Tom Scotney

Birmingham looks like LA or something from my living room window at the moment. I think it’s those palm trees on the penthouse opposite. That and the sunsets. It’s probably global warming or something.

Just a thought, really, after the Birmingham Post broke the big news that Birmingham City directors Karren Brady and David Sullivan were arrested today over fraud allegations.

Karren must be one of the most misspelt people in journalism.

Search on Google News for “Karren Brady” and the Birmingham Post story comes up in the top three, as it should, being as we broke it. [NB I'm using 'we' in its broadest sense, I was sitting at home watching The Apprentice at the time.]

Search for “Karen Brady” and we’re nowhere to be seen. How many people think it’s spelled that way? I know I would, had I not had this sort of thing drummed into me in my time at the post.

As journalism becomes more reactive - i.e. as people become more likely to come across our stories through their own actions rather than leafing through the paper we provide them - should we be starting to second-guess spelling mistakes in articles, headlines and tagging?

Signing off, Scott. Or Tim. Or Tom Scottney or any of the many aliases I get over the phone.

I’ve been writing a few stories about carbon emissions and the extension of Birmingham International Airport recently (one here). Not because I’m particularly into such things, of course. My politics are pretty much as far away from being green as you can imagine. Red, I suppose… no wait that doesn’t work either.

Anyway, I’d like to think my articles are pretty even-handed, whether through my own lack of expert knowledge on the subject, my own sense of fair-play, or because of journalistic ethics. (Hey, who’s that laughing at the back?). Certainly not knocking pieces for the airport/economy anyway.

So after chatting to Friends of the Earth about BIA’s record on promoting employment and economic growth, I phoned up the airport for a response. They promised me one and left. A few minutes later I got a call back.

“Hello, we’re putting together a response to your request. We notice you did that piece in the paper this morning as well [the piece linked above]. We thought it might be helpful for you to come down to the airport one day, meet the guys, have a bit of lunch, and see how everything works. What do you think?”

What do I think? Have I rattled someone’s cage? Could Scotney be in line for a bop on the head and a hasty internment in the concrete under the runway extension? Or more likely being stuffed with free tea and biscuits til he plays nice (this may work). Watch this space.

No, not really. Last week I did a business story (Not been put on the web I’m afraid) about entrepreneur Michelle Mone and her Ultimo range of underwear - opening a new store in Merry Hill.

Models for the Ultimo range include Girl Aloud Sarah Harding and former Hollyoaks actor, I’m a Celebrity star and WAG Gemma Atkinson. I was sent the following five images. Guess which one the Birmingham Post used?

My choice was overruled by the deputy editor Oh well, never mind, what’s the internet for if not pictures of ladies sans vetements?

NB: Title chosen in shameless bid to get web traffic.

All pictures by Ultimo

All of this should be prefaced with a disclaimer that I know next to nothing about this topic. But that’s never stoped me offering my opinion before, so here we go…

The other day I wrote a story about city living estate agents Stirling Ackroyd closing their Birmingham office, saying there wasn’t enough going on in the market to make it worth it.

As a city centre dweller and nominal business journalist this made me prick my ears up - especially with everything that’s been said about the credit crunch and the effects on the property market.

And frankly I’ve always wondered why we’re seeing more and more blocks of apartments being thrown up in Birmingham - the Orion building developments and the ones in Digbeth for a start - when things are supposed to be getting so tight. Any explanations? Read the rest of this entry »

So farewell then Arthur C Clarke, author, thinker and inventer of the geo-synchronous orbit (more or less). Although I always preferred Asimov myself, I can remember reading and re-reading Rendezvous with Rama and The Fountains of Paradise.

My favourite piece by him was the novella The City and the Stars, possibly the most atmospheric bit of sci-fi I’ve ever read, dripping with alienation, isolation, desperation, and finally hope.

