workshop modules.  Honestly, I was expecting a D!  If anyone listened to my radio pieces (see University Northampton portfolio 2010/11), you could hear how rubbish they were.  Frankly, it was the standard I would expect from an average primary school child!  That’s how bad my radio was.  I do wonder how well I could have done, if I’d done the Sky Sports sexism row back in January for one of my radio pieces.  Ah well, hindsight is a wonderful thing in life, if we have access to it.  

Law is an essential part of journalism; but it is still so BORING!

     Of course, the highpoint was earning an A on my law and government exam.  I was gutted to only earn a C on my 1998 Human Rights Act essay.  Although it wasn’t the greatest essay I’d ever produced, I thought I might have received a bit of discretion for choosing something different to almost everybody else on my degree.  The standard choice of the others was the Freedom of Information Act 2000.  I went a different route and obviously, it didn’t go down well.  Sometimes, gambles don’t pay off, but this does prove I am a risk taker.  Do I regret going a different route?  No, I don’t.  I don’t understand the Freedom of Information Act 2000; it would leave my head spinning like the world globe!  It’s just too complex for a brain as small as mine and as people who know me can vouch to, if I had brains, I’d be lethally dangerous!  Was I hoping for a better result on the essay?  Absolutely I was, and it’s the last time I will believe that going down a different route to the norm will earn some form of creditability. 

     It meant come the exam, I needed a decent result to balance out the essay grade.  As I think I said before, I came out of the exam feeling confident that I had done really well.  However, I could never have imagined earning an A!  It’s the first ever time I’ve achieved the top grade in any kind of exam before (SAT’s, GCSE’s, A Levels) you name it.  I think I can safely say I finally managed to beat the brain freeze I used to suffer in exams, or the choking levels of not remembering your stuff.  Whilst I’m on choking levels, maybe we’ll get a British winner at Wimbledon (No, there’s more chance of me driving a car again, which isn’t likely!)  I didn’t revise as hard as last year, but came out with a better result by a million miles.  Obviously, my preparation was meticulous.  Trust me though; I have no secrets to giveaway!

     The disappointing side of the results was the dismal D+ on my TV Gold magazine, which significantly bought down my DTP overall grade to a C+.  I must admit to being a bit confused by this.  I did a good presentation, thought I stuck to a consistent balance between design and content, yet the result is baffling.  Okay, I did see some top-quality magazines (like Farida’s Milan travel magazine, which was a class above anything else, sorry everyone, that was the standard to beat!) and I knew mine was nowhere near her calibre as an example.  However, it wasn’t that bad and I enjoyed doing it too, despite the stress of printer’s pairs!  There’s only one option I can try now; weasel my way out of doing a magazine next year.  Unlikely, as I think the 32-page mag is one of the compulsory modules for my final year.  However, if there is a way around it, I have to take a different option.  I was heavily criticised for my 8-page magazine last year and now, the 12-page has clearly gone the same way!  So, little hope of a 32-page being successful then!  Probably more chance of me gambling £1 on the National Lottery!

I was happy that my consistency has improved

     Nevertheless, consistency was the key to my overall results and I generally can’t complain with them.  I can’t wait to see my journalism buddies again.  I miss them so much and a fancy dress birthday party for August has already been arranged, so it will be the perfect catch-up point. 

      One final thing to announce; I will NOT be updating this website with anymore blogs from Christmas onwards.  It was a tough decision to make, but 2012 promises so much and I know that I’m just not going to have the time to keep this website functioning any longer.  Nevertheless, I want to thank everyone for reading/liking/commenting on the hundreds of blogs I’ve produced and those of my entertainment expert, Jason Wright too.  I hope you continue to visit the website and enjoy it as much as possible between now and the middle of December, when this journey comes to its conclusion.  Thank you and look forward to seeing/hearing from you soon.

Deadlines, presentations and friendships - The final curtain

By Simon Wright (Personal Blog)

YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ A PARTY BROADCAST BY THE HAPPYDUDE88 PARTY!

SO, THAT is it.  It has been a powerful year and the recent events have proven to me that hope should be there for all of us.  What a year it has been, and it is scary to think that just one more remains before graduation.  For the final time for a while, I will reflect on events involving me from the week.

