Wannabe hacks revisited

I occasionally dip into a certain forum for journalists that seems, unfortunately, to attract a particular class of post and a certain type of poster.

There is a high number of posts offering unpaid work, which might be ok if it was for a 2-week work experience somewhere decent, but usually they ask for experienced professionals, a lengthy commitment and no reward beyond a byline. One recent post was about the launch of a luxury lifestyle magazine, asking for seasoned contributors and expecting them to supply their own equipment - asking a writer to bring a laptop would just about pass muster if the publication was a community paper run on a shoestring. It's not acceptable when the magazine is aiming to attract advertising from high-end brands and expecting to sell to very high earners.

But enough about that.

What I find more worrying, of major concern even, is the high number of people posting and asking the most elementary questions. A couple of days ago someone new to freelancing was asking how to get paid. I'm well aware journalism courses often don't teach anything on freelancing but I'd expect a journo grad to have the nous to look up some info on the net somewhere on the basics of running a small business. There are quite a few government-funded sites, for example, that provide this sort of gen in simple language. More alarming was the poster's remark that this was a big company but she had no idea how to contact anyone there beyond an email address. Now if a journalist can't even google a company name to find their HQ and phone number, then I fear for the future of the nation's press.

This was a fairly typical query. Others run along the lines of "can I expect to be published without flashing a degree or two first?" and "do editors give the reporters stories to write about? Or does the reporter have to generate the stories him/herself?". The one that seriously alarmed me was "What happens once the news piece has been done, does it get proofed and then edited?" This was from someone who had just done work experience on a local paper and even written some stories for it. It does beg the question why the poster hadn't asked anyone on the paper while there to give them a quick tour cum rundown of how a paper is put together. But more shocking I think is the fact that so many universities are turning out journalism grads who basically don't seem to have learned anything practical or useful. What are they doing on their 3 years on campus? I would seriously love to know.

Back when I trained (long before someone invented journalism degree courses), I learned pretty much everything within 6 months on the job. I was subbing within 2 weeks because it had to be done and making up mock page layouts within a month. I stayed for 30 months and the only thing I didn't learn was shorthand (or proper typing) because the mag didn't have any budget to send me to day-release college. There was no internet then, but I learned fast how to find out info at the library or the town hall. Not knowing was not an option as I feared my editor's wrath.

I came away confident in my skills and knowing I could handle most things thrown at me. Today's lot give the impression they wouldn't know how to fend off a wet paper bag if it were thrown at them.

I don't want to say "Eee, it were better in my day", because it undoubtedly wasn't. The kind of tools available to today's journalists are amazing and wonderful and I would have given my eye teeth to have had mobile phones, the internet, laptops and the rest back then. So why, if they have access to such great kit are we churning out hacks who don't have a clue?

EDITED to add that Press Gazette reports that "new journalists lack key skills". Not sure whether to feel vindicated or even sadder.

Working over the break

It being an extended weekend, I have downed tools. Like many freelances, I'm not working. Not officially, anyway. All my regular editing clients have long been notified of my unavailability over the break. I'm still working, though. Sort of. Today, I've been researching a bit on the internet for an article I'll be filing next week. Over the weekend, I'll be listening back some interviews I recorded a couple of weeks ago, so I can pull some additional quotes for the client. And tomorrow I'm on a press junket.

In the meantime, however, it's playtime. I don't do Easter (although donations of chocolate eggs are very welcome) and while I don't really do Purim, either, there is a religious obligation to get pissed. A perfect excuse, not that I need one. Which is why tonight will see me larging it down the pub with a bunch of fellow hacks. Just because we can.

Normal service resumes (sort of)

Yes, I've been quiet for a week. It was hard to feel like writing much after Wimbledon ended (and you lot would probably have been bored if I'd gushed on about the matches). It was also hard to get back into working - I had an itch to watch Sue Barker come noon, before remembering that her job was done.

So - what have I been up to? Well, work of course, though not a lot. My lovely graphic designer and I are preparing a pitch for work from a luxury hotel in our locality. I've done a bit of editing here and there. And quoted for a couple of other jobs.

But my highlight since the tennis ended and Alan Johnston was freed was this - the Journobiz party. This splendid annual event gave me a good excuse to pop down to the capital for an overnighter. What could be more interesting than a roomful of 200 hacks and flacks? Well, probably quite a lot of things if you're not a hack or a flack but for those of us in the trade it was a good opportunity to meet up, talk shop and do what we do best (drinking, when we're not writing). Needless to say, I had a fabulous time and came home with an even fabulouser goody bag, thanks to all the flacks who got their clients to bribe, I mean spoil us hacks with nice treats.

I crawled home on the train feeling rough around the edges after a night on the Wyborowa. I felt even rougher when my train broke down at the station before mine and we got turfed off onto a replacement, which was also then cancelled. Just why is it so hard for Virgin to run Pendolinos that actually work? I finally got home 90 minutes later than expected in a seething rage about private rail companies. I feel a pitch to a travel ed coming on...