I Prefer Writing

Lest we forget, or have we already forgotten?

2015-11-11T12:04:00.001-08:00

On the 11th of November at 11am every year the world comes to a stand still, as we sit and observe a two minute silence in remembrance of those who fought in World War 1. We also sit and think about those who fought in other wars and those courageous men and women who are still fighting abroad today.

Yet, for some reason as I sat in my University café it dawned on me, have we forgotten Armistice day?

Sat there in a group of 6 we put away our phones, music and laptops and sat in silence paying respect to those who allowed us to still be here. Looking around though, it clicked that out of all the people in the café; students and lecturers alike, we were the only ones observing the silence.

A silence that was meant to reflect those who fought on our behalf before we were even born was filled with the noises of coffee machines, talking and even shouting. The main shock of all was that one person who spoke the entire way through, sat right next to a group of students who purposely sat with their mobiles away not saying one word. Oh, and did I fail to mention she was conducting an interview? Which I'd assume means she was more than likely a journalist and as a journalist myself the fact that a fellow journalism student didn't know what day of the year it was and decided to do her interview at that time of day shocked me. Well, it didn't just shock me, it of course, shocked my course mates who spoke up explaining to the girl who was talking that she had spoken through the entire two minute silence. She replied by saying "I did a two minute silence on Sunday at Topshop, I didn't realise we did another one today, I'm not from this country". As one who doesn't like confrontation I decided to let it slide, my outspoken course mate on the other hand does, and spoke on behalf of all of us, explaining how its a national day which happens across the world and there was no excuse.

I couldn't help but silently agree with what was being said, there is no excuse for forgetting a national day, and with social media there is no excuse is there? Well, I noticed that apart from the odd tweet from News sources, many didn't take to the web to share their thoughts on the day. However, if you're ever wondering when it's snowing or if a celebrity died just log onto Twitter or Facebook everyone always takes to social media to share meaningless details. Yet, things which actually matter and are critical to others are forgotten.

Walking past the cenotaph today I grew silent looking at the reefs others had laid down in remembrance of those who fought for our country. Walking back past it later I felt honoured to be British as I saw army veterans standing proud, displaying medals they'd won and being interview by the press.

So, although not all of us observed the two minute silence, those who did remember with respect, those who didn't, well, maybe more should be done to help them remember. Perhaps chiming a bell to alert people that it's 11am? Or maybe just putting a post of Facebook will do the trick.

Is including the Greens and TV Debate Camerons way of diffusing tension between him and Farage?

2015-03-12T05:01:00.000-07:00

As a nation, we are used to seeing two major political parties in the limelight, these are usually the Conservatives and Labour. However, in recent years UKIP has formed a huge following with Nigel Farage who seems to be relatable to many members of the British public. As a result of this UKIP has started to form major debate in British society with many pro and against.

Due to the controversy surrounding this political party BBC and ITV have decided to include this party in a TV political debate due to take place in April. The debate was originally due to be between the Liberal Democrats, Labour, The Conservatives and of course UKIP. Mr Cameron has decided this isn’t fair it would seem. Although these are at current the most popular parties he feels it’s unfair that UKIP a ‘minor party’ is included yet other minor parties aren’t.

On BBC Breakfast the prime ministers said “the point I made was that you couldn't have one minor party, UKIP without having another minor party, the Greens." One belief on why Mr Cameron has made a point of wanting to include other minor parties; Greens, SNP and Plaid Cymru is that he doesn’t want to debate Farage alone.

We have all seen Farage sitting in the pub debating away with colleges and due to this is Mr Cameron is worried about going head-to-head with him and wants other parties involved to diffuse the tension. Also should we have all the parties in a TV debate or just the two main ones? Well Channel Four and Sky believe we should only focus on the two main parties therefore they will be hosting a debate only between The Conservatives and Labour; which Mr Cameron hasn’t seemed to argue against.

Journalism...its a contacts game

2015-02-27T05:38:00.001-08:00

Anyone who is trying to get into the world of journalism will have been told many times its not what you know it's who you know. That being said most places still desire someone who has a degree especially in media law so they know the rules of journalism. However, it is all about who you know.

So how do you get to know people? Well work experience is of course the easiest way, as a student you probably think your far too good to work for free and your time will be wasted if it was spent walking around making tea for people who are doing a job you want to do. Well a) most places don't actually make work experience people just make tea and b) if they do then you really don't want to be working there no matter how established they sound and c) don't try to aim too high in your search.

Most journalists I have spoken to have told me they started in local news and built it up from there, local news is a very exciting and interesting job which is great to start in especially with work experience. Most local news companies are aware that you are young and want to work so as a result they want to throw work at you and give you a real experience of this world of journalism.

Although not all major companies are unlikely to get work experience with. It's just a case of making contacts. Twitter is a great way to make contacts as it lets you interact with editors and writers and show them your work via Twitter and show off your talent. If they see a tweet from you they'd probably prefer to reply to that than a long email which is the same as every email they get from many young aspiring journalists.

Overall, if you truly want to get work experience do something to make yourself stand out and make friends. Once your in maintain the connection send tweets/emails about there lives not just how much you love their work. Keep at it and remember its all just a big contacts game.

