Milk Bottles

NEWS is fresher than a pint of milk.
But goes off twice as fast.
All news hacks know that if you miss a story when its “new” – you’ve lost it.
You thump yourself if it was your fault for not seeing it, allow yourself to be scolded by your editor.
But then quickly get over it lest you miss anything happening right now.
That said, there is a place for topical stories – not news but in many ways a response to it, reflection on it or other strong idea that might strike a debate among readers.
The reason for the preamble is that there’s so much I deal with and observe at work that I’d ideally want to get on here.
All the stuff of our busy news-room – the stories, stresses and strains that are emitted amidst our tight team – all that evaporate behind the headlines.
But it’s so busy being a news-person all day, and often into the night that there’s simply not enough time to be newsy on here as well.
When I started the blog in February last year, it served as a reportage space for my findings within the offices of papers I was doing work experience.
I had to get it out of my system as swiftly as possible.
While I cannot maintain that level of tempo now there are things I’ll put on here on occasion that might evoke a whiff of aging dairy.
But I guess what I’m arguing is that outside of the newsroom, off the radio, TV or other output source, what constitutes news is subjective and should still be reported if it's noteworthy enough.
i.e. it’s still new – sort of - if you haven’t heard it yet.
So read on.

ENFIELD goes Live

WELL what better way to return to the blog than to share word of our new website.
Yes indeed, the Enfield Advertiser is now live. Do visit http://www.enfieldadvertiser.co.uk/.
You can also read our editor Gary “I’m too busy to pee” O’Keefe’s blog to find out what he thinks of us. We all check it obsessively for that purpose too.
No surprises that have proven too shocking - yet.
The day after the site launched I walked into the office on a Thursday morning after the regular lie-in we are granted the day after our papers for the week are out.
I found our newest reporter on his way out after a phone-in about a forensics’ white tent that had been erected somewhere.
It turned out to be a shooting. Another one.
Five minutes after he’d gone, my editor suddenly remembers the internet.
“This is breaking news – come on Nadia – bash us out a few lines for the website.”
I’m still seated there in my post-deadline haze, leafing through our own papers – a weekly ritual that reminds us all that our hard work is more than worth it.
But as if instinctively I’m on the phone to our reporter – no time for shorthand, I’m typing straight onto the screen, demanding quotes down the receiver from eye-witnesses and filing the story within 10 minutes.
Said editor who was suddenly full of life, rushed off to his office to edit and upload.
It was all very exciting – like being on a national daily for a moment.
There is no better tonic to wash away post-deadline flunk-out or replenish depleted energy reserves than word of a good new story.