The biggest challenge facing young journalists is simply - lack of respect.

At the ever popular door to journalism, many potential recruits await get in. One of the problems for young journalists is not being able to get any work because the majority of work goes to more experienced journalists. Basically, you can’t get work without experience but you can’t get experience without work. So what do you do? You go freelance.

Apart from getting beaten in the pay packet by those in the dole queue, freelance journalism for young journalists is a long and exasperating task every single day. You must work alone and attempt to sell stories (sometimes like a glorified PR person) as well as trying to make a name for yourself. As a young mother and her 19 brats enjoy a KFC bargain bucket; you feast on a packet of out-of-date chocolate muffins. Your hair grows down to your ankles as you wait for yet another commissioning editor to reply to your lengthily e-mail with the inevitable trademark two worded; “No thanks” response.

You e-mail your CV to editors and reporters nationally and regionally, hoping that something will come out of it – the ed will see it or the reporter will pass it on or even ask you to do a bit of work. But most of the time, no one ever replies. Some that do reply (mainly senior journalists) will have an unaccommodating attitude because they worry that they might lose their job to a mere child.

You see, I believe this is something that has become an awkward challenge for a lot of younger journalists; resulting in lack of confidence, career obstacles and money woes. And what I want to express with this post is my anger at the damaging amount of “snobbery” from pretentious individuals in the business that fail to nurture new flock to the fold. It can be exceptionally difficult for young freelance journalists when senior hacks shoot them down.

Many will fail to understand that younger people coming into the industry have learnt the trade a little different and have the capability of progressing easier in the media-savvy environment than those who think “contemporary” is doing a PowerPoint presentation. And they just need a chance to shine.

Whether it’s the older journalist’s uncomfortable attitude to the change in technology or the inability of using said technology; it all boils down to the fact that many established members of the press still don’t understand the true potential of embracing it and feel threatened by those that do.

And those that understand new ways of journalism will not understand why younger journalists don’t retain the values and knowledge of the old way of journalism. It’s a yawn-fest cycle of arrogance from both sides. Think that’s bad? Try the internal politics that young journalists get too…

So, you’ve just come out of journalism school. You have your pen and notebook in one hand, dictaphone in the er.. short hand and the nose for a good story. You sit tapping at the keyboard of a sluggish beast of a computer, 600 words on the local horticultural show must be filed in 15 mins and Aunt Flo who won first prize for her marvellous collection of daffodils is refusing to do pictures because her roots need done, apparently.

Picture desk needs pics and you can’t get any sorted and the old battleaxe in charge of photos is bombarding you with e-mails demanding you ring all your interviewees again and arrange some kind of shoot. The editor comes looking for the flower piece, he takes one look at it and screams “That’s shi*” before firing it across the room in fury. “You don’t know how to write, that’s not how I would have done it. Start again and get it done fast, don’t let me down!” he yells before devouring a magnum and sharing his irritation with the balloon in charge of photographs.

You feel like you’ve just been kicked but the one thing keeping you going is your ambition to one day move on to bigger things. You share your hopes with those in the office before releasing they couldn’t give a monkeys. “Someone got a chip on their shoulder?” asks Barbara in accounts.

Thankfully, I have been very fortunate to learn from many brilliant journalists and editors within the national and regional press and not many of what I wrote about has affected me – apart from a small number showing no respect. But those were mainly washed up middle-aged women and film critics. My message is clear; show young journalists more respect please.

Rodney Edwards is a freelance journalist from Northern Ireland and contributes to many UK national newspapers and magazines. He also writes for various publications across Ireland. E-mail rodney@rodneyedwards.co.uk or for cuttings and a full biography visit www.rodneyedwards.co.uk

This post was written for Journalism.co.uk’s brilliant new blog for Young Journalists and can be found here.

Taken from the Sunday Life, Sunday 3rd August 2008

e-mail: rodney@rodneyedwards.co.uk

Kian’s plea over knife crime

By Rodney Edwards

Westlife star Kian Egan last night appealed to Ulster youngsters not to get involved in knife crime. In an exclusive interview, the Irish singer became the latest big name to join the fight against the spiralling number of stabbings being reported in the UK and Ireland.

Pop pin-up Kian, who is engaged to gorgeous actress Jodi Albert, said: “I’ve just came back from a holiday and we turned on the news and saw that another young guy was stabbed in London.

“It’s disgusting and disgraceful that so many young people are being murdered. Whether it’s with knives or anything else, something needs to be done about it. Everybody knows that — something really has to be done to sort it out once and for all.”