Fifty Shades of Grey - The Review

2015-02-20T14:56:00.000-08:00

There has been one film which has had the world talking for the best few months and that is Fifty Shades of Grey. After being a summer sensation in 2012 it’s finally been turned into a film. The book took women by storm and had everyone talking and now after many casting changes the film has been released in cinemas. So, much like many women up and down the country I grabbed my girlfriends and went to see what the fuss was all about having read half of the book I was not certain of what to expect.

Fast forward two hours and five minutes and I’m amazingly feeling slightly emotional. Having read the mixed reviews from the book I was unsure what to expect from the film but amazingly it was pleasantly amusing. The film managed to capture the sexual essence of the book yet combined a romantic twist leaving many females including myself excited and hopeful for a sequel. Dakota Johnson gave a believable performance as lead female Anastasia Steel creating a vulnerable character who we fear for when she enters the red room and who we feel empowered by when she takes control from Mr Grey played by Jamie Dornan. Jamie Dornan’s performance was uncomfortable in places when he needed to change from being a dominant male to letting his innocent side show, but he did create a credible male lead.

Danny Elfman managed to combine current music trends with a sensual twist to match the scenes perfectly. He created a dynamic soundtrack which helped us as we watched Miss Steele become surrounded by Mr Grey’s world. With a tension building songs and loveable numbers we watched this odd romance blossom. However, the music does remind us that this book is based on a piece of popular fan fiction constructed upon the romance of popular Vampire teen saga Twilight.

Sam Taylor-Johnson used a range of shots to create a more dynamic film than expected but she tends to zoom a lot into Miss Steele’s lips, possibly more than a female viewer would enjoy. However, as a director of a film which was never going to have amazing reviews she does make an effort to create an enjoyable movie.

If you’re expecting to go to see this movie and witness a plot-twisting drama which makes you gripped to your seats and not wanting to turn away from the screen then go see another film. This film does what it says, it’s a sexual romance movie which is perfect for a girl’s night in and grips you. For some women they found it emotional, the love story was developed more than E. L. James allowed it which helped the movie has a slight amount of depth by the story line doesn't develop anymore than you’d expect. If you’re a 18-25 year old woman you’re bound to enjoy it if not, watch it with an open mind and don’t search for any kind of deeper meaning.

What is the big deal with V day anyway?

2015-02-06T13:28:00.002-08:00

So as many women will be made well aware of by now with the help of advertising companies, Valentines day is soon to be upon us. For some this will mean sitting in with a loved on watching movies, going out for a meal or going away for the weekend. For single ladies this will mean a night of crying, watching romantic films and being constantly reminded by Facebook, Twitter and any other social media portal you can find that they are alone.

However, is being with someone the best thing in the world? For me, I plan to spend Valentines day with the four ladies who make me get up in the morning and actually make me laugh. So what's the difference between a boyfriend and a girlfriend (in the friend sense not lesbian sense) well for starters there is the obvious, men have something many women desire, but other than that is there much difference? I mean sure, it's nice to have someone at home waiting for you and wanting to spend their evenings with you, but surely that's what your friends do as well? They are sitting there waiting with food or drink and they make you smile as well.

So, this Valentines day maybe they should start making campaigns for friendship rather than love relationships. Oh, and by the way, before you think this is just a rant from an eternally single woman this is not the case, just at times I am drawn to the idea of this single woman lifestyle and bring my self to question what the problem is with it. My single life experience has been short lived compared to some but those few months were precious, they helped me learn all the things I have wanted to for a long time. Like how you pull some random stranger in a club and it introduced me to the world of Tinder - although think I could of lived without that - so although yes, single lifestyle has its downs as long as you have girlfriends to bring you up it's not that bad.

Also, when it comes to Valentines day, we women always seem to have this ideal that men are cute and romantic and they will do something amazing on this day. Truth is, shouldn't they treat you like that everyday? If you love someone there doesn't need to be one day of the year that you spend specially with them just to show you love them. Oh, and most men also hate Valentines day so the likelihood of a boy being cute and romantic to you for this day is very low.

Are gym clothes just for working out?

2015-01-30T08:41:00.003-08:00

As we come towards the end of January many women will look back on the first month of this new year and work out if they have started to achieve any of those drunken New Years Eve resolutions they made. Many women would have all made the same resolutions, I'm going to loose weight this year. For some this is something they have started to stick too for others not so easy. However, it's fair to say the shops have been helping us ladies, those kind designers have created many lines of gym/workout gear for us to wear when going on our trips out. My question is though, does this actually help us work out more?

As someone who attempts to attend the gym three times a week I do find myself surrounded by a mixture of gym outfits. There are the ones who go in old baggy tops and leggings, these people tend to have headphones in and a determined face on, they don't often look around to see what others are doing but concentrate on working out then going home. Then there are the ones who go in brand new leggings and fitted t-shirts, these people don't often have headphones in but if they do they are designer and normally hang around there necks, they often spend most of the time on their phone or looking around trying to see whose watching them work out.

Bearing all that in mind, does that mean that when shops sell gym clothes its not being sold because gym clothes are necessary when working out but rather they draw attention to you and the idea that you do workout. Often when I leave the gym I go straight home in the clothes I worked out in, however, when I go shopping I often see women strutting around in the clothes they supposedly wore to the gym. Strange this is that these people wearing these gym clothes all tend to not be sweaty or even slightly red faced. Yes, perhaps they haven't worked out yet, but surely if they're going to go shopping pre-gym they would want to walk in normal clothes. So that just asks the question more as to why they're walking in gym clothes.

