The following seven posts are my submission for the academic part of this blog. They include two original stories, from protests in London, two political commentaries, one animal story and two emergency news-in-brief (one from the police and another from the fire brigade). Underneat each entry is a personal commentary about the story: how I got around to writing it, what it is supposed to convey and any corrections that were made to the original copy.
Hope you enjoy them!
Saturday 8 December 2007
Venezuelans in London protest
Trafalgar Square saw an invasion of yellow, red and blue flags yesterday as feisty and loud protesters from Venezuela gathered to demonstrate against their Government’s proposed constitutional reform.
Tens of nationals from this Latin American country, living in the UK on what most call “self-imposed exile”, attracted looks from tourists and passers-by as they chanted insignias and slogans in favour of freedom and democracy.
Tens of nationals from this Latin American country, living in the UK on what most call “self-imposed exile”, attracted looks from tourists and passers-by as they chanted insignias and slogans in favour of freedom and democracy.
“I am here to raise awareness about the constitutional reform in my country, whose aim is to perpetuate (President Hugo) Chavez in power forever” said Josefina Uzcategui, 26, a demonstrator.
The protest was organised by Taryn Caravaca, 31, the UK coordinator of the Venezuelan international NGO Recivex, with branches all over the world.
Elections will be held in Venezuela on December 2 to see whether or not the reform is approved by the people. In London there are around 2,000 registered Venezuelan voters.
The constitutional reform has been a very controversial issue in and outside Venezuela. It includes changes to the presidential term, even more centralised power and the possibility for the State to restrict access to information and the suspension of due process in emergency situations.
Labour laws would also change, reducing the working day from 8 to 6 hours, while new types of property, including popular and public would be enshrined alongside private property.
Reflective report: As a Venezuelan living in London, I always get news about events with other Venezuelans. In this particular case, a friend who is very politically involved called me about a protest that was going to take place in Trafalgar Square on Sunday, December 25th. The protest was aimed at raising awareness about the Venezuelan constitutional reform and the elections that were coming up (they were held on Sunday, December 2nd). I decided to attend both as a Venezuelan and as a journalist with an eye set on a possible news article.The protest was relatively small, as there are not many Venezuelans in the United Kingdom anyway. However, it was chance to meet with fellow countrymen and discuss recent events.I finally put my journalist’s cap on and went to look for the person responsible for the organising the protest. Her name is Taryn Caravaca and she is a school teacher in London, where she moved from Venezuela about three years ago when her husband got offered a better job. She describes herself as on “self-imposed exile”, echoing the feelings of other attendees. Taryn is also the main contact of the international Venezuela NGO, Recivex (Venezuelan Residents Abroad). She was very forthcoming about her work for the NGO and was happy to talk to me and have her picture taken. I also interviewed a few of the other people there and got a feeling of the general atmosphere. Many of them were going to vote on the coming elections, but a few were still unconvinced. Abstention is a very big news topic in Venezuela, which is why it grabbed my attention. In the end, I wrote a short story describing the protest in itself along with some background information to make it more relevant. I took several pictures, but decided on the one shown because it includes Taryn Caravaca in the foreground.
Reflective report: As a Venezuelan living in London, I always get news about events with other Venezuelans. In this particular case, a friend who is very politically involved called me about a protest that was going to take place in Trafalgar Square on Sunday, December 25th. The protest was aimed at raising awareness about the Venezuelan constitutional reform and the elections that were coming up (they were held on Sunday, December 2nd). I decided to attend both as a Venezuelan and as a journalist with an eye set on a possible news article.The protest was relatively small, as there are not many Venezuelans in the United Kingdom anyway. However, it was chance to meet with fellow countrymen and discuss recent events.I finally put my journalist’s cap on and went to look for the person responsible for the organising the protest. Her name is Taryn Caravaca and she is a school teacher in London, where she moved from Venezuela about three years ago when her husband got offered a better job. She describes herself as on “self-imposed exile”, echoing the feelings of other attendees. Taryn is also the main contact of the international Venezuela NGO, Recivex (Venezuelan Residents Abroad). She was very forthcoming about her work for the NGO and was happy to talk to me and have her picture taken. I also interviewed a few of the other people there and got a feeling of the general atmosphere. Many of them were going to vote on the coming elections, but a few were still unconvinced. Abstention is a very big news topic in Venezuela, which is why it grabbed my attention. In the end, I wrote a short story describing the protest in itself along with some background information to make it more relevant. I took several pictures, but decided on the one shown because it includes Taryn Caravaca in the foreground.
