What took you so long??

MAJOR apologies for the massive delay in my blogging recently, I have been crazy busy working and lots of other things! So to catch you all up, I have now officially graduated, yes I am a Journalism graduate and finished as a student! :( Sad times but also exciting times to get into the 'real world!!' 

                         Don't I look all grown up?? lol  Me with my mum and dad! :)

Unfortunately though I am still on the hunt for my Journalism job and hoping that it isn't too far around the corner. I'm just working in a regular hob for the time being to get some money together but really really really want to be a proper practicing paid journalist! It kind of feels disheartening to have spent three long years studying hard and working towards my dream job and then there is a sudden slump at the end of it. But I know that's just the way the economy is at the minute and that I am certainly not the only one in my position of not being able to find paid graduate employment. So I just have to keep positive and keep applying for anything journalism related that I think I am suited for and hopefully in the not so distant future my journalism dream job will be waiting on me. :D

As well as looking for a journo job I went on a lovely perfect holiday with my boyfriend to sunny Salou in Spain a few days after graduation, it was amazing, loved every second! Ready for another one now though!

                                               Myself and the boyf on holidays! :) xx

Also happening at the minute is the planning of my brother's wedding in less than 5 weeks!! So so excited for it, I am going to be a bridesmaid for the first time so am really looking forward to it! Also this weekend is my future sister in law Christina's hen do, can't wait for it, I can sense a very very messy weekend ahead! :D :D

So that's really it for now, I am hoping in the next few days to get a new post up about the start of the new football season and all the purchases Liverpool have made so until then I will leave you with the one song that is ALWAYS in my head thanks to our Number 7! ;)

The ugly side of "Journalism"

Sorry it's been a while since my last blog post, been busy preparing for Graduation on Tuesday..eeek and then off on my holidays next Friday with my lovely bf for a whole week of sunshine and relaxation in sunny Spain!! :D

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard about the News of the World's (NOTW)  phone hacking scandal which has completely exploded this week. When the most  recent phone hacking allegations began it was alleged that some politicians and celebrities were hacked, which in view is completely unacceptable as it doesn't conform within the boundaries of ethical journalism. But this week it has emerged that not only had the NOTW allegedly hacked into celebrities and politicians phones but also it has been alleged that they also hacked into the phone of Milly Dowler , a young girl who was abducted and murdered in 2002. As well as Milly's phone, it has also been alleged that the NOTW hacked into family members who lost loved ones in the 7/7 bombings phones as well!!

As this story continues to unfold it seems to just get worse and worse and more sickening. Not only from a journalists' point of view but also for those poor victims who had their private phone messages hacked into. These were people who did not need any more anguish or heartache than they were already experiencing. 

As a newly qualified journalist, struggling to break into the journalism world of work I find it so disheartening that these so called 'journalists' who have been involved in the hacking scandal are giving the rest of the ethical and good natured journalists and the media world a bad name! I spent three years studying for my journalism degree and getting myself into debt because I wanted to be a journalist, but I want to be an honest journalist.

I HATE with a passion newspapers who tell blatant lies. For example The Sun aka The SCUM, who in 1989 published their ridiculous article entitled 'THE TRUTH' about the Hillsborough disaster in which 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives. The S**'s story that day could not have been further from the truth, it was ridiculous and it was all LIES!! Liverpool fans and the families of the 96 innocent people are still campaigning for justice, something which is LONG overdue.

 The ridiculous front page of The S** after the Hillsborough disaster.

  Justice for the 96- Don't buy The Sun!!!

So because of the reputation that The S** newspaper has in my eyes (a filthy rag that I wouldn't even touch never mind read) I wasn't entirely surprised that it was the Sunday equivalent of The S**, the News of the World that had been involved in such disgusting methods and invasion of innocent people's privacy. I hope for the sake of those that have been directly affected by the phone hacking and also for the sake of good Journalism and good, honest journalists that those responsible are severely punished, and as well as that the newspaper and the entire corporation in which it belongs are also severely punished. In my eyes, I would love nothing more than both the News of the World and The S** to be removed from press completely...one can only dream and hope!

Sheena x

Some things really make you think...