For many women gym clothes make you look more shapely and perhaps they like people thinking they work out often and are healthy giving the idea they are fit. One thing is for sure, these women are doing it for slight attention rather than to be healthy. So next time your in the gym think, are you going to workout or get some attention. Depending on what your doing may depend on what you wear.

Digitaldeminuendo

2015-01-25T14:47:00.001-08:00

In the 21st century we are living in a world where are lives are consumed by digital screens. There everywhere, be it the phone in our hand, the TV in our living room, the laptop on our desks or the iPod in our pockets technology consumes our everyday lives. However, due to the increase of a digital world are we seeing a decrease of an interactive world? A world where two people would sit down look each other in the eye and have a conversation rather than keeping one eye on your phone and one eye on the person your talking to.

Although, you can use your phone to have a conversation with someone who isn't able to meet you, does it mean we turn to our phones to have a conversation rather than using them as an aid to meet someone in public? We should be using the phones to help us but in a world where everyone is so busy its difficult to find the time to meet up and see each other so do we turn to ours phones to make our lives easier rather than just using them as we're too lazy for actually meeting up in person.

Problem which does occur is double digitaldeminuendo, when someone is using a phone to contact you whilst paying their attention to another screen. We all I feel have witnessed this, when we are growing bored of a phone conversation so feel that instead of telling the recipient we are bored we turn our attention to other digital means. So is this pure rudeness or just general lack of not wanting to disappoint the person on the other end of the phone.

So, to conclude, digitaldeminuendo is a very real thing which our current generation seem to be suffering with. Be it the fact that there are just too many screens out there to steal out attention or its just become enriched in our culture to turn to a screen over human conversation. That's a thought to leave you with, next time your on the phone is someone paying attention to you or just saying hmm and yeah are they concentrating on another screen?

Is university the student version of Big Brother?

2015-01-17T08:44:00.000-08:00

Big Brother has graced our screens for nearly 14 years and there is something addictive about watching a bunch of either strangers or celebrities all living together arguing all the time. Whether it's it's the arguments that keep us interested or just the sheer joy of watching a group of people be so socially awkward towards each other that it's just hilarious.
So what is it about Big Brother that I feel is similar to the life of a university student? Well for starters it's the fact that a group of students all of similar age have been dumped into halls and are to be expected to live together for the next three years of there lives. Yes, they may not all live together of the full 3 years but at least for the first year they do have to endure each others company. Which sounds difficult, but there is the one thing students have over those in Big Brother.
First, we all have bedrooms so if worst comes to worst you could always spend your university life sitting in your room watching an absurd amount of Netflix only leaving your room to eat and go to lectures. Believe it or not but the vast majority of students seem to turn to this lifestyle, I'm unsure why as although money may be tight going out of an evening hardly costs much with many clubs doing free entry and 80p drinks.
However, we all have our own feelings of what aspect of university life we all want to experience. For some its all about drinking for others its all about work for some its trying to find a balance between both aspects of university life. Finding balance can be difficult however, when you're trying to manage your work load and your social life with a good group of friends it's easier than you'd think. Especially when your friends are incredibly sympathetic and supportive towards you and are willing to help you in every way they can.
So although Big Brother and student life may have similarities at present there seems to be more getting drunk and having fun in student life compared to Big Brother which is consumed with people arguing.

In the newsroom

2015-01-08T04:49:00.001-08:00

So Thursday and Friday saw my second experience of being in a real newsroom The first of which was when I was 16 and had just had my first article published and sat in the Buckinghamshire Advertiser newsroom working away trying to be a real journalist. My second experience was very unlike my first.
I'm 18 now sitting in the newsroom, not as bright eyed as bushy-tailed as I was at 16, probably a result of not going to sleep until 1am as a result of sitting in the corridor chatting for far too long.
However, something which strikes me about the two newsrooms I have experienced is the difference between them. One produces work for local press and is printed on a daily basis so works to incredibly tight deadlines. The other is a group of students working to try to make their work look great and to another tight deadline. The work ethic is similar, however, were a group of students working unpaid so are working to show off our talent and get a good grade. Whereas the journalists in the 'professional' newsroom are working to get paid.
You can't fault the atmosphere of both newsrooms, the hum of people searching through Twitter trying to find a story worthy of publishing. Although the content maybe different the attitude journalists take to their work can't be faulted.
One thing which was the most interesting about a day in the news room was how excited you get over a Breaking News! story as every journalist rushes to try to be the first to publish a link to it.
Hence why I spent half of my day creating a sister blog; I Prefer News. The blog is linked to this one and features brief news pieces in and around the world, some are local some global. Check it out at iprefernews.blogspot.com and see for yourself.
The newsroom inspired me today and thats something which doesn't happen often, how frequent is it that someone gets inspired over something so trivial? Well for me its often but not everything can force me to write. Today saw a change in that, it increased my want and desire to write and hopefully that attitude will stay.