Turks against terrorism
Hundreds of Turkish demonstrators marched on London yesterday to protest against terrorism.
Men and women carrying posters and banners spoke against the PKK, an organisation that has been proscribed as terrorist by the US, Canada and the EU, but is allegedly still active in the UK.
Protesters handed out pamphlets with detailed information about the PKK, in a bid to raise awareness among the British population.
The protest was organised by the British Turks against Terrorism Platform alongside other Turkish and Turkish Cypriot organisations in the United Kingdom.
Reflective report: The same day I was in London (Sunday, December 25th) seems to have been a date for protesting in the city. As I was leaving Trafalgar Square, after the Venezuelan protest, I ran into a decidedly bigger political demonstration by Turkish nationals living in the United Kingdom. As a journalist, I immediately thought this could make another strong news story or news in brief, especially if published together with my other story about the Venezuelan event. I thought it could be made into a sort of compilation of protests going on in London that would reflect the city’s amazing cultural diversity.This protest was more impressive than the Venezuelan one, which is understandable as the Turkish population here is a lot larger than the Venezuelan one. Considering the fact that Turkey has been in the news lately because of the situation with the PKK guerrillas in the south-eastern part of the country and the fear that it might become an Islamic fundamentalist state, I thought it was a very interesting and powerful event.
There were hundreds of Turkish men and women walking towards Westminster. They handed out leaflets with information about the PKK and carried signs and posters backing democracy and the secular state. I took several pictures of the event and got a few of the leaflets to include as background information for the story. I did my best to speak to some of the protesters, but no one would stop long enough to talk properly.
Reflective report: The same day I was in London (Sunday, December 25th) seems to have been a date for protesting in the city. As I was leaving Trafalgar Square, after the Venezuelan protest, I ran into a decidedly bigger political demonstration by Turkish nationals living in the United Kingdom. As a journalist, I immediately thought this could make another strong news story or news in brief, especially if published together with my other story about the Venezuelan event. I thought it could be made into a sort of compilation of protests going on in London that would reflect the city’s amazing cultural diversity.This protest was more impressive than the Venezuelan one, which is understandable as the Turkish population here is a lot larger than the Venezuelan one. Considering the fact that Turkey has been in the news lately because of the situation with the PKK guerrillas in the south-eastern part of the country and the fear that it might become an Islamic fundamentalist state, I thought it was a very interesting and powerful event.
There were hundreds of Turkish men and women walking towards Westminster. They handed out leaflets with information about the PKK and carried signs and posters backing democracy and the secular state. I took several pictures of the event and got a few of the leaflets to include as background information for the story. I did my best to speak to some of the protesters, but no one would stop long enough to talk properly.
100 days of Gordon Brown
After years of working in the sidelines, Gordon Brown finally ascended to the top job of UK politics 100 days this October 5. His has been a premiership long in the making that should now deliver on many fronts, not least internationally.
Brown created quite a name for himself in his previous job as Chancellor of the Exchequer. His economic policies defined a decade and he presided over the longest ever period of growth in the country. It would come as no surprise that now, as Prime Minister, Brown would take his past recipe for success and adopt an economist’s view of foreign affairs.