Last month the PSNI revealed knife crime in the province has increased by almost ten per cent between last year and the previous year.

The figures were released as the police re-launched a campaign against knife crime here. The drive, which is aimed at boys and young men between 11 and 18, includes cinema, radio and poster advertisements.

Kian made his emotional appeal to young people, asking them to “just get away from it”, saying: “Picture something better for your life, don’t settle for second best. Find yourself a good hobby and good friends, go and make a career for yourself, look at yourself as someone who is up-and-coming in the world, who is going to have a good, long successful life.”

His band Westlife are on a year’s break but Kian added: “Westlife are not a political band but if there’s anything we can do to help, we would.

“We would sign our name to anything that helps sort out this mess. We would help with any worthy campaign that is for a good cause and this is something we think is worthy.”

In March 2001 Kian himself was a victim of thuggish behaviour when he was attacked, as he walked around Sligo with friends, by two yobs he had previously gone to school with.

Whether it’s relaxing in his Porsche, Jeep or brand new campervan the Sligo man is enjoying his break from one of the world’s biggest bands and spending more and more quality time with fiancee Jodi.

He popped the question on Christmas Day and the happy couple plan to tie the knot next year.

“We are simple people, it’s going to be a simple occasion. And we will have good tunes playing all the time.”

As the band enjoy their time apart, Kian is kept busy, having just teamed up with manager Louis Walsh to find the Irish equivalent of Girls Aloud. Last weekend the pair held open auditions in Dublin and his fiancee Jodi is already being tipped as one of the girl band singers.

Kian told us: “I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to do something different. My role is going to be very simple — I’m going to be helping the band themselves. I’m going to be with them most of the time, trying to show them the ropes of the music industry and guide them on their journey – hopefully to the top of the charts.

“Louis is going to be involved in the record label and all the decision making. This is my first project outside Westlife.”

But the search for Ireland’s new girl band will not be televised: “It’s going to be more a case of finding real talent and taking them away without anybody seeing them, before launching them as the next big girl band. I think going down the reality TV line is probably a bit common at the minute. I think to try and do what we’re doing on TV would just get lost and that’s not necessary how we want to do it. We want to find the next big Irish girl band,” Kian said.

e-mail: rodney@rodneyedwards.co.uk

The Diocese of Clogher in Fermanagh has sparked controversy after sensationally banning pop music and poetry at funerals. The diocese which also covers parts of Tyrone, Monaghan and Louth have ordered priests to stop their congregation from playing “pop songs” during services because they have “no place” in funeral ceremonies.

The move has divided opinion with some saying the church has become “out of touch with reality.” ‘Candle in the Wind’ by Elton John or Westlife’s ‘Flying without Wings’ are just some of the songs that are now strictly prohibited from funerals.

Leaflets were handed out at Saint Mary’s Church in Castleblayney recently on behalf of the Diocese of Clogher. The leaflet, called “Celebrating a Catholic Funeral” said a return to traditionalism was needed to “affirm that the funeral Mass and the burial was a sacred occasion. In our Catholic tradition the funeral Mass and burial is not about a good ’send-off’ but faith in God,” it said.

“Practices such as personal poems about the deceased, favourite songs and the shaking of hands in the church before going to the graveside are breaking the continuous prayer that the funeral liturgy is. Personal contributions are permitted, as long as they are after the final blessing at the graveside.”

Speaking exclusively to me; Westlife star Kian Egan hit back at the Catholic Church and defended his band’s music; “If our songs are used in a funeral because it’s memorable to them people and it means something, then that’s great and understandable. Westlife songs are emotional songs, so I think they can be used in any scenario – a wedding or a funeral.”

Egan doesn’t see why the diocese has a problem, adding; “Obviously, funerals are very sad times and if Westlife’s music can put a smile on people’s face or a memory into somebody’s mind at a hard time, then it’s great that we can accomplish that with our music.” said the singer.

“Any response from a clergyman on this should be about the details of the matter in hand, not the individual giving the opinion.” said one Fermanagh Priest who preferred to remain anonymous when asked to comment.

“Secular songs, poems, eulogies and symbols such as football jerseys, etc. have a part to play in the remembrance of the deceased but in a secular setting, for example during the wake or at a gathering of family and friends after the Mass or service. However, a Christian funeral is not a memorial service but a gathering in faith to entrust the loved one to the Lord and to draw strength and comfort from Christ’s Resurrection and the promise of eternal life to His faithful. There is an abundance of rarely used, beautiful religious music that our choirs can offer to make the funeral liturgy meaningful. We need to make this wonderful musical resource more widely known and available to our congregations.” He said.

