Hello!

I’m almost at the end of my first week of being a trainee journalist and I love it! I’ve finished lectures for the week, and yesterday we started our modules in Public Affairs (all about central and local government, the monarchy, how things are funded, how the country functions…) and Media Law. Media Law looks like it’ll be very interesting. We learn about things like injunctions and copyright laws. Yesterday we looked at the Press Complaints Commission, and I had no idea that their website contains genuine complaints from the public for our perusal. It’s a very relevant module right now, seeing as we cover things such as ‘clandestine listening devices’. Public Affairs is good, though I do worry it might all go over my head a bit. There’s an overwhelming amount to learn, but I’m going to try and keep on top of it.

Shorthand is going alright, though a lot of the time I feel like I’m writing purely on adrenalin, especially when the dictation exercises speed up. I need to learn all the special outlines and do some drills with the sneaky words, but I’m sure I’ll cope.

Today we had a visit from Euan Ferguson, the chief deputy sub from Time Out magazine, who actually took a course at Brighton Journalist Works a few years ago. We had to do a writeup of his talk, and mine made it onto the BJW blog! He also emailed our course administrator and named mine as one of his favourites, which was nice. I’d love to get some work experience with Time Out. Maybe that’s my next task?

Tomorrow we’re going into Brighton to do some vox pops about a topic of our choice. I’m going to be asking about Pride 2012, and how people feel about it now it’s a paying event. Then we’re going to do a review of an art exhibition, and then we’re being sent off to our patches of Brighton to see if we spot anything newsworthy.

I’m pretty snowed under right now, what with my essays from my degree hanging over me, and shorthand practice, and a shorthand homework, and a couple of little stories lined up to plan and write, and an interview to conduct… I have A LOT to do and not much time. It’s lucky I like being busy, but I think I’ll feel a bit better once the uni stuff is out of the way…

If anyone from Brighton is reading this, I need your stories! I’ll consider anything, but I’m primarily dealing with Hollingdean/ Hollingbury/ Fiveways/ Preston Park/ Patcham/ Withdean/ Westdene. ANYTHING at all, any crime, strong opinions, fundraisers, anything quirky and funny… you tell me, I’ll try to turn it into a story!

Kayleigh