His biggest challenges lie, as they have for the past five years, in the Middle East. The thorny issue of Iraq demobilisation, along with the possibility of problems with Iran, wider action in Afghanistan and stalemate over the Palestinian question, have been and will remain a major focus of his policy. So far, Brown has said he is committed to gradually withdrawing from Iraq while maintaining and even expanding British presence in Afghanistan. Brown has also made it clear that he believes in economic sanctions and incentives to deal with potential terrorist breeding grounds.
His pragmatic approach will reach across the Atlantic. Brown’s meeting with US President George Bush was friendly, but lacked the unquestioning praise of his predecessor. Neither American nor European-centred, it seems Brown’s even-handedness will be the main characteristic of his international policy. Aid and trade should remain pivotal issues in his agenda, as Brown’s strong stance on poverty and development has led him to announce stronger backing of the UN Millennium Development Goals set by the G8 (in his UN speech on 31 July 2007) and he still pushes hard his Make Poverty History campaign.
One of his most unambiguous moves so far, however, has been towards Africa. Brown has declared that he will not attend the EU/AU summit to be held in Lisbon this coming December if Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe makes an appearance. This could definitely mean a return to the idea of “moral” foreign policy once unfurled by the Blair government.
It is widely recognised that foreign policy is central to the prime minister’s role (Jonathan Freedman, “Brown’s new world order”). If Brown wants to step away from his previous boss’s shadow, he will need to stand back from US-led unilateralism and embrace globalisation, international institutions and responsible diplomacy.
For more information:
“Gordon Brown’s foreign policy challenges” by David Held and David Mepham
http://www.opendemocracy.net/node/34314/print
“Brown’s new world order” by Jonathan Freedland
http://www.newstatesman.com/200705280014
Reflective report: As an assignment, I enjoyed writing this piece because it gave me a chance to look deeper at Gordon Brown’s foreign policy. Having lived in the United Kingdom during Tony Blair’s term, it was good to see what was really different between the two and if anything would really change.
I focused on his foreign policy because, as an international student, this is the area that interests me most about UK politics.To start off, I thought about what the most pressing issues in UK foreign politics were. It was immediately obvious that Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East are at the forefront and I set about looking up the latest developments in the area, both by searching in the Internet and in the newspapers of the day.I also came across various academic articles that served as background information for my article and I published links to the ones I thought most relevant to my piece. I enjoyed reading David Held and David Mepham’s article on Gordon Brown’s foreign policy challenge, which explained briefly the areas I considered important for British policy from the start. Jonathan Freedland’s article for the New Statesman was more in-depth and very informative.
Since this was not written as a news story or outright op-ed piece, I went for a balanced approach that showcased what was going on at the time and some possible scenarios for the future. It turned out more as a commentary piece than anything else.
Brown created quite a name for himself in his previous job as Chancellor of the Exchequer. His economic policies defined a decade and he presided over the longest ever period of growth in the country. It would come as no surprise that now, as Prime Minister, Brown would take his past recipe for success and adopt an economist’s view of foreign affairs.
His biggest challenges lie, as they have for the past five years, in the Middle East. The thorny issue of Iraq demobilisation, along with the possibility of problems with Iran, wider action in Afghanistan and stalemate over the Palestinian question, have been and will remain a major focus of his policy. So far, Brown has said he is committed to gradually withdrawing from Iraq while maintaining and even expanding British presence in Afghanistan. Brown has also made it clear that he believes in economic sanctions and incentives to deal with potential terrorist breeding grounds.
His pragmatic approach will reach across the Atlantic. Brown’s meeting with US President George Bush was friendly, but lacked the unquestioning praise of his predecessor. Neither American nor European-centred, it seems Brown’s even-handedness will be the main characteristic of his international policy. Aid and trade should remain pivotal issues in his agenda, as Brown’s strong stance on poverty and development has led him to announce stronger backing of the UN Millennium Development Goals set by the G8 (in his UN speech on 31 July 2007) and he still pushes hard his Make Poverty History campaign.
One of his most unambiguous moves so far, however, has been towards Africa. Brown has declared that he will not attend the EU/AU summit to be held in Lisbon this coming December if Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe makes an appearance. This could definitely mean a return to the idea of “moral” foreign policy once unfurled by the Blair government.