“The sad fact is the funeral of a family member, friend or neighbour is one of the increasingly few times we come together as a community, not for a social gathering but for a spiritual one and the words we speak, the music we listen to and the message we come away with should reflect this.” said the Priest.

Former Church of Ireland (Devenish Monea and Boho) minister Derek Kerr described playing pop songs at funerals as “corny and embarrassing”. He added: “They come from popular television, such as the funeral of Diana Princess of Wales and others. He agrees with the church’s decision on forbidding poems also; “One example that I have heard and, indeed, have let take place in the past is the reading of a poem entitled,”Death is nothing at all”. The sentiment is meant to give the family peace and probably succeeds but the whole thing makes light of the finality of death. Those who disagree with the Bishop’s stance will easily portray him as uncaring and out of touch. Yet they don’t have to be involved in the daily task of helping people move closer to faith or grow in it. They don’t see how a particular clergyman deals with a bereaved family and the caring way they are helped. Emotions run high at such times as death and so requests, such as the one in question, can be made that send out a message contrary to the gospel. We don’t need to be buoyed by lyrics that hold little, if any, real comfort.” he said.

But one University student from Enniskillen disagreed with the ban; branding the church “old-fashioned.” Joseph, 22, thinks that playing popular music shouldn’t matter. “It reminds us of all the good times we spent with them. The artist or genre of the music shouldn’t matter; Westlife for example, shouldn’t matter because their music is very meaningful. I think the Church is being a little out of touch with reality and a little old-fashioned. I’ve been to funerals were there has been pop music in the church or chapel, along with traditional music - both types of music in the one service fitted the mood perfectly. I think it’s up to the families of the person that has died to decide what songs should be played, not the church.”

ANYONE that carries a knife in public should be immediately locked up behind bars. Britain is experiencing a terrifying rise in knife crime as the Government fails to get a grip on the epidemic and more and more young people are being killed.

A shocking 28 teenagers have been stabbed to death in the UK just this year and now police fear that the escalating rise could see more than 100 teenage murders in 2008 if Labour doesn’t get their act together. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has been blasted for not doing enough and last week through much public pressure, she announced a £5million push against gang crime. But it is too little, too late.

The chilling truth is that we now live in times were children are killing children – but more crucially, those that kill are getting away with it and for the small number that are caught and jailed, most of them are out in a few years due to prison over-crowding, etc. Some of which, may then do community service so it gets a tick in the box somewhere in the administration department of Downing Street. That’s right - in between watering plants or lifting rubbish, these murderers are ready if necessary, to kill again. Everything about this is disgusting. How would you feel, if your child was one of the victims? Exactly. Why should we all live in fear of crime on our doorsteps?

Figures obtained under the freedom of information act show that there is a knife crime committed in the UK every 24 minutes. In fact the figures show that in 2007, 5,500 serious knife crimes took place in the UK in just 3 months. Here in Northern Ireland, approximately 1,200 knife-related crimes occur in the province every year, while in the Republic knife crime has risen 300% in four years.

If the Government and police were as stringent on knife crime as they are on speeding, parking and smoking, the problem would soon go away. They have failed to implement zero-tolerance on knife crime and it needs introduced pronto.

There is a knife-wielding, gun-toting, violent gang culture thrashing humanity and it’s making Britain just as dangerous as New York, and that’s not even including the threat of terrorism. The scumbags that murder others should be locked up for a very, very long time and left to suffer, not freed soon after.

Metal detectors should be in schools, regular police searches need set up and curfews for wayward yobs that ruin small communities need to be enforced. Another knife amnesty is needed too (In 2006, Northern Ireland held a knife amnesty and 886 knives were handed in; 28 of which, were from Fermanagh). There’s no reason why anyone should be carrying a knife in public, especially children – it’s ridiculous.

There is also the notion that tackling these problems requires a bout of political-correctness – you know, one must be careful not to upset folk. We need to ditch this PC nonsense because at the end of the day, why beat around the bush. Tell things straight. Most of society, no matter the colour or faith, could do with a good ticking-off and reminded how to live their lives. If you do the crime, you’ll do the time. And if that doesn’t work, bring back Capital Punishment.

Rodney Edwards presents the Bigger Breakfast Show 7-11am, Mon-Fri on Vibe FM 105.3FM.