DONE: No need for any more of that constant stress!

     Monday was absolute madness, and I was the focus point, although not directly affecting me.  Although I had a couple of minor evaluations to type up, and one of those pain-staking, irritating Harvard bibliographies, Monday was deadline day as far as the rest of the journalism course was concerned.  Four key projects had to be handed in, and by the cut-off point of 7pm.  It was chaos in our journalism workroom.  Books, bits of paper, USB drives, and headphones – you name it, lying around in all directions.  I had to double-check and triple-check that I still had all of my equipment intact.  It felt like the last hours of the current football transfer window process and those final moments when managers are shaking hands on agreements to loan or buy players at the last minute.  I don’t think I was helping with my ‘24’ hour style timing countdown.  Probably should have just put the Countdown clock on repeat, because that’s how it felt like!  Thankfully, everyone beat the deadline and the relief was palpable in the SU bar afterwards.  The burden off many shoulders had just been lifted.  I was pleased to be there, and although I had done the more sensible thing of getting all my projects in and not doing a last-minute job, I couldn’t help but be there and try to offer my sensible advice and help to the best of my powerful abilities.  It did take it out on me by the end of the day.  I was exhausted, really hungry and wasn’t in the mood for celebration.  I can’t imagine how it would have been like for everyone else.  Thursday was a totally different story.

     It has just gone 10am on Thursday and all the tension of a hard year can be let out.  I exit the presentation room and do let out a ‘Fernando Alonso’ style of ‘COME ON, COME ON!’ as I realise quickly that my second year of journalism at the University of Northampton is over.  The year concluded with a magazine presentation infront of the usually, miserable lecturers – promoting my reasons for producing my 12-page TV Gold magazine.  Typically, the presentation times were changed at the last minute less than 24 hours earlier, but that was hardly surprising.  To be honest, having an organised slot is now more of a shock and I think most of us were just past the point of caring.  Luckily, I only had to whizz through a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation infront of one of the senior lecturers, rather than two and it made things far easier than they might have been.  Time to party!

PARTY: Celebrating the end with Rochelle, Emily and Stef

     In the evening, the journalism crew headed out into the town once again, for another wild and wacky night at the Balestra nightclub in Northampton.  We met up inside the club, having gone to various houses and bars in the build-up to the night.  Tom Campbell came in with a bottle of champagne, courtesy of us being on a special guest list.  There was a real cause of celebration within the crew.  As the bottle was passed around and we all took big gulps from the bubbly, you could feel the party mood everyone was in.  I must admit, it tasted good!  No more exams, no more presentations, no more deadlines, time to dance and enjoy!  It was so nice to see so many people make it, people who I don’t normally socialise with.  I was able to let my hair down (I don’t have much of that by the way), and not have a care in the world for where I would be in state of mind 24 hours later.  There was some wild dancing, to some cracking club tunes.  I think most will remember me for singing ‘Let’s Get Ready to Rumble’ and ‘Karma Chameleon,’ out loud.  I have one of the Lips singing games for the Xbox 360, so I am practicing, but let’s face it, I can’t sing!!  The majority of us belting out ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ by Britney Spears summed up the fantastic atmosphere inside the club.  It was all over, and the journalism crew was going out on a high!  Hopefully, there will be more of this next year. 

     As the year has gone on, I feel we have bonded far closer as a group.  At the end of the day, we are in the same boat.  We are on the same degree, aiming for the same ambitions at the end of the three years.  We see each other on a daily basis, so what’s the point of not getting on.  I know that there have been some disagreements or personality clashes in the past, but for me, there has to be a real domestic to not get on or share some form of communication with anyone, however small that may be.  Even I have had to admit that I’ve made mistakes and not treated everyone totally fairly this year.  One of these people is the ‘Beautiful Birmingham,’ herself; Ellie.

