lessons in journalism #1
Our first lesson in journalism comes courtesy of the Observer, a sunday newspaper here in the UK. Suppose you are a budding journalist and your editor demands a story to fill some space on the frontpage. What do you do?
Easy. All you need to do is call up Ian Bell. Ian is the speed camera liaison officer for the Association of Chief Police Officers. Speed cameras, as we know, are quite controversial. So we call Ian:
Ian Bell: Hello?
Observer: Hi Ian, I’m calling from the Observer. We’re writing an article about speed cameras for this sunday’s paper. Can you spare a few moments?
Ian Bell: Sure thing. That is my job after all.
Observer: How many speed cameras do you think we need on Britain’s roads?
Ian Bell: Well, that’s difficult to say. We tend to look at where there are accident black spots and consider if a speed camera should be placed. As these things are done on a case by case basis, it’s difficult to put a precise number on it.
Observer: Well, do you think there will be an increase in numbers of speed cameras in the future?
Ian Bell: My personal feeling is that there will be a moderate growth as more accident speed sites are looked at around the country.
Observer: A moderate growth? Could that be by as many as a thousand cameras?
Ian Bell: Well, yes. I suppose it could be up to a thousand over time.
Observer: Thanks Ian. Goodbye.
Bingo. Now we can write an article: “Call for 1,000 more speed cameras to save lives”
The controversial debate over speed cameras will be reignited this week after Britain’s leading police expert on the issue called for a significant expansion of the number of the devices around the country…