New year, same bottle of wine

2015-01-02T10:10:00.000-08:00

2nd January 2015. So 2014 was an eventful year, as I sit here by the warm fire with a glass of wine in hand I can't help but feel like I should be writing a novel or pondering some of life's great questions. Instead I'm trying to write an insightful first blog post of 2015 which at the moment seems more like my inner most thoughts than a piece of interesting journalism. So I have made a new decision hence why I waited to blog until the new year. This year I Prefer Writing is going to see a few changes. Whilst I do enjoy writing these anecdotal-style posts I do want to increase my level of investigative journalism. So I will endeavour to produce these little posts once a week (you all seem to enjoy reading them as the viewer counter keeps going up) but will try to jazz it up with some news about my new favourite place - Southampton. Mostly it's my new favourite place because of the people there, the university, the lifestyle and the new found independence that comes with it. However, this is still a Carrie Bradshaw-esque blog site so I feel it wouldn't be a new year post without some new years resolutions so here goes:

Go to the gym more, who doesn't want to have a new year being skinny!
Attempt to write another book, this attempt has been made many times before but this year I'm determined to get at least half way through it.
Stop shopping, this may sound bizarre but I must admit I am a self confessed shopacholic, anyone who has ever gone shopping with me knows I can't stop myself when I see a red sale sign.
Go to a foreign (or British) place I've never seen before!
Stay as happy as ever!

Number 5 is the most important one to me. Since moving to Southampton I have met the most amazing bunch of people and can't help but feel blessed with how my life has turned out. That's it I promise no more banging on about my happy life. I think this post has been exhausted and the wine glass is empty. So whilst I go refill the glass I Prefer Writing will be back again next Friday, however in between any Southampton based news will be placed on here - hopefully.

UPDATING

2014-12-02T02:12:00.004-08:00

I Prefer Writing is currently going through updates. It will be back up and running with a new news section to the blog surrounding the city of Southampton as well as the usual column-style posts!

Should there be more young people presenting the news?

2014-11-13T01:06:00.001-08:00

Young people are constantly being told we are the future and need to seize every opportunity. This is true but we still need to learn from others on how to seize opportunities before we do so. So as a young journalist when I received the opportunity to attend a meeting with some of the biggest names in journalism including; Neil Dunwoodie the Editor of Digital news at Sky News and Jonathan Munro, head of BBC Newsgathering I was keen to learn from elders on how to get into the business.

One point raised at this panel was the lack of involvement from the younger generation and the big question of course was; how do news companies plan on trying to get more in touch with the younger generations? Many broadcasters admitted that regional and some national news is watched mostly by the elder generation. However, some would argue this is due to the presenters on the show. Many are elder presenter - especially males - or mid-30 women. Therefore, would the news be more watched by younger generations if they had someone to relate to.

For some getting a job presenting the news on prime time TV is something they dream of, it's not given to any old journalist or presenter who wants to be on telly. It's something many work years for and get experience doing rubbish jobs for. As a result, are people being too hard on industry professional as they are simply employing elder journalists as they have the credentials a younger person, whom has only been in the industry for a few years.

Although, as many young people turn to their mobile phones and tablets for the news rather than the television should we have different presenters for TV and online? As TV tends to attract an older generation, many of whom enjoy turning on to see a familiar face presenting the news. Whereas, younger generations turn to digital platforms to enjoy a briefer account of the news compared to a 30 minute broadcast.

For many the battle between young and old will be ongoing and something that young people will desire but industry will claim you need to earn the position. Many journalists do have a lot more power now than they used to of course. If you want to be a presenter there is nothing stopping a young person making their own online news channel. However, to become a prime time presenter you need to be prepared to work for it.

Are we still a gender equal world?

2014-11-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

In 21st Century England, the gender gap seems to be bigger than it was nearly 6 years ago. Gender equality has always been a huge issue in the world. With women being treated worse than men in the workplace financially, and being many being condemned for doing 'male' orientated jobs.
Research by the World Economic Forum (WEF) showed how the United Kingdom had fell from 18th in the worlds top 20 gender-equal countries to 26th. Showcasing how gender equality is still a major issue in our current climate. There seemed to be slight hope things were improving when women in senior official and managerial positions received a 1% pay increase to 35%. However there is still fault with other women who work in other positions in society still being slightly underpaid.

From the report, the WEF stated "no country in the world has achieved gender equality, report continues to highlight strong correlation between a country's gender gap and it's economic performance". As a result of this report it helps bring to our attention how unpaid and ill-treated women seem to be as the gender gap continues to grow.

The Truth 24, reported on a story of a sexism row in an unlikely environment. A fishing contest showed how men received a £1000 prize compared to women receiving a £25 reward. Shelley Basset, who won the women's category at British Open Sea Fishing Championship in 2011 and 2012 complained to organisers how men get 40 times as much as women.

Organisers of the fishing competition claim there was no sexism issue, due to how the competition was set out. However, this year, the competition rules were changed and as a result the maximum prize money is £500 regardless of gender.

The hope of women fighting for gender equality does seem to work. The suffragette movement enabled women to have more power and vote, as a result women become more prominent. However, the gender gap is still increasing so women and men need to continually rally together to not allow the gender gap to continuously grow.

Sources used:
http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/world/547643/the-uk-gender-gap-widens-as-women-s-wages-fall.html?utm_campaign=Genderpaygapwidens&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social
http://t.co/dhT8aUp17A

Nature is not a feminist

2014-11-01T09:59:00.001-07:00

Issue 242 of Stylist magazine had a feature this week (15th October) by Kirstie Allsopp, Location, location, location host had this inspirational quote "remember, nature is not a feminist" the article was written on the basis of women needing to be supportive of other women and working together as a group.