     I first met Ellie on induction day in September 2009 and we have had a friendship built on a solid foundation, and have about as much drama as a month’s episodes of Casualty could contain!  Even then, having made the first public introduction, I never thought she would have made the significant impact she has on my life as a whole.  Throughout the first year, we spent so much time together, in fact, almost inseparable.  This year, things have been more awkward for us, for a variety of reasons.  I won’t go into all the details, because that is totally unfair, but I haven’t thought about her feelings at times, particularly at the start of 2011.  Mistakes were made, by both of us, but more so by me.  In March, I nearly lost her as a friend for good and it did drive me to the brink.  In life, you need to make a success of yourself and you are your own person, but there are people who do build your strengths up and make up the rest of your overall character.  Some friendships you just could say ‘Screw it, what’s the point anymore,’ but I’ve never felt that way about Ellie.  Together, we’ve always tried to sort things out and we’ve come out stronger for the experience.  Around Christmas time, she was the one person I could turn to when I had a relationship issue and she was so caring, sweet and amazing about the whole dilemma I had.  That’s a true friend for you, not one who just would say; ‘It’s your problem, deal with it!’  No friendship can be perfect, I don’t think it is feasibly possible, and everyone makes mistakes.  After all, that’s why they put erasers on pencils!  Nobody’s perfect, or ‘Pobody’s Nerfect’ as they’d say Down Under!  However, Ellie has such a big heart and always looks out for me, no matter how much trouble I might be in.  She has always been there for me, and I’m incredibly lucky to have her as a big part of the jigsaw puzzle that is my life.  After all, I have so much drama in my life; it won’t be long before I appear on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories haha!! 

     I can’t complain about how this year has gone, and the final curtain has come down.  No more journalism until October 3^rd, ironically my birthday. 

Have a great summer everyone, I will ultimately reflect on the year 2010/11 at the University of Northampton as ‘I did it My Way!’

THAT WAS A PARTY BROADCAST BY THE HAPPYDUDE88 PARTY!

Print, exam, Balestra - A top-notch week

PERSONAL PIECE (By Simon Wright)

ANOTHER week down and one of the best weeks I’ve had of the year so far.  Pressure released from some rather tight shoulders, things finally began to go my way and the spectacular journalism night out less than 24 hours ago has left me buzzing.

FINAL: The front cover of my 12-page magazine

     If you had read last week’s edition, then you will have understood the nightmare I had with Printers Pairs.  On Monday, I went to the library at the University of Northampton to print out my 12-page magazine, based on retro TV (see picture for front cover).  Typically for me, it didn’t run without its problems.  First, the magazine wouldn’t print out, because I was on another student’s username.  Then, my library password had expired, which meant I couldn’t get onto my log-in screen and set-up my Adobe PDF file for printing.  Eventually, I managed to print out three A3 copies, and by accident, one A4 colour booklet copy.  Looking at the final product, I am delighted with how it all came together in the end, after some trials and tribulations.  Of course, I needed some assistance, otherwise I would have been in a major panic and I’m lucky to have that this year, in the form of a strong and very close friendship with Tamika.

      As a group, I do think we all have a strong chemistry.  A lot of us have different interests; different hobbies and some have more eccentric lifestyles than others!  However, it all works out in the end.  What I do know this year is that without the presence of Tamika, I wouldn’t have been as motivated as I have been and maybe, I wouldn’t even be at the University.  Tamika has helped me massively though some very tough situations for me this year, both within University and outside Uni.  She has always been there for me and I am eternally grateful for that.  Without her care and support, I wouldn’t be as strong as I am now.  Monday was another prime example of this.  I know many people who would have just walked away from me and left me to fight my own battles.  Tamika has never done that, and I’m so pleased she has always stuck by me, especially in some trying situations.  True, you do need to show some individual qualities, but to have a strong personality backbone; you need loving support from your friends.  I’m lucky, because I do have three or four very close friends on my course at Uni, as well as my loving family and the ‘Pubbage’ crew back in my hometown, Milton Keynes.  With her hard-working capabilities, together with always being there for support, advice and a good laugh too, Tamika’s friendship will be one of the most positive aspects I will lookback on during my second year at the University of Northampton.    