Taken from the Impartial Reporter, 29th May 2008

Less public eyesores, more public art

e-mail: rodney@rodneyedwards.co.uk

Waterways Ireland’s new Headquarters in Enniskillen is a bit of an eyesore. There’s something slightly hypocritical about an organisation that’s very much up for the nurturing of water, nature and the environment; ripping up the ground along Lough Erne’s edge and replacing it with a pile of bricks. The colossal waste of space on the Sligo road looks big and bulky; a multitude of construction overlooking the busy road blocks out the rather nice view of the town and lake behind it. (If of course, you ignore the back of the Lakeland Forum which isn’t exactly postcard material). It’s a similar obstruction on the opposite end of the river too.

But Waterways Ireland’s HQ isn’t the only building that infringes on Enniskillen’s picturesque landscape; the recently built Fermanagh House commanded quite a large chunk of the much liked Broadmeadow - previously home to dog walkers or thugs drinking cider. It may just be a plot of grass but it, like a lot of the County’s prominent areas are the real local gems and slowly but surely, getting torn apart and replaced with unsightly buildings. Remember the Clinton Centre row anyone? The controversial design was panned by locals and has still yet to be endeared to by most.

I like the idea of innovative buildings, just not when they are at the cost of something more valuable to Fermanagh – like its lakes, which are part of our global success. Without them, Fermanagh would be one big traffic jam, sandwiched in between fast food restaurants and dozens of money-grabbing apartment blocks. So, shame on Waterways Ireland for forcing tourists to walk further to find that perfect holiday snap.

What Enniskillen needs more than suitably placed revolutionary structures is imaginative and original public art. I like art a lot and the scope with displaying art in the public domain is far greater than the constraints you get with other forms of the subject. With public art, you can site, stage or exhibit any works to be accessible to all – monuments, statutes, lighting, seating, fountains and even graffiti – although I quite duly, “draw” a line at offensive scrawls across public buildings.

Typically ingenious, public art can say more about a place than anything else and there are many places in Enniskillen that art in some form would, benefit, refresh and brighten up the area – it just needs a bit of thought, planning and of course, permission. Bear that in mind, before you grab your paper, paints and sticky-back plastic, eager to follow in the illustrious brushstrokes of Michelangelo, Picasso and modern day public artist; Banksy.

Although, I can’t help thinking that through the artistic trend of “surrealism” in capturing the element of surprise and liberated imagination, creating a 20ft papier-mâché Siamese-cow in purple wellington boots and placing it on the Diamond would look more appealing than some of the ridiculous offerings currently cluttering up Fermanagh. Any public art suggestions on the back of a quaint Waterways Ireland postcard please. Incidentally, they don’t actually “do” postcards to my knowledge, but there’s nothing like concluding an opinionated piece with a cheap cynical dig…

Rodney Edwards presents the Bigger Breakfast Show 7-11am, Mon-Fri on Vibe FM 105.3FM

Taken from the Impartial Reporter, 7th May 2008

Why bypass the need for a bypass in Enniskillen?

e-mail: rodney@rodneyedwards.co.uk

The roads around Enniskillen are really starting to irritate me, to the point I’d much rather down ten pints of broken glass than waste another second of my life sitting in ANOTHER mind-numbingly tedious queue. And it’s getting more and more unbearable.

Work at adding another lane along Henry Street / Sligo Road is underway, much to the aggravation of us motorists that now have a daily ringside view of lorries, diggers and yellow high-visibility vests. As I write this, I’m resisting the urge to use one of the traffic cones on the individual that dreamt up the whole sorry thing.

Am I the only one that’s realised that the only thing an extra lane does is fill up with even more traffic, resulting in more, er, traffic? Without an actual bypass in Enniskillen, no extra lane anywhere is going to solve the immense traffic congestion in the town – take note Fermanagh Council. Certainly not on the Sligo bloomin’ road that’s for sure. If I had a pound for every text I’ve received from a listener stuck on that road in the mornings, I’d have enough money to buy a hovercraft for commuting. And don’t get me started on those lumps of tar they call “speed bumps” – an appropriate name, because once you’ve passed them all, you have to speed up a bit after spending half the day going over them. However, I digress.

Dublin Road to Town Centre to Queen Street to Henry Street to the Queen Elizabeth Road – you name the area, and these days, a usual short journey has turned into a 30min + nightmare. I should know, I’ve just had one whole week of sitting in my car every day, going nowhere. I was even able to eat an entire sandwich one morning, while waiting and waiting on the Wellington Road and not moving an inch for 20 long maddening minutes.