And of course the short story that inspired this:

(With a little help from Stanley Kubrick). And in another collaboration with another underrated genius (in my opinion at least) The Songs of Distant Earth - turned into a cod-new age tranquil hippy chillout whalesong cheesefest of an album by Mike Oldfield, an album that regardless somehow manages to be one of my favourite.

Last of the big three sci-fi writers. We shan’t see his like again. I’m off to take loads of drugs and watch the starchild bit of 2001 again in memory of Arthur (or at least that’s my excuse).

I’m far too overwhelmed (i.e. drunk) after the big JEECamp conference today, but had a fascinating time, and loads of really interesting stuff came up. Plus was really great to put faces to people who I’ve only seen behind blog post facades before.

But there’s one thing that particularly caught my attention. I went along today without any particular agenda. I’m not an entrepreneurial journalist, and doubt I’ll become one one any time soon. But as a dedicated reporter who loves the business of reporting, I wanted to learn about the future of reporting from people much cleverer than myself.

And something really stuck out. The idea of a reporter as a brand, and of creating a community around oneself as a reporter. This isn’t original thinking by any means, I’m sure, but certainly struck home with me. Particularly with the idea of the news gathering process being transparent to improve readers’ access to; and views of; the journalists they read.

Well it was both terrifying, in that it involved me thinking quite how much things are changing, and also slightly reassuring. I’d like to think I was open with the way I do my job, with blog posts like this and this about the way I go about my business and the things I do. I’d also like to think I was approachable as a reporter, and please let me know if I’m not!

Finally, after I stumbled back to my flat I was presented with this post by Steve Dyson, the editor of the Birmingham Mail. What a fantastic example of making the journalistic process available to readers. I’d like to think that any internet reader now has a good idea how the Mail works, and hopefully a warm glow and feeling of ownership of their paper…

Anyway, more tomorrow, I hope. If there’s anyone reading this from JEECamp, was great to meet you!

Well it’s my day off, and I’m spending it… going to a conference. Or rather an “unconference”. I’m off to JEECamp, the Journalism, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship unconference organised by Paul Bradshaw, of Online Journalism Blog fame.

The wiki set up for the event describes it as:

“an opportunity for a range of people to get together to talk about how on earth journalists and publishers can make a living from journalism in the era of free information, what the challenges are, and what we’ve learned so far.

“It is also an opportunity for people with different skills and experiences to network, share those experiences, and perhaps suggest partnerships or new projects.”

Keynote speaker is Rick Waghorn, founder of the MyFootballWriter website.

Despite having the technical title of Enterprise Editor at the Birmingham Post, I’m not a particularly enterprising person, happy to be a cog in the machine. So I’m not going to have a lot to bring to the table, but it’s going to be fascinating hopefully meeting some people with the skills and drive o make it - enterprise is the future in erms of Journalism seems to be the line.

I’m not going to be doing any video blogging or anything clever like that (see earlier post), but will hopefully be twittering, and for anyone interested, there’s video coverage going to be put up here.

Anyway, now I’ve written this I’m running late! Later everyone.

I am working on a story that involves all of the following and I just don’t have a clue. Naming no names of course…

• Corporate law and how the DTI disqualifies company directors
• Legal aid and how solicitors qualify for it, claim and earn it
• How to get papers from a civil court case in the Queen’s Bench Division
• Insurance against the possibility of legal action

If anyone can recommend any easy books or internet resources I would be very grateful for their help - god know I need it!

(and podcasts).

Nowadays it seems like every traditional news organisation is trying to get involved as quickly as possible with the new wave of multi-media production, which for many seems to mean video or audio broadcasting as well as text. Am I the only one that not only doesn’t care for the majority of multimedia journalism, but is actually turned off by it?

I’ve been following Stef Lewandowski’s coverage of the SXSW event with interest, and he’s obviously done some great work out there. But to be honest my heart sinks to open up Google Reader and be faced with a bank of audio interviews waiting to be played. Read the rest of this entry »