     Whilst I can never fault Tamika’s reliability as a friend, the lecturers continue to be a total liability.  I’m beginning to feel I should trust Ian Beale from EastEnders more than the useless lecturers.  I don’t want to be too hyper-critical if I can help it, but I am paying over £3,000 a year to attend my degree at the University of Northampton.  I expect top-quality teaching as a result and to say that I and the rest of my course are getting that would be one of the biggest porkies I’ve heard.  England has got more chance of winning the Football World Cup than we have of getting any decent communication.  This week’s episode saw the ridiculous decision taken to move the deadline for the Unique group magazine portfolios by a week, and let us know, two flipping days before it is meant to be handed into the Assignment Office!  The lecturers used the excuse that we all knew and it was made abundantly clear!  So, where’s the evidence?  No-one told me, and also, what is a Log Book?  I mean, they accuse some of us for slacking.  Well, don’t prove that by changing around deadlines without telling us then!  I don’t expect us to be spoon-fed.  After all, we are all grown-ups, but just a little bit of better communication wouldn’t go amiss.  No-one will break their leg if that happened.  It feels like Civil War is breaking out between Lecturers v Journalism Students.  It would be an interesting occasion for Big Fight Live!  Quick, I’d better telephone Rupert Murdoch; he might be able to back a blockbusting knockout victory for the students!  Sometimes, I feel more reliable than the lecturers and I’m not even teaching!  Maybe we should trust Wikipedia more than them.

     Thursday May 12, and its 9.30am.  I have just started my dreaded exam on law and government for journalists.  Then, I come across a term called TWOC!  I’ve have never even heard of that terminology, never!  If someone wants to let me know, send your answers via postcard!  Aside from that stupid term, I felt the two-hour exam went really quickly and went very well.  I got a C last year, from an exam that I thought was easy-peasy, chocolate-squeezy!  I actually thought the 2011 exam was easier still.  Exams have been the death of me in the past.  My brain always froze in an exam hall, and often would spoil a hard year’s work of effort.  Since I screwed up my GCSE’s in 2005, I have worked incredibly hard to sort these issues out and the results seem to be coming together now.  I’m glad I don’t have to do any next year (I hope!), and will always going in feeling butterflies.  However, I felt very confident of doing well and hopefully; the results will prove my confidence.  I’ve always gone into a hall with a bag of nerves, often been ill in the build-up to the exam, not eating much and struggling with irregular sleeping patterns.  Not so this time around, so it was a pleasant change.    

PARTY: With journalism buddies, Shamima, Tom and Richard

     To conclude this personal blog on a happy note and I went out last night into town to make my debut in the Balestra nightclub.  Since Balestra opened just before Christmas 2010, I’ve always been interested to go and experience it.  I’m not a clubbing person and never will be, especially after being attacked on the way home from a night out in Milton Keynes in July 2009.  However, I will bite the bullet and go out occasionally, with the plan to have some drinks, a mad dance, a real laugh and a memorable experience.  This certainly happened last night.  After some pre-drinks at Pennywhistle’s with two of my closest friends, Emily and Rochelle, plus a rather entertaining Jonathan (who I’ve never really seen eye-to-eye with), we headed down town to the club.  I was so thrilled to finally have a night out which saw the large proportion of journalism students out together, partying into the early hours of Friday morning.  It is something we haven’t done enough of and I think that made the experience even more enjoyable.  I have also managed to find a nightclub in Northampton that can match up to my favourite place, which is Oceania in Milton Keynes.  Like I said before, I’m not a regular clubber, but Oceania is the only experience when I’ve come out of a club and gone ‘Wow,’ before last night anyways.  To see people out, who I don’t normally socialise with made it more awesome too.  There were plenty of highlights along the way.  Seeing one of our journalism technicians outside Pennywhistle’s, as we disappeared into the town, Farida complaining that her feet were about to fall off and an Olly Murs lookalike trying to chat up Farida and Tamika in one of the nearby eating establishments after the nightclub experience and frankly, failing absolutely miserably!  Well, some guys just don’t know when to stop!  I got back to my place, exhausted at 3.45am, but having had one of the best nights for ages! 

    More partying next week hopefully, when Uni is wrapped up for another year!  I already know that despite my London work placement and Fuerteventura summer holiday with the family, I am really going to miss my journalism buddies over the lengthy summer break.  LET’S GO OUT ON A HIGH!

