New media, new establishment

Ranging from the Media Guardian 100 to Five's 100 Bitchiest TV Moments, top 100 lists are ubiquitous. But for the first time, a list is being created which grabbed my attention. Press Gazette are producing a ‘power list’ of people who are driving new developments in online journalism.

Here are a few of my own suggestions of people who have made real impact on web and digital journalism in recent months:

Kevin Anderson, the BBC's first online reporter based outside of the UK, is set to make waves in his new role as head of blogging and interaction at Guardian Unlimited. Ben Hammersley, his predecessor, has made a great impact to this point and is now working on projects to further develop the site. Kevin's role will be pivotal in keeping the Guardian a step ahead of fast encroaching competition.

Tim Faircliff, the head of Reuters.co.uk, heads up its European multimedia operations and mobile and interactive TV strategy. Recent updates to the website have improved navigation, aiming to increase the time consumers spend using Reuters' online services.

Peter Bale, recently appointed as editorial director of digital strategy for the Times, has helped drive the surge in Times Online users. Times Online's introduction of Times Online TV, enabling readers to view Reuters news footage, shows the team are preparing for Web 2.0.

Edward Roussel, the Telegraph's online editorial director's impact on the site has been clearly visible with recent improved navigation and increased user involvement. The launch of Telegraph PM and deal with ITN to produce video content show the Telegraph is taking internet journalism seriously.

Steve Hermann, editor of BBC News Interactive since last December, has been a key figure in giving greater emphasis to user-generated, 'most-read' and audio and video content on the BBC news website. He has helped drive prominence of the different ways of accessing news including RSS news feeds, mobiles, emails and podcasts.

Paul Clabburn, editor of interactive TV and broadband at the BBC has been a driving force behind the increased prominence of audio and video content on the news website.

Ben Perreau, editor of NME.COM, has transformed the site, giving greater eminence to audio and video content, transforming it into the UK's most visited magazine website.

Nick Gilbert, CEO, NewsNow.co.uk has developed the site into the UK's leading news aggregator and online news monitoring service.

Surely no list would be complete without mentioning Tim O'Reilly? Coining the phrase "Web 2.0" has helped inspire the next generation of internet-based services.

The debate is taking place on the Press Gazette discuss forum.

A riches to rags story

Destitute, graduating from university at 22, but with a good management degree in the bag, the M&S graduate scheme seemed like an obvious choice.

Most of my course mates were becoming investment bankers but that certainly didn't appeal to me.

Travel and writing were the only two things I really felt passionate about. I had enjoyed doing student journalism but at £3000 for a post grad course and living expenses to pay on top this wasn’t a viable option.

At least going into merchandising, I would get the chance to see a bit of the world, and hopefully write about it?

The graduate scheme had its benefits. The training was good, for those interested in merchandising anyway, and I could afford to live in London.

My manager left within my first year and for a month I was in charge of sourcing and planning M&S knickers for the country.

I was then moved to run the ladies nightwear department. The perks of the job included meeting glamourous lingerie models and free undies for my friends and family.

However, M&S suffered from terrible sales figures in 2004 and the working environment at head office left a lot to be desired.

I was offered a job with Tesco, a company whose clothing sale pattern was the antithesis of M&S at the time. I was told I had been strategically brought in to move Tesco from third to first place in the schoolwear market.

It was motivating to be working for a successful company but the achievements of Tesco seemed to come at the expense of many of the staff’s well being. The systems were archaic and within clothing, the staffing levels couldn’t keep up with the company’s phenomenal growth. Twelve hour days became the norm.

I did get a trip out to Bangladesh but sleepless nights filled with daunting excel spreadsheets meant I had no time to see anything of the country, let alone write about it.

I envied those who could stick with it. People spent longer in the office than they did at home or with their loved ones. I appreciate this is the case in many jobs but I found the overwhelming emphasis on number crunching mind numbing and soul destroying.

People seemed constantly stressed about the next season and there was never time to look back to celebrate the success that had been achieved.

Fortunately I was earning enough to be able to save up and plan my escape. Other people were not so lucky.

Dropping a mid thirties salary to start a career in a competitive low-paid industry was a big risk.
At 26, I started my post graduate diploma in journalism at Westminster University. It allowed me to develop journalistic writing skills from scratch and gain essential understanding of law and government. I also got the chance to get work experience with a number of companies - from the Camden New Journal to the BBC.

I’m now freelancing for the BBC news website and trying to do as much writing as I can in my spare time. I love the challenge of having the blank canvas of a Word document in front of me and knowing I have a deadline to create something I can be proud of.

I’m finally working in an industry that inspires me and I want to be a successful journalist more than anything I’ve ever desired.

If you have few commitments but are miserably sat at your office desk, gazing out of the window, dreaming of a career you think you might excel in, perhaps even enjoy, my advice would be to take the risk and make the move.

It may be the best decision you ever make.

Robin' hoodie?