This article inspired me as the idea of women teaming together and working as a group is obviously nothing knew. The Spice Girls have been saying for years that girl power is the future and we should remain viva forever. However, some women tend to back away from this idea and they don't team up anymore and support on another but we tend to turn against each other.

Walking down the street, as women we tend to turn to other women and be shocked by what one girl is wearing and we can't help but objectify them. When we see a girl with hair that's different to our own or that stands out instead of applauding her for being courageous with her fashion choices we knock down their confidence and tell them we think they look silly and mock them.

For certain occasions you will see girls rallying together. For many, a girls night out in a bar or club is perfect, we get ready together have a few drinks and laugh together then spend the night as a group. As soon as a spice girls hit comes on the DJs decks all women will assemble to dance together whether we like each other or not. Women will all wear pink and run/walk/dance along a track whilst raising money for cancer support which is always lovely.

Although men and women have to co-inside with one another, we shouldn't turn against other women just for the sake of men. We can't help the way we were born and having another girl say something horrid to another girl hurts more than a man turning against you. We all can't help the way we look and although no one is perfect we can all rally together and pretend we look perfect, at least to each other.

Confidence is the new sexy

2014-10-28T04:17:00.002-07:00

As women, we spend ages getting ready to go out ensuring every inch of us looks great. Whether we're heading to the clubs or just popping to the shops we always like to make sure we look good. However why is it we have this obsession with looking good?

For some when we step out the door in a new dress and high heels we feel super sexy as we feel super sexy, it makes us feel better knowing that if someone looks at us they will think we look perfect rather than thinking we look a state.

However, must we 'tart' ourselves up in make-up just to feel sexy or can we do it by just oozing self confidence. Many say a smile goes a long way. So if you step out in pyjamas and a hoodie with your girl friends to run to co-op for much needed chocolate, and you do it all with a massive smile on your face and don't care what anyone thinks does that make it look socially acceptable. Further from that, does it make you look sexy.

Well, for many the answer is yes, if a girl was to put her whole face of make-up on every day as soon as she gets up and keeps it on until she goes to bed, her face will end up spotty and dry. If she keeps her hair looking perfect all day, she won't be able to do much with it, she can't dance, have fun and move around a lot out of fear of it all coming loose.

Therefore, for many, we don't need gratification from others (sometimes it feels nice coming from others) but to feel sexy all we need to do is look in the mirror and say "I look beautiful and stunning, I am a confident woman".

Is print media a dying trade?

2014-10-24T09:20:00.002-07:00

As the modern age begins to take over and we all begin to turn to laptops for our source of news compared to newspapers is it making our print media a dying trade?

Why is it that people are growing tired of picking up a newspaper? Well there are many pros and cons of newspapers vs. Online.

Newspapers have always been a much loved print media which has always been very popular. It was the original source of news for many and has remained the source of news for a long time. However, many newspapers have begun to turn their attention to the online world as they can provide up-to-date news for readers free of charge.

Online media is a lot more versatile than newspapers. Newspapers are big and bulky and you have to carry them around with you to read them. Online media is available on multiple devices for all to read freely, newspapers don't break the bank but in the current economic climate everything does add up.

Many find other news sources easier to read than newspaper sources. Lately Twitter has become a source of news for many, similar to the typical News in Bites (NiBs) provided by newspapers Twitter is easy to read on the go.

Up-to-date news is incredibly important in the modern age and newspapers don't allow you to see news as it happens but the next day after it happens. Online is up-to-date anywhere, anytime compared to print making it more accessible.

Newspapers aren't the only source of print media, magazines have been becoming increasingly more popular and still remain popular compared to online magazines. They are smaller than newspapers and still fit well into a bag rather than big bulky newspapers. Yet, for many magazines, they turn to the online world to print and show the same content in their print magazines as what's in their online magazines.

There will always be a fight between print and online, at the moment their is no one clear winner. However, one thing is clear, journalism is still a popular and well respected career path which as it expands entices more and more young people onto the job ladder.

New uni, new you?

2014-10-20T08:53:00.001-07:00

For many university is a huge change to their lives. Going from living underneath parents roof and their rules can be a lot to take in. Having the freedom of being away from home and having no-one telling you what to do and when to do it can be slightly overwhelming. For some it's an opportunity to rebel, for others it's a chance to just try and prove that you can make it on you're own.

Those who rebel tend to turn to things their parents always told them not to do, things such as, tattoos, piercings not on your ear lobes - make of that what you will - drinking exceedingly high amounts of alcohol and behaving inappropriately in public.

Those who want to prove they can make it on their own turn to the kitchen and try to cook fabulous meals and not burn it, doing your own wash load and not having the colours run or clothes shrink and go out at night and take care of yourself and your friends.

University tends to be a time when we try desperately to find ourselves and work out what we want from life. One reason is that we are plunged into a new world with new people and have to try and let our personalities shine through in a crowd of people. We need to make ourselves stand out in a large group of people and try not to stray too much from our true selves we need to ensure we don't change or mould into something we're not.