Pairs, servers and extensions - Another crazy week at the University of Northampton

I MUST admit, I had been spoilt by the amount of Bank Holidays that the country has had following Easter and the celebrations of the Royal Wedding.  The return to University on a full-time basis has seen a real mixed bag for me personally.  Although I was ecstatic to see some friendly faces again, after the time off – I feel mentally drained and exhausted at a tough week with frankly, little reward.

POINTLESS: Printers Pairs left me in a real dilly of a pickle!

     First of all, Printers Pairs!  As far as I am concerned, it is the most pointless, annoying and frustrating concept around, certainly in the layout of a magazine.  One of our modules has seen us design and produce a 12-page magazine on a topic of our choice.  I went down the route of a ‘retro’ TV magazine, and after getting all the content in and the layout organised, you would have thought that the Printers Pairs would have been the easiest concept since sliced bread was introduced!  How wrong was I!  The whole thing completely baffled me, and when things don’t go right for me, they simply don’t go right.  Seeing everyone else nail it together (not quite literally!) made it harder to swallow.  I went home from Uni last night a broken individual.  I won’t be ashamed in saying that I broke down in tears.  It dawned on me that if I didn’t sort out Printers Pairs, I would fail the module – simple as that.  What a shame that would have been after the hard work I’ve put in all year.  Somehow, I proved that miracles are possible and managed to sort it out last night, although it might have been a fluke.  Still, it’s done and as Farida would say ‘I got into a real pickle’ or Ellie saying as ever ‘Don’t worry about it’ or Emily telling me ‘DON’T PANIC! SIMON.’  It’s nice to still have the support of your fellow peers.  Talk about swallowing pride, glad I didn’t choke on my food regarding the matter!

USEFUL: Mojo the monkey could have been a better source of information!

     Next up, servers – and the grief they caused.  I’m starting to think that the lecturers have lost the plot!  They never seem to be in and for a lot of people; the lack of their availability has greatly frustrated them.  I can tell you, some choice language has been used, which shall not be repeated on here!  Let’s say; a trained chimpanzee could teach the journalism group better!  Where’s Mojo the monkey from The Simpsons when you need him!  The Student Share went down in our workroom on Wednesday afternoon and they said ‘Oh, it will be online tomorrow morning.’  In we come on Thursday and the server is still down and they say ‘Oh, it will definitely be back online tomorrow morning.’  Friday, and still no change in the situation.  Broken promises again, just ask Nick Clegg on the matter, he’s an expert in this category!  An offline server means that work can’t be worked on and if it isn’t backed up on a USB, then you are screwed!  To see people like Ellie, Shane, even Tamika panicking was not a sight I wanted to see.  True, I wasn’t affected by this, because I had everything backed up.  Nevertheless, the whole thing was a fiasco and bang out of order.  I mean, you can’t help it if technology epically fails, but to make a promise that simply won’t happen, especially in deadline city is a very dangerous game. 

     This now leads me onto my next topic of discussion, extensions.  At 4.30pm today, the news filtered through that an extension had been granted to all journalism students for their print and broadcast portfolios until May 16.  The news bought massive celebrations within the workroom; almost as great as winning the lottery!  The only one who wasn’t celebrating was me.  All of my work in these departments has been handed in.  Personally, although I totally agreed with an extension for at least two days of the original deadlines, due to the server chaos, a ten day stay of execution does feel a bit too long.  Not the fault of my fellow course mates, but once again – it is the lack of leadership around at the University.  Why so long?  I’ve worked to tight deadlines all year, and now feel like a bit of an idiot for having everything handed in so early.  Getting things wrapped up this week limited my chances of revising for my exam next week.  I can’t help but feel a bit ‘robbed.’ 

     To conclude, it has been another crazy week, but it still has some great moments to lookback on.  Wednesday afternoon saw cheesy 90s music such as S Club 7 and Steps played in the room and thanks to Farida and Shamina; the real dancing queens of the journalism course, MB5 turned into a temporary nightclub!  The journalism night out next week promises a lot of spectacular fireworks, plenty of drinking and daring dancing! 

Welcome to the University of Northampton journalism degree; a week full of pairs, servers and extensions haha!