Do hoodies really need a hug?

David Cameron’s latest speech has been dubbed “hug a hoodie”.

Mr Cameron said last weekend that, for some people, the hoodie represents "all that's wrong about youth culture in Britain today".

Hoodies have been banned from schools, shopping centres and in April, two brothers from Newport were given Asbos to stop them wearing theirs. Imperial College, not exactly notorious for its high crime rate, banned hoodies last November.

But maybe some hooded top wearers are a little wiser than they are given credit for?

A hooded top can keep us warm and dry in the British cold, wet winters and is an ideal way to adapt to the frequent summer showers without having to carry an umbrella. Most hooded youths are no doubt quite comfortable and in no need of any form of embrace.

Hoodies are certainly more practical than the traditional Etonian attire of top hat, false-collar and tail coat worn by Cameron in his youth.

Surely hoodies are being used as a scapegoat to avoid the real issues of youth crime?

Anyway, I’m off to the shops and looks like it’s going to rain...

The week that rocked London: Live 8, Olympics 2012, Terror. One year on

The first week of July last year was one that I and other Londoners will never forget. We experienced an emotional rollercoaster, travelling though the highs of Live 8 and the Olympic 2012 winning bid decision to the low of the largest number of fatalities from a bombing in the capital since the Second World War.

A sea of more than 200,000 fans formed in Hyde Park on 2 July to see stars such as U2, Madonna and Sir Elton John perform at Live 8.

The event’s objective was to put pressure on G8 Leaders, who were meeting at a summit at Gleneagles in Scotland that week, to tackle poverty in Africa. As the concert culminated with a finale of Paul McCartney singing the Beatles' Hey Jude, there was an overwhelming sense of comradeship in the crowd that a difference could be made.

On 6 July, Londoners waited patiently in a sunny Trafalgar Square for the announcement of the winning city of the 2012 Olympic bid. In the seconds before the announcement was made, you could hear a pin drop.

As it was revealed that London had beaten favourites Paris, balloons and confetti launched into the air and champagne corks popped. Red Arrow pilots took everyone by surprise in an unannounced fly-past leaving blue, red and white smoke trails. The jubilant celebrations were in stark contrast to the raindrops falling on disappointed Parisians outside their capital’s Hotel de Ville.

Tony Blair’s voice was quivering with emotion as he said it was a "momentous day for Londoners".

"It's not often in this job that you punch the air and do a little jig and embrace the person next to you," he said.

For Londoners, so used to delayed tube trains and disappointment, the news seemed too good to be true. We thought, could this be the start of a new golden era for the city?

The following morning, in the midst of rush hour, bombs exploded on three London underground trains within 50 seconds of each other. A fourth bomb exploded on a central London bus nearly an hour later.

Joy swiftly turned to sorrow and fear. Fifty-two innocent people and all four suicide bombers were killed plus 700 people were injured.

The London Olympic bid had emphasised the importance of multiculturalism. Ironically, within days of the explosions, it emerged the bombers were home-grown Muslim youths.

Much has changed for Londoners since 7 July. For me, commuting on the tube in the days following the bombings felt like being on a ghost train. Many Londoners walked or cycled rather than use public transport.

In the weeks following the bombings there was a huge increase in police presence on the tube. There appeared to be more police in than commuters at King’s Cross, where the bombers had entered the tube on that deadly date.

A second series of tube and bus explosions on 21 July, where the explosive charges failed to detonate, warned Londoners that 7 July was not a one-off.

Apprehensive stares at people’s bags became commonplace on the underground. Ethnic minorities of all creeds were victims of suspicious glances.

Since the bombings, police shootings of two innocent men, one of them fatally, in anti-terrorist operations, have damaged public confidence in the Met.

Police say they have prevented three major terrorist attacks since 7 July. But despite more than 12,000 leads being followed, not a single person has been convicted in connection with the attacks.

New anti-terrorism legislation, including doubling the time terrorism suspects can be held without charge to 28 days and criminalising incitement to commit a terrorist act, have been introduced by a government keen to be seen to be acting tough on terrorism. But measures have been diluted in the face of backlash from politicians and judges who believe people’s civil rights are threatened.

As the weather turned colder in the autumn, commuters returned to the tube. Walking through London’s busy streets this summer, it’s hard to imagine how the attacks brought the city to standstill.

Most people realise there could be another attack at any time, but haven’t stopped embracing all the city has to offer. The stiff upper lip British attitude ‘things must go on’ has been pervasive.

The sense of elation of winning the Olympics felt on 6 July has never returned. It’s just been down to business. An inquiry has heard London’s timetable to be ready for the games is "extremely tight". Legal wranglings are underway over the compulsory purchase orders of land for the Olympic site.

As for the influence Live 8 has had, Bob Geldof told the BBC last week, that G8 countries are "all off track" in meeting the commitments. The London bombings swiftly shifted the public’s attention from the cause, a sad and probably unintended ramification of the tragic events.