It is widely recognised that foreign policy is central to the prime minister’s role (Jonathan Freedman, “Brown’s new world order”). If Brown wants to step away from his previous boss’s shadow, he will need to stand back from US-led unilateralism and embrace globalisation, international institutions and responsible diplomacy.
For more information:
“Gordon Brown’s foreign policy challenges” by David Held and David Mepham
http://www.opendemocracy.net/node/34314/print
“Brown’s new world order” by Jonathan Freedland
http://www.newstatesman.com/200705280014
Reflective report: As an assignment, I enjoyed writing this piece because it gave me a chance to look deeper at Gordon Brown’s foreign policy. Having lived in the United Kingdom during Tony Blair’s term, it was good to see what was really different between the two and if anything would really change.
I focused on his foreign policy because, as an international student, this is the area that interests me most about UK politics.To start off, I thought about what the most pressing issues in UK foreign politics were. It was immediately obvious that Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East are at the forefront and I set about looking up the latest developments in the area, both by searching in the Internet and in the newspapers of the day.I also came across various academic articles that served as background information for my article and I published links to the ones I thought most relevant to my piece. I enjoyed reading David Held and David Mepham’s article on Gordon Brown’s foreign policy challenge, which explained briefly the areas I considered important for British policy from the start. Jonathan Freedland’s article for the New Statesman was more in-depth and very informative.
Since this was not written as a news story or outright op-ed piece, I went for a balanced approach that showcased what was going on at the time and some possible scenarios for the future. It turned out more as a commentary piece than anything else.
A day in the life of an MP
Get up bright and early, get coffee, head to the office, decide whether or not there is going to be a change of government this year or when to pull troops out of war. This could be just another day in the life of Gordon Brown, MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. Brown also happens to be Prime Minister, so maybe his days are a bit busier than that of an ordinary Member of Parliament. However, regular MPs also have their work cut out, whether they are backbenchers, Cabinet ministers, shadow ministers or committee members.
An MP represents his or her constituency, which is made up of approximately 67,000 electors on average. There are 646 constituencies across the United Kingdom, meaning there is the same number of MPs. An MP is elected by his constituents through a first-past-the-post type of election that requires him or her to command a simple majority. Although an MP usually represents a political party, they are supposed to answer to all their constituents despite party affiliations.
A day in the life of a regular MP would usually consist of attending Parliament sessions in the House of Commons, creating and voting on new or revised pieces of legislation and looking after the needs and complaints of his constituency. MPs also hold ‘surgeries’ in their constituencies where locals have the opportunity to discuss any topic that is of interest to them. These surgeries are usually held once a month, but they depend on the amount of work and responsibility the MP has within the House of Commons.
On a normal day during the Parliamentary session, MPs have the right to a number of actions in their effort to promote causes that affect their constituencies or even issues of national debate. Your MP might have the opportunity to have his or her question heard at Prime Minister’s Question Time or as the last business of the day during the Adjournment Debate. An active MP might also consider putting in an Early Day Motion to draw attention to a particular issue. If he or she is particularly adventurous and considers an issue to be important enough, they might pursue a Private Members’ Bill, even though very few of these measures are successful.
In Uxbridge, the local MP is John Randall. He is a Conservative who works hard for his constituents and has a special interest in the environment. He also holds a special position as opposition whip, so on voting days he can be seen gathering Conservative forces.
Being an MP requires a great deal of time, dedication and public service vocation. That is why a day in the life of an MP is never dull.
Reflective report: When we got this assignment, I started by doing some research about the local MP for Uxbridge, John Randall, a Conservative. It turned out he was elected opposition whip a few years ago, so that was an angle I wanted to explore in my questions. I wanted to ask him if he ever had to send for an MP before a vote in a dramatic fashion.This was a difficult piece to work on because MPs were difficult to get a hold of. I made several attempts to contact Randall, but his secretary refused to put him through. I emailed her the questions I had prepared, but again she said that there was nothing she could do to help. I tried talking to another MP from a nearby constituency (Nick Hurd, MP for Ruislip-Northwood) and got a more favourable response from his personal assistant. I did a quick background on Hurd, also a Conservative, who runs a campaign to stop further developments on certain areas of his constituency. Despite the efforts of his assistant, however, Hurd was not able to get the answers back to me.