On two separate occasions this week I've been made to stop and realise...just how lucky I really am. Yes I know I bitch and complain the odd time about petty things like everyone does, but I've really noticed this week that the things I might complain about are really pretty insignificant on the grand scheme of things. This first came to my attention on Tuesday night while watching TV and I came across a documentary called 'Poor Kids.' For those of you who didn't see it, I HIGHLY recommend you catch up on BBC iplayer. The documentary was the story of how millions of children in the UK are living in poverty and deprived families. The stories of the children featured in the documentary were told from the children's point of view. No-one had told them what to say, they were just showing the cameras and telling them what life was like for them growing up in poverty in the UK.

To see the condition of the flats featured on the programme gave me goosebumps. Broken beds, extreme dampness to walls, floors and bedding, in general very unhygienic conditions that I wouldn't even want a rodent to live in never mind a human being. And also to hear the children speak so honestly and frankly to the cameras, they didn't ask for much, simply because they knew their family couldn't afford it. One of the boys in the film, got his first proper haircut at a barbers for his 12th Birthday so the children at school couldn't bully him anymore about his 'floppy hair.' The entire documentary was heartbreaking and really made me think, that in this day and age HOW can so many people in one of the world's wealthiest countries be living in such horrid conditions?? It just doesn't add up to me. 

The second wake up call of the week came just yesterday when I started to notice a lot of people retweeting on Twitter about a little girl called Alice. After clicking on the link which led me to her blog, I discovered that Alice Pyne was a 15 year old girl who had terminal cancer and had created a 'Bucket List' on her blog which combined a list of things that she would like to achieve/do before she feels the cancer will ultimately take over. Alice's blog broke my heart to read it. Again, I stopped and couldn't help but admire her positivity and general outlook on life. While I may moan about silly things, they are completely insignificant in comparison to what Alice is going through. I really really hope that Alice gets to do everything on her list that she wants to do and a whole lot more with it, she deserves the best. I would definitely recommend reading Alice's blog and following her to see if there is anything you can do to help, she really is an inspiration.

The anxious waiting game...and I hate waiting!!

As the date when we FINALLY get our overall degree mark draws ever closer, the nerves and butterflies begin to kick in even more. It has been a long wait, three years in the making and now it's only a matter of 13 days until we receive the envelope with our overall degree grade in it. As I am waiting for my results I can't help but recall all the other times in my life that have been spent waiting... 11+ results when I was just 11 years old, GCSE results, A-Level results, Driving test result at the end of the test...all very important moments in my life and I still distinctively remember the nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach as I waited. Now that all too familiar feeling is back and I can't say I like it! Waiting on my overall degree mark seems to be the longest wait of my life!!!! 

These results will determine whether or not I have wasted my three years or that it was three years studying in the great city of Liverpool well spent!! :) I can only hope and pray that I get what I want and pass my degree so that I can finally relax and prepare for one of the most exciting days to come...GRADUATION of course with all my fellow LJMU Journalism friends. :) I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone else not only on my Journalism course awaiting results but everyone else on any other course or exams, hopefully we will all get what we want and have worked hard for.

I'm going to leave you with the JMU Class of 2011video to have a look at, great memories and also a few cringe-worthy moments for myself in the video (I hate how I sound/look recorded) Enjoy!! :D :D

The not so super....Super Injunction

I have been dying to blog about this for weeks, after finding out who it was a few weeks ago thanks to the great invention that is the internet and of course Twitter!! My interest in Super injunctions has been ongoing for many weeks now, especially when I wrote my final ever University essay on the issue and the damage that they are causing to journalism. So now that it is all out in the open I can finally say it...IT WAS RYAN GIGGS!!! Yes the Man United star was unveiled yesterday as the player who had taken out a super injunction to prevent the media publicising that he was in fact the man who was having an alleged 6 month affair with Welsh beauty queen and Big Brother star Imogen Thomas.(pictured below)

It has to be said that this was probably the worst kept secret in history as I don't think I barely came across one person in recent weeks who didn't already know that it was of course the Welsh "family man".

But the bigger picture here is not really who it was (even though I am glad it was him because I'm quite frankly sick of his wholesome projected image and the fact that most people thought he was the ultimate professional and great gentleman, doesn't look that way now does it?? (And it's not just because he's a manc that I strongly dislike him, although that is a part of it! ;) It's the issue surrounding the alarming rise in the amount of superinjunctions we have been hearing about in recent years that is the real issue. Why should these footballers and other famous celebrities have the right to gag the media just because they have a lot of money?? The media have a duty to report and inform the public of things which they ought to know and are in the public interest. And although some would argue the private lives of footballers and celebrities are not in the public interest, I would whole heatedly disagree on some areas. IF a person is known in the media and is a public figure who gains MONEY from being a 'family man' or other such interests then the public have a right to know that they are being conned! 