It's tempting to become a new person and change everything about ourselves to fit into those around us an act more like the people we live with rather than who we are. We must resist this temptation as they key to a happy household is individuality, if you live with three people who all try to act the same then you'll all end up arguing because you are all so similar.

Don't be afraid to let your true self shine through and if your going to try and change yourself at university don't transform yourself just enhance yourself so your true attitude and spirit can shine through.

Are we all journalists now?

2014-10-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

Studying a journalism course and being a blogger is great as I can not only learn how to become a journalist but I can put it into practice. However, as a journalist in training I know that in a few years I will have a qualification that means I can write like a journalist. Yet, with an increasing amount of people turning to blogging platforms and twitter to air their news what's stopping anyone from being a journalist nowadays? Do we really need qualifications or can we just turn on our laptop and tap away some old rubbish with the hope that someone will read it one day?

As citizen journalists increasingly come to the surface why do we as everyday people read what they write and believe it? If we were waiting to have surgery and we were told that the surgeon was a 'citizen surgeon' but had watched lots of doctor programmes so had a rough idea of what he was doing. Would we roll over and let him start stabbing us with needles and performing surgery?

Of course not, so why do we allow citizen journalists to tell us the news and secondly why do we believe it so much. For many people nowadays they receive most of their news via Facebook and people commenting on the days headlines. Why do we believe them and pay attention to them? They have no qualifications, they are just 'Joe Bloggs' but as a nation we seem to be turning to these citizen journalists and reading what they have to say for one simple reason. They are quick, to the point and easy to comprehend.

A 'good' journalist will try to be open minded when writing a hard news story and retain all of their own views, a citizen journalist can carefully write from an angle to display their own viewpoint rather than an open minded one.

Yet citizen journalists are still crucial to the world, are they ethical? Probably not. Are they accurate all the time? Probably not. Are they increasing in popularity? Definitely.

Ethical Press

2014-10-08T04:04:00.002-07:00

The press have an important job and that is to relay information from a newsroom to the general public. This process requires a lot of work from various people, reporters, researchers and journalists. So someone who is working to relay information must ensure they relay information ethically and truthfully. The line between ethics and press has always been blurred, as a general rule the print press tend to get more freedom of speech than the broadcasting press which is monitored more heavily by the government. However, sometimes the freedom the press have can run away from them and we end up with unethical stories being published to the world.

A key example of unethical press is easily linked to The News of The World (NoTW) phone hacking scandal, where we saw the paper come under scrutiny when it was discovered that journalists had been hacking phones of celebrities. Yet, according to the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) as a member of the press you can be slightly unethical if it is in the public interest, and for many newspapers celebrities news sells well. The line was drawn on the phone hacking scandal when teenagers Millie Dowler's voicemails were hacked therefore intruding on a police investigation. Following from the police investigation led to where we are now, with no NoTW. So were the journalists ethically correct or where they too far? No one seemed very bothered when they were hacking celebrities phones but when it came to a 'normal' human being every went crazy.

Is it that they are celebrities the press feel they deserve it and think they can get away with anything? Is it because they put themselves in the limelight that we find it acceptable to nose into their lives and sting them. It's not just typical Hollywood-esque celebrities but also Member of Parliament who can get stung. Recently The Sunday Mirror stung MP Brooks Newmark by using a freelance journalist to pose as 'Sophie' a 20 something PR girl for the Tories.

According to The Times and Buzzfeed the freelancer didn't intend on entrapping Newmark originally but tried to entice MPs over Twitter and Newmark was the first to bite. To begin with the pair talked over private message on Twitter before eventually exchanging phone numbers. Using social media app Whatsapp the pair started to exchange photographs gradually becoming more x-rated. The undercover freelancer who has remained anonymous used photographs from various Twitter accounts to entrap the MP.

The freelancer was accused of engaging in a 'fishing expedition' to entrap the MP, however the PCC claim paper can employ subertfuge when the story have public justification which the Editor-in-Chief of The Sunday Mirror said it was. Due to recent claims MPs have been using social media to get women the Senior executives felt the story had public justification.

Due to this story coming out the MP has now stepped down from his position, therefore the press have led a man to loose his job. As a result, does this prove the story is ethical or unethical? It's definitely a grey area, however as stated by the PCC if it has public interest it can be published, however, there is always a worry this will open up a wide problem across the board with regards to the press and them having too much freedom.

Welcome Week

2014-10-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

So university has begun and so although this may look boring my next few posts will probably revolve around university. So to do something a little bit different like listing all the things you can learn at university:

Cooking is easy. Once you get the hang of it cooking truly isn't that hard. I mean yes, as a student you don't cook very complex meals, however, for those who say when you go to university all you eat is beans on toast tell lies. Most university halls don't have toasters in them anyway and grilling toast is far too much effort.
People are friendly. Everyone is in the same boat when they go to university so they are all open to talking to everyone and anyone. Key thing is don't isolate yourself staying in your room all day missing hope won't gain you friends you have to go out and meet people 1 on 1.
Don't judge. When you make friends with your flat mates you need to be open to meeting other people as well, get to know other people on your floor as soon as you move in as the people you grow close with on the first few nights
Missing the odd lesson isn't vital. I discovered recently that going to a lecture with 3 hours sleep and a hangover is not ideal. I spend the majority of the lecture avoiding falling asleep and trying my best to pay attention. When I got home, flat mates asked me how my lecture went, I couldn't remember a thing.
Homesickness is normal. The average university student is between 18 and 20. Most of those people would of spend the first 18 to 20 years of their lives living under their parents roof. Therefore when you are plunged into a new home with new strangers you are going to be forced to live with for a year it can be scary. The first week is definitely the hardest but once you settled yourself in it gets better. Don't be afraid to cry or get upset its normal, just try not to be too hysterical 24/7 it may piss your flat mates off.
Freshers flu sucks. We all get it, you can't help it, one person in your flat gets it and then that's it your all infected. However, don't let it get you down, it will not go away until after freshers anyway so do stay in a suffer go out, spread the germs and continue enjoying yourself. One of the worst things to do during freshers is to stay inside sitting alone suffering in silence.
Real lectures are important. So I know I said that it's not vital to miss the odd lecture, but it is worth having a look at your unit/week lecture topics and if their is something important on their it may be worth not drinking too much the night before. Besides no one wants to actually fall asleep in their lectures or worse - throw up mid lecture.
Movies nights are great. You have to live with the other people around you for at least 10 months, so it's worth getting to know each other without the use of alcohol. Movie nights are a great way to get to know the people around you, you can chat and relax comfortably without wondering who's the most drunk person.
Stay active. During university life it's so tempting to stay in drink and chat with your roommates and eat all day. However, it's incredibly important to stay active, most gyms near universities tend to do student deals to encourage you to be active and most universities have sporting societies you can join.
Keep calm and carry on. They say university is the best 3/4 years of your life, best way to make that statement true is to really enjoy yourself. Seize every opportunity and just take it all in your stride. Don't let university work weigh you down forcing you to be stuck in your room and don't let drinking overrule your life. Just find a nice balance and keep calm and carry on.

Can chickens fly?

2014-09-30T14:49:00.002-07:00

After watching these marvellous animals for a good 20 minutes or so I discovered something, chickens seem to jump from surface to surface and flap their wings at the same time. Now does this mean they are flying or its just a reflex? Now, before you shut down the web page because you think I've officially lost it I am going somewhere with this.

Much like humans, chickens have the appearance of doing one thing but truly they are doing another. No I don't mean being two faced but something slightly kinder. When someone hides something from you are they lying or simply trying to disguise their true feelings out of fear of being hurt? Its a difficult line to draw as sometime we want to hide things from others so give the appearance of doing one thing but truly its just a reflex.

Here is an example for you, for many students this month will allow them to see freshers week a week where they will move into a new home with new people and live alone without a parent to rely on. Now of course we are all going to be nervous but many will act excited with slight apprehension when inside they will be nervous and terrified. So much like chickens setting off to fly is it a reflex to lie and pretend you feel excitement and apprehension or is it just bare faced lying?

Oh, and in case you were wondering domestic chickens are incapable of flying long distance, but lighter birds are capable of flying short distances e.g. Over fences or into trees.

Freshers Flu

2014-09-23T12:13:00.002-07:00

So this week saw the start of freshers, for many this meant starting their university courses getting to know the campus meeting some friends etc etc etc. However, their is also the other side of things, the drinking side of things.

Its a well known fact that many students during their first few weeks at university will get ill and many will claim their are ill because they ate something dodgy or something like that. Truth is they are ill due to way to much booze and not eating an awful lot of food and sleeping for approximately 4 hours a night.

Whilst drinking a lot is fun and means that you can really enjoy yourself, falling asleep in lectures isn't exactly the best thing in the world. Definitely doesn't give off the best impression however, it is a fact of life which we have to deal with - well a fact of university life. So how can we get around this? Drink less - can't see that happening with £2 drinks in most clubs. Get an early night - well with everyone running around halls screaming that's not exactly possible. Skip lectures - appealing but risks your degree which of course is why we go to university. Have tons of pain medications - thing its the only options really that and coffee.

So I guess freshers flu is just something were going to have to live with as part of being a student. Student life is meant to be fun and exciting but people fail to tell all students that when your alarm goes off at 7:30 for your first lectures that its physically painful to the point were getting up physically hurts.

So for all those planning on university next year pre warning try to go to sleep slightly earlier on a night/morning when you have first lectures the next day.

Once Upon a Time

2014-09-13T00:40:00.000-07:00

So, although my passion is journalism I had this crazy idea for a short story to do with fairy tales and that. As a result I started writing a first page draft and figured I would give it a test run online:

Once upon a time, in a far away land, their was a beautiful princess, locked up in one of tallest towers ever. She lived in the tower all her life, due to being locked up their by the evil witch. She waited every day and every night for her prince charming to come to her saviour. The one day, a handsome prince on a white horse road up to her tower and climbed up the tower to save her. He grabbed her by the hand, took her to safety, and they both lived happily ever after.

Yeah, the only thing is that happily ever after is actually the name of the cottage I live in with my dad, Prince Charming, and not all the princesses live their, their isn't enough room. You see, me and my dad have lived in once upon a time since I was 5 when my mum died. When we first moved here everyone loved my dad, he had women swooning all over him. Then, one day when dad was walking through the forest he came across a beautiful woman trapped in a deep sleep surrounded by dwarfs. The dwarfs told him if he kissed her she would come back to life, he kissed her and next thing I knew she was walking around telling me "I'm not here to replace your mum, I'm going to be like a new mum". Then one thing led to another and before I knew it, dad was bringing home different women almost every night, none of them every stayed longer than one night and all were damsels in distress.