I went on with the assignment and made it into a commentary piece, trying to spice it up a bit by starting with Gordon Brown, who not too many associate with the constituency of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath in Scotland. I was asked to include some information on the local MP, just to make it more relevant for a local newspaper. I added this towards the end of the piece.
I tried to make the article easy to understand, avoiding words and phrases that would be consider too serious as this might deter people from reading all the way through.
An MP represents his or her constituency, which is made up of approximately 67,000 electors on average. There are 646 constituencies across the United Kingdom, meaning there is the same number of MPs. An MP is elected by his constituents through a first-past-the-post type of election that requires him or her to command a simple majority. Although an MP usually represents a political party, they are supposed to answer to all their constituents despite party affiliations.
A day in the life of a regular MP would usually consist of attending Parliament sessions in the House of Commons, creating and voting on new or revised pieces of legislation and looking after the needs and complaints of his constituency. MPs also hold ‘surgeries’ in their constituencies where locals have the opportunity to discuss any topic that is of interest to them. These surgeries are usually held once a month, but they depend on the amount of work and responsibility the MP has within the House of Commons.
On a normal day during the Parliamentary session, MPs have the right to a number of actions in their effort to promote causes that affect their constituencies or even issues of national debate. Your MP might have the opportunity to have his or her question heard at Prime Minister’s Question Time or as the last business of the day during the Adjournment Debate. An active MP might also consider putting in an Early Day Motion to draw attention to a particular issue. If he or she is particularly adventurous and considers an issue to be important enough, they might pursue a Private Members’ Bill, even though very few of these measures are successful.
In Uxbridge, the local MP is John Randall. He is a Conservative who works hard for his constituents and has a special interest in the environment. He also holds a special position as opposition whip, so on voting days he can be seen gathering Conservative forces.
Being an MP requires a great deal of time, dedication and public service vocation. That is why a day in the life of an MP is never dull.
Reflective report: When we got this assignment, I started by doing some research about the local MP for Uxbridge, John Randall, a Conservative. It turned out he was elected opposition whip a few years ago, so that was an angle I wanted to explore in my questions. I wanted to ask him if he ever had to send for an MP before a vote in a dramatic fashion.This was a difficult piece to work on because MPs were difficult to get a hold of. I made several attempts to contact Randall, but his secretary refused to put him through. I emailed her the questions I had prepared, but again she said that there was nothing she could do to help. I tried talking to another MP from a nearby constituency (Nick Hurd, MP for Ruislip-Northwood) and got a more favourable response from his personal assistant. I did a quick background on Hurd, also a Conservative, who runs a campaign to stop further developments on certain areas of his constituency. Despite the efforts of his assistant, however, Hurd was not able to get the answers back to me.
I went on with the assignment and made it into a commentary piece, trying to spice it up a bit by starting with Gordon Brown, who not too many associate with the constituency of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath in Scotland. I was asked to include some information on the local MP, just to make it more relevant for a local newspaper. I added this towards the end of the piece.
I tried to make the article easy to understand, avoiding words and phrases that would be consider too serious as this might deter people from reading all the way through.
Visit Europe's youngest panda bear at Vienna Zoo
Wondering where Europe’s youngest panda bear is currently hiding? The little fur ball is right now in his mother’s arms, but away from visitor’s sight at the Tiergarten Schonbrun Vienna Zoo. The panda cub was born in late August, but zookeepers want to keep both isolated for a while longer as the cub gathers strength. Visitors can see them both through a specially placed camera in the pandas’ private enclosure.