Ryan Giggs played up to this 'family man' image and gentleman of football for many many years, even being awarded and OBE last year and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2009 for his services to the game and just for being an all round 'good guy'. But now we see, Ryan isn't such a gentleman. The truth is that he is a cheat and liar and pretty much a coward for trying to hide behind his money and a super injunction! Even though I do not feel one tidy bit of sympathy for him, it's his loving wife and children that I do feel sorry for. His wife is the innocent victim in all of this yet she will have to deal with much more than anyone else as the media wait with baited breath to see whether or not she will leave him or give him a second chance. Her life has just been turned upside down and she never asked for any of this.Whether or not she will stay with him or otherwise remains to be seen, but one thing is definitely for certain is that Giggs is certainly not the only footballer or celebrity we will be talking about in the weeks and months to come in relation to super injunctions. My guess is that there are plenty others quaking in their boots at this moment in time wondering if their super injunction will be unmasked by the power of social media and the Internet.

I'll leave you with this EXCELLENT picture I saw posted on the internet yesterday, check out the sign beside Mr Giggs, says it all really! ;)

N.B I do not own or have any copyright of any of the pictures posted on this blog post.

xx

The long and winding road...

Well folks as I am now officially no longer a student *tear* I thought it was about time I started to look for a job, a full time proper grown up job. Although I haven't officially graduated or passed my degree yet (awaiting the dreaded results in June!! eeek) I still need a job like NOW to get money because despite the fact that I am no longer a student one thing has not escaped me...the poverty bit! I am still a poor non-student! :(

I have been searching and applying for jobs for about two months now with still no joy! I know the world of journalism is in just a bad as state as every other occupation because of the way the economy is but I really really need a job asap. And although I would LOVE to go straight into the journalism job of my dreams, or any journalism job for that matter, it's simply not that easy. I have been applying for basically everything at the minute, from retail jobs to office admin positions I just need a temporary job to keep me in money until I eventually HOPEFULLY get that Journalism job that I really really badly want! But unfortunately I haven't even managed to get just a regular part-time job at the minute despite the fact that I have applied for LOADS! :( The road to employment of any kind seems to very long and very winding, and particularly disheartening that despite getting myself into three years of University debt I cannot even get a job that does not require a degree. But despite all the negatives I WILL NOT GIVE UP!! I am going to continue applying for jobs, journalism and non-journalism related and hopefully I will be able to get something very soon. So everyone keep your fingers crossed! ;)

And in the meantime, to keep me upbeat and positive it can only be one song, by one band that sums up how I will keep on going on the long and winding road to employment!! :D

Sheena xx

It's all coming to an end...

Hello again blogging world! 

Apologies for neglecting you in recent weeks, I've been doing quite a lot actually! Since my last post, I've completed my FINAL Journalism exam...eeeek! I have also been working on my FINAL coursework essay AND I've also had my leaving night out with all my fellow journalists and some of the lecturers. So life really is moving VERY fast at the minute and I really don't know where to go from here. Suddenly it feels like I'm at the end of a very long road and I'm not sure whether it is going to keep going in a straight direction or whether I need to make new decisions and turn in a different direction (apart from back of course!)

So as I mentioned we had our course night out last week and it was really good to have everyone out together for one last hurrah in the great city of Liverpool. I've had an absolutely brilliant three years here and have met some amazing people, a lot of which I hope to keep in contact with after we all go our separate ways into the big bad world of work.

Also with ending a course, the end of my time as Deputy Website Editor of the JMU Journalism website also comes to an end. This I am really sad about because ever since I was a first year, and the website was just in it's inital stage of being set up, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. And it truely has been great to be part of it, where else would you get such a great platform for your work when you're just a trainee and where else would you get the opportunity at such an early age of your career to fill a life long ambition to sit in the Press box at Anfield and report on a game LIVE! 

So it truely has been an amazing three years, and three that I will never forget and I want to take this opportunity to thank EVERYONE who has made my time in Liverpool so much easier, your kindness will not be forgotten! Liverpool will ALWAYS be my second home, I'm declaring myself an honorary scouser! ;)

You can have a little look at what probably will be my final byline on the JMU Journalism website here: 

http://www.jmu-journalism.org.uk/#/liverpool-life-84/4544735978 

In the words of Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes....I've had the time of my life!!! :D xx

FREEDOM!!! So long Dissertation my old friend!