An unpleasant undertaking, only made worse by those that barge into your lane without asking you or change lanes without there being room for their vehicle, so they sit diagonally across the road, waiting to move and blocking you in the process. Before changing back into your lane once the traffic flow has moved up a bit and then flashing their hazard lights to thank you for allowing them to ruin your life even further by making you even more late.

Some say, public transport is the answer to stress-free roads, and that we should ditch our cars for the bus or even a taxi. I’ve spent years taking buses and taxis. They can be unreliable, noisy and grubby. It would take a substantial increase at running my car or a substantial decrease in cost of public transport to force me out of using the comfort of my motor. Others think the government should limit the number of vehicles per family, to about two or make neighbours “car share” trips, like the school run. And the most common cry from friends of the earth is that we should all cycle or walk everywhere instead - which is about as useful as my car without any fuel.

Surely the only answer is a big ‘ole bypass. So come on, when are we going to have one? Your thoughts please.

Rodney Edwards presents the Bigger Breakfast Show 7-11am, Mon-Fri on Vibe FM 105.3FM.

Taken from the Impartial Reporter, 1st May 2008

Money is only funny, in a rich man’s world

e-mail: rodney@rodneyedwards.co.uk

For the majority of us not lucky enough to have millions in the bank; money is something that we must borrow. And for the last ten years, more and more of us have notched up a sickening amount of debt.

Last week, the Archbishop of Canterbury slammed schools and colleges for their lack of financial education – which is a fare point. For years, many student loans have been handed out left, right and centre to teenage layabouts that end up spending the cash; drinking their body weight in Barcardi Breezers of an evening. It never seems logic to hand out thousands to those that can barely work a calculator, but it’s all, apparently, in a bid to boost their education as they go of and study something prolific. Before coming back six months later with debt coming out of their ears, a massive hangover and an application form for the local supermarket. It’s the same old story, year in, year out.

Some students make a go of it and the loans are a lifeline, a helpful hand to furthering their career. But the majority mess it up and borrow more and more, with no regard for the real cost of meeting their aspirations. It’s not just teenagers or twenty-somethings that have money worries; between the rise in fuel, food and home prices; everyone, it would appear, is in the same boat. Add credit card bills, overdrafts and mortgage repayments to that mix, and you have a recipe for a mighty lasting headache.

Take the ever publicised “rise in property prices” for example. It turns the notion of buying a home into nothing more than a childhood dream. Well, for those of us who aren’t multi-millionaires or gangsters, anyway. It’s a somewhat difficult process for everyone else and means years of sleepless nights and microwavable dinners. A colleague of mine recently told me that he heard Fermanagh house prices have been compared to house prices in Dublin. It’s quite flattering to think, that us local folk are situated in such a property goldmine but quite daunting that for most of us, it means if it’s not a shed, then it’s probably out of our price range.

When Labour came into power 11 years ago, they promised to eradicate child poverty but the gap between the rich and the poor has never been so wide. Thousands are claiming child benefit, the dole and disability allowance. Most of them are entitled to it – but let’s not beat around the bush, a lot of these people are sponging off the tax-paying public and sitting on their backsides. How many times have you spotted a good-for-nothing slacker in Enniskillen and ridiculed that person, mentally, for making you work so they can be kept clothed in traky bottoms and medallions? It’s absurd.

Britain now owes over one and a half trillion pounds; making it one of the most debt-ridden countries on the face of the earth, a shocking fact. And sooner or later, we could be preparing for a complete financial meltdown. Before that happens, perhaps I could use this opportunity to ask the great Sean Quinn if he’d be kind enough to give me a few quid? A million should do, I’m not fussy. There’s a caravan in Portrush with my name on it.

Rodney Edwards presents the Bigger Breakfast Show 7-11am, Mon-Fri on Vibe FM 105.3FM.

Taken from the Impartial Reporter, 24th April 2008.

Alan’s Marathon Bid

e-mail: rodney@rodneyedwards.co.uk

After suffering a heart attack in 2003; Fermanagh man, Alan Patterson has been determined to change his lifestyle ever since and will run his fourth Belfast Marathon next month.

Through years of binging on unhealthy foods and drinks; the electrician from Clabby used to weigh a whopping 19 stone; “The foods I used to eat were awful, and it shames me to say. I wouldn’t have any breakfast. I’d have two packets of crisps every day with my sandwiches, chocolate bars and no fruit at all. For dinner I would eat carry out food really late at night. It would be 10pm, maybe 11pm before I would get the food and I would also fry my own food to eat along with this. I’d be eating a mountain of fried food around midnight every night. Burgers, chips - at least 2 portions, sausages and fizzy drinks – around 2 litres of 7up a day.