The Vienna Zoo, the world’s oldest animal menagerie, is set on the grounds of the beautiful Schonbrun Palace, summer residence of the Viennese empress Maria Theresa.
Even in the wintertime, visitors to the zoo get to see a wide variety of animals out in the open: from polar bears to seals and penguins to deer, buffaloes and rhinos. In the rainforest house there is a feeling of walking through the jungle and animals, such as bats and birds, can be seen up close. There is also a beautiful aquarium and terrarium and a desert house that recreates the arid conditions of this extreme habitat.
Ramiro Pares, 27, visiting the zoo for the first time said: “it has been a great experience. The setting is idyllic and I like that there’s history behind the place. Many animals were out and about, despite the cold.”
The Tiergarten Zoo is a short underground ride from Vienna city centre and is open all year round. For more information, head to http://www.zoovienna.at/e/index.html
Reflective report: I decided to take advantage of a weekend break to Vienna and looked up the local zoo. Through the Internet, I found the Tiergarten Schonbrun Vienna Zoo had been in the news quite recently due to the birth of Europe’s first panda bear and thought that it would make a good idea for the animal story set as our weekly assignment. I was also intrigued by the fact that the zoo is set in the gardens of the Schobrun Palace and is recognised as the world’s oldest zoo.
It was a cold and wet day, but I still enjoyed walking around the place. The setting is really beautiful, with old-style European buildings and many animals walking about despite the weather. I looked for the panda bear, but only found the place where they had the video showing the pandas in their private enclosure. I was somewhat disappointed and, consequently, changed the focus of my story to something more like a quick guide for visitors to the zoo. Upon revision, I was told to change the angle again, which I have done in this version. I took several pictures of the zoo and palace grounds to complement the story. I also spoke to a visitor to the zoo, who was glad to give me a few simple quotes for my article.
This article is a light-hearted piece that should read easily off the page and include an eye-catching design with the pictures provided.
Man-hunt for robber in Kingsbury
Police are on the hunt for a black man who robbed a woman, 31, as she walked from Kingsbury Train Station at around 7pm on Wednesday 13th.
The man, still unidentified, was wearing a grey hooded top and reportedly attacked the woman, throwing her to the ground and taking her hand bag. He was then seen running towards Roe Green Park, Kingsbury.
Anyone with information should call Brent Police on 020 8733 3159 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
Reflective report: This news story was part of our emergency services assignment. I got it through a press release from Brent Police Press Office that was provided to Harrow Observer reporters. There were several stories, but I choose this one because I thought it was an unusual incident that would make an interesting news-in-brief. After revision, I was told to make it more urgent. I tried to do this by adding the element of “police hunt” and changing the language to make it sound more pressing. It would be interesting to follow up on the case to see whether or not the man was caught by police. In case he did get caught, I would continue to look into it and possibly report on the court proceedings (if any). It would also be interesting to do a background check of similar incidents in the area and, if they are common or on the rise, what police and the community plan to do about it. Also, if possible, I would contact the victim and get the story from her point of view. This would present a good picture opportunity.
The man, still unidentified, was wearing a grey hooded top and reportedly attacked the woman, throwing her to the ground and taking her hand bag. He was then seen running towards Roe Green Park, Kingsbury.
Anyone with information should call Brent Police on 020 8733 3159 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
Reflective report: This news story was part of our emergency services assignment. I got it through a press release from Brent Police Press Office that was provided to Harrow Observer reporters. There were several stories, but I choose this one because I thought it was an unusual incident that would make an interesting news-in-brief. After revision, I was told to make it more urgent. I tried to do this by adding the element of “police hunt” and changing the language to make it sound more pressing. It would be interesting to follow up on the case to see whether or not the man was caught by police. In case he did get caught, I would continue to look into it and possibly report on the court proceedings (if any). It would also be interesting to do a background check of similar incidents in the area and, if they are common or on the rise, what police and the community plan to do about it. Also, if possible, I would contact the victim and get the story from her point of view. This would present a good picture opportunity.
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