Well...this is it folks, the moment I have been waiting almost a whole academic year to arrive. I am now FREE from the burden of my dissertation!!! Wohoooo! :) It's been a long and winding road quite literally. Looking back on it now I really can't believe I'm finished with it, that it's out of my life forever and that I can now come back into the normal social world and actually have a life!!! :)


I really can't describe the feeling at the minute, it's just one of immense relief and happiness! I've been thinking so much about my dissertation recently that before I knew it my LAST EVER class at University crept up on me! Yesterday was our last official day of teaching and I have to say it really got me thinking...WHERE THE HECK DID THESE THREE YEARS GO? I can honestly say that these have been three of the fastest of my life. But not only that they have been three of the best! I've meet some amazing people who I hope I can stay friends with despite the fact we will all be scattering off to various parts of the world. It has been three great years full of laughter, tears and everything in between. Now I am getting a little presumptuous as we're not actually done with Uni yet, we still have another two assessments and an exam, but still with dissertation out of the way I can actually see the light at the end of the loooonnng tunnel which is hopefully graduating with all my friends!  :)

DEFINITE Exciting times!!! :)

Ps. I can honestly say that Liverpool will ALWAYS be my home from home, one of the best cities in the world with the friendliest people you will EVER meet! :) A little tribute to my second home: Btw Video is NOT mine, just one I spotted on YouTube. Enjoy! :) x

When the going gets tough, the tough get going!

So my blog title is a reference to two things at the minute in my life. First is of course my lovely Dissertation which I am still working to perfect before handing it in next Thursday (WOHOOO!!) :) And it is also a reference to the absolutely AMAZING Boyzone concert which I went to last Friday night! :)

Lets get the boring part out of the way first then so I can fill you in on the fabulousness that was the Boyzone concert! So yes, it's almost a week until my dissertation is due and I am still soldiering on with it. At this stage, I've kind of got to the point where I'm thinking what really is the point?? I seem to be constantly thinking to myself now... Is what I am writing here even right? I know it's a bit late to be asking that question but I think it's because I have been working on it for so long now, and the end is most definitely in sight I am just about FED UP with the whole thing! So a week from tomorrow, I will be one HAPPY HAPPY bunny having handed it in and said SO LONG DISSERTATION! It's been emotional...and believe me it has!

Now, of course all hard work deserves a bit of a treat and a break and I did just that last weekend when I went home!! :) I hadn't been home in almost a month which is NOT normal for me at all! Although my boyfriend did visit me in Liverpool during that month because I would not have survived otherwise, I am very much a home bird! So on Friday night, I went to the Boyzone concert and it was absolutely BRILLIANT!! We had amazing seats and I instantly felt how I felt the last four times I've seen them in concert, I LOVED IT!! :) Of course it wasn't the same without Stephen, and I'm not ashamed to admit I shed a tear when the four boyz did a wonderful tribute to the late, great Mr Gately. Overall, the boyz did not disappoint, they have unfortunately lost a bandmate, but as long as they are still together and still performing their heart's out Steo will always be there, singing his heart out from up above! <3
Here are just a few of my pictures from the concert:

xxx

Dissertation, Dissertation...DISSERTATION!!

I apologise in advance for this post because it is going to be one massive rant about that word!! Yes I mean my DISSERTATION!!! It has become the word that has absolutely taken over my life at the minute. When I get up, I'm thinking about it, when I go to bed I'm thinking about it, it NEVER leaves my mind! Even when I try to escape it and have a little break, it's always there niggling at the back of my brain, so much so that I have come to LOATHE the word dissertation! I probably wouldn't mind it eating up so much of my time and brain cells (all two that I have left) if I felt like I was making progress with it, but I have yet to feel that way about it! I feel that every thing that I write has a large possibility that it could be wrong and will need to be re-written! Despite reassurance from my dissertation supervisor that 'I seem to be on the right track' I can't get that feeling into my head. It's one massive headache at the minute! :( And it'snot just dissertation that I've got to think about which is even more annoying that it dominates my mind. I've got my final project to worry about as well as contemporary issues, and journalism regulation! Not to mention that they are all in quite close proximity to one another...it's a disaster! Here's hoping that I start to see the light at the end of the looonggg dissertation tunnel soon!!

LIVE from Anfield...as a reporter!!

On Thursday night I had the absolutely amazing opportunity of going along to the Liverpool vs Sparta Prague 2nd leg fixture in the Europa League at Anfield. And what an amazing night it was! I was pretty taken aback when I collected my Press Pass at Anfield and made my way to the Press lounge...through the glass doors where the Directors and other VIPs go. It really was something else!