Alan’s weight was getting so out of control that it started to affect his work; ““Before the heart attack when I was so big, I used to get stuck in trap doors and inside roof spaces. This is a central part of my job and it began to worry me. I found it hard to climb the ladders and even at home, mowing the lawn I was really out of breath. I began to realise that my lifestyle wasn’t good but I just couldn’t get motivated to make any change.” he says.

Even Alan’s devoted family, couldn’t convince him to admit he had a problem with his weight – he was adamant that he didn’t need to change his ways; “My family were always at me to lose weight, always. I never really worried about being 19 stone to be honest. I knew I was big but it never worried me. It would just go in one ear and out the other.” says Alan.

In July 2003, Alan dropped wife Laura and daughter Alanna off at Belfast airport as they were flying to Australia to visit a relative. Shortly after returning home on his own, Alan suffered a heart attack; “I was sad to see them away. That night, I started to get pain in my chest which moved down into my arms. It became more severe – tighter and sorer. I was becoming out of breath. My mother rang to see if there was any word from Laura on her journey and when speaking to me she realised there was something wrong with me straight away. She knew it was my heart. She told me not to worry, that everything would be alright. She immediately rang the ambulance and told me to try to get to the door to make sure it was unlocked. Mum rang my neighbours to come round who were quickly followed by my brother and the doctor. By this stage I was feeling panicked and dizzy and just very unwell. I had such bad chest pain, I thought I might die, I was on my own and wasn’t sure what was happening. I felt more at ease the ambulance was here and I was in hospital, I knew I was in safe hands then. In the hospital I got injections, set up on a heart monitor and was there for seven days having tests to assess the source.”

He was then sent to Belfast City Hospital were further tests were carried out and he had an operation for a stent to be fitted; “It was difficult making contact with Laura and Alanna as they were still in the air flying to Australia – I didn’t know whether to tell them or not as I really didn’t want to spoil their holiday. I decided to contact them three days later as it was better they knew I was OK.”

Alan’s heart attack was his wake up call, he realised it was a sign to change and through a massive amount of determination, he really has changed his life for the better; “I’ve lost 7.5 stone now and I find my work much easier. I was told to take up some exercise for the good of my health and mainly to lose weight. I began with some gentle walking, five miles a day for about a year. Then this turned into jogging and running the five miles. Gradually as time went on, Alan could feel himself becoming fitter and more able to run further; “My weight came down as a result of this. I also changed my eating habits dramatically. I cut out all the fatty foods I was eating before and replaced these with salads, fruit and veg. I wouldn’t eat late at night and started to eat breakfasts”.

On May 5th, Alan, who celebrated his 50th birthday in November, will run the Belfast Marathon; “In early 2005 I started to train for the marathon. Everyone I knew thought I was mad and couldn’t believe I was going to do it. I trained every day, building up my hours and miles running so I could achieve my goal. I completed my first marathon in 4.5 hours and was very pleased but my best time was 3.43. I have now got the marathon bug!” laughs Alan.

Alan is running in aide of the Chest, Heart and Stroke Association and is hoping to raise a lot of money for the charity; “It’s very personal to me. I get such a sense of achievement from crossing the finish line – all 26.2 miles. I’d be really grateful if anyone could help this charity and sponsor my running. My diet and lifestyle nearly killed me until I had that warning. Not everyone is so lucky to get that warning.”

Sponsor Alan by picking up a sponsor form at Vibe FM, Intec Centre, East Bridge Street, Enniskillen or call 028 66 343 944 for more details.

Taken from the Impartial Reporter, 24th April 2008.

Rodney Edwards
e-mail: rodney@rodneyedwards.co.uk

We’re always being told that the world is about to end, yet, it never does. We’re constantly being asked to use less plastic bags, drive electric cars and ensure our apple cores and bean tins are separated from the green and blue bin – all in “our bit” to save the planet from being boiled and the polar bears from sinking. And don’t forget how we must “cut back” on the spraying of deodorant or polish before the sun, according to those in the know; falls out of the sky.

Yet somehow, surrounded by a haze of Lynx Africa and Mr Muscle, we’re still here. And the government, hippies and Bono are still pondering on how to save the world from this so-called “meltdown”. Now the World Meteorological Organisation has waded in to calm the whole thing down a bit, by admitting; that the world will actually cool down a bit this year. The news will certainly throw scientists into a