Most mornings when I wake up their is some beautiful girl sitting at my breakfast bar, I used to be polite to them, smile, ask them about how they met dad and try to get along with them. However, when I turned 16 it all got a bit old, now I'm 17 (18 in 2 days may I add) and I just can't be bothered with them anymore. They're all the same, just here because dad is 'Prince Charming' and every girl in Once Upon a Time wants to be with him. Dad never wants anyone though, one girl stayed for two nights once but when dad eventually got her to leave he told her 'he would call' and in true Prince Charming fashion, he never called.

***

"So, no girl this morning dad?" I teased him as I grabbed breakfast.

"She's in the shower" dad replied with a mouthful of fruit and fibre.

"Ah, I see, so where did you find this one?" I didn't really care about dads girlfriends but breakfast was usually the only time I saw him so I felt obligated to ask him.

"She was drowning in the river."

"Shame you couldn't leave her their"

"Candance" he turned to me with a tern face "this is my job sweetie, I don't get to pick and choose the girls.

"Have you ever thought about, I don't know becoming an accountant?"

"A what?" dad looked at me, bewildered.

"An accountant, its what a job people do in 'the real world'"

"Candace, how many times do I have to tell you? The real world doesn't exist, their is no metropolitan cities or trains or business people. This is the real world, the one we live in"

"Dad, their is a real world"

"Candace don't be like this"

"Whatever" I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl "I'll see you after school".

As I went to leave the house I could hear footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Hi! Hello!" I rolled my eyes to the door before turning around with a faux smile.

"Hi" I replied to the blonde bombshell running towards me, she was tall and slim as most of them usually are, however, she looked older, close to 30 maybe.

"Hi! I'm Ella, Ella Enchanted" always any original name in Once Upon a Time.

"I'm Candace, and I'm late" I smiled at her before turning towards the door, I went to reach for the door but she grabbed my arm before I had a chance to leave.

"I know, I'm your dad's friend, he told me about you. What are you doing after school? Can I take you shopping?"

"No thank you, I doubt you'll still be here when I get home anyway." I smiled at her before turning back to the door and leaving.

***

Are we surrounded by vanity?

2014-09-06T03:46:00.000-07:00

'Selfie' was the word of the year (2013) according to the Oxford Dictionary, yes, a word which means you should take photos of yourself and post them online is the word of the year. As someone who detests the idea of selfies and believes there is never a good excuse to take a photo of yourself and post it online I am bewildered by this.

A few years ago it was the norm to log onto Facebook and be bombarded with people posting photographs of themselves, with captions stating 'yes or no?' or 'I know I look bad but I don't care'. You see the thing which gets me is that if they don't care or they don't like it, why would they put it online? However, in recent years many have wised up and kicked this trend in the bum, and we had a few good months of no selfies, or only group selfies.

Then came the celebrities, they caught onto the trend and brought it back with a bang! Some making it cute and classy, posting pics of them and their child or on a red carpet or something. Then there are the Kim Kardasians who take it one step too far and spend more time on holiday taking selfie snaps than enjoying themselves.

With the growth of the selfie trend are we, as society, growing into a narcissistic group of people who want nothing more than to have others comment on how we look? As a female, I must admit, I don't leave the house without make-up on, however, does that mean I am narcissistic or just self conscious? Women tend to spend more time looking at themselves than they realise, most mornings we wake up and sit in front of the mirror for a good half hour doing make-up and hair to ensure you look perfect before you leave the house.

To conclude, is the selfie feeding into a already vain society or is it creating a vain society? It's difficult to find a middle ground when we are surrounded by make-up and hair products and photos of people in magazines looking perfect. As 'normal' humans we may not look airbrushed all the time and may have to put a lot of make-up on to feel good about ourselves but I don't feel that makes us vain but that we are living in a vain society.

A delayed visit

2014-08-30T05:47:00.001-07:00

After a busy few weeks its difficult to find time to spend to yourself. For many they spend their down time relaxing, reading, going out, you know the drill. However, for myself the down time has been spent trying to get back on track with my writing - easier said then done - but, if there is one thing I like about my fathers it's that I can sit and be free to write my inner most thoughts. Problem is at the moment I don't seem to have many inner most thoughts. My brain seems consumed with university and drinking (yes, I see how that's not a surprise since I am a student) but I cannot allow myself to stop writing. Therefore, I have completed a visit I've been delaying, that is, to visit father.

As usual this delayed visit was nothing out of the ordinary, people arguing, travelling on smelly trains and sleeping in an awkward bed. That being said, there is one thing that was different on this visit, that is, my new laptop. Its touchscreen, windows 8 and very very fancy, for many this is nothing new, for someone who has had the same laptop for 4 years, this is definitely something new.

Now, I don't want it to seem that I only care about presents and getting free stuff, but it is a bonus to spending a few days at a farm. To round it off I'm going to finish with a little thought. Since when did laptops turn into phones and all of a sudden you can download apps! I feel like a old man sitting here talking about new technology but I feel as though new life has been sprung inside me. No I'm not pregnant but this laptop, it is my baby and it will be treated with the upmost respect a real child should deserve.