On entering the press lounge, I collected the team sheet and a complimentary match programme, had a quick scan of it and made my way up to the press area in the Main Stand. After taking my seat, and setting up my laptop, I had a good look around me...WOW I thought! What a brilliant view of the ground! Seated in the centre of the Main Stand with a perfect view of everything...I was loving it! 

As kick-off approached and the ground began to fill to capacity I sat there taking in that special atmosphere only created on European nights at Anfield. The Kop were in fine voice as usual, and so where the travelling Sparta support who happily bounced and sang the entire way through the game.

With the singing of the legendary You'll Never Walk Alone finished, I knew this was it! I was going to have to keep my eyes peeled for EVERYTHING! I didn't want to miss any important details for my match report. Although I have to say I was really glad to have a little monitor beside me to check back on a few instances. 

As the game progressed into the 84th minute I began typing as if the game was heading to extra time...then there it was! Dirk Kuyt popped up and scored. For probably the first time in my life...I didn't celebrate! I couldn't! I was too busy deleting and then writing about how the goal was scored! It really was a strange feeling! Obviously I was delighted and screaming with joy on the inside but I had to keep my focus, and was praying to myself that Sparta didn't get a late equaliser, otherwise my report would have been ruined.

As the final whistle sounded, I breathed a huge sigh of relief and began to pack up my things. 

Next up, was the home team players mixed zone, something which I was nervous about but also really excited. I was told by my lecturer to have 'Ice in my veins, not stars in my eyes!' Which I repeated to myself on several occasions, because I knew being so close to the Liverpool players in an intimate environment like the press room was a HUGE thing for me! As the players walked out, at varying intervals and some stopped to have a few words and answer questions obviously, something hit me...the were REAL people! Know I don't mean that as in human, I mean they were just regular people who happen to be famous footballers for their job. Kuyt stopped to talk and as did Reina so I got recordings of those interviews on my dictaphone, and I will NEVER delete them. Although I didn't get to the chance to ask any questions myself because there were a lot of other journalists there, I felt great about having been able to be there and experience it. One other thing I did notice from the night is that height is an advantage if your a journalist! I'm quite small and was wearing flat shoes and I felt tiny beside some of the other journalists! lol But regardless I made my way to the front to get my dictaphone in there for the interview! :)

It truly was an unforgettable experience and one which I will NEVER forget!!!

Have a little read of my match report here: 

http://www.jmu-journalism.org.uk/#/sport-177/4547534388

Work Placement tales...

Firstly I have to apologise for neglecting my blog since Christmas time, I know bad girl! :O I have been sooo busy during January with my four weeks work placement. I really enjoyed my work placement, it gave me a great insight into the proper world of journalism and how it works. My first placement was at the News Letter in Belfast which was brilliant! I had a really enjoyable week, working for the first couple of days with the features team and then on the Wednesday I got to go to the City airport to meet, legendary voiceover man for the X Factor and E4 Peter Dickson, he was a true gent and very funny! I even got a recording on my dictophone of him saying RACHEL ADEIJEI in his booming tones, love it! :) I had that article printed in the paper as well as a few others that week so it was a sucessful week I have to say!
The next two weeks I spent working at the Mid Ulster Mail in Cookstown a little closer to home and i have to say I really really enjoyed my time there! It was probably because it wasn't as far from home and I was much more familar with the surrounding area. I absolutely loved my 2 weeks there and hope be back there in the future. I also managed to get quite a few articles published there over my 2 weeks so again...a happy bunny! :)
My final week of placement was spent at the Daily Mirror in Belfast. Another thoroughly enjoyable week. I managed to get my story printed after only one day and on Page 11 :) soo I was over the moon with that as well! I really enjoyed getting to see how a proper regional office of a national paper worked, it was great experience working with so many different journalists in a busy newsroom. So yet again it was a very enjoyable week with a few bylines again to my name! :)
I have cut outs from the paper of all my stories which I will definitely treasure forever. I am going to put them in a nice display folder so that I will be able to showcase my work to future employers! :)
I am now back in Liverpool after a really long time at home and  it was so hard to leave my bf and my family :( But I know now I have to really put the work in for these next few months because after that and before we all know it, we will be (hopefully) graduating and setting off for the big bad world of Journalism employment!! A scary thought for sure, but at the same time...exciting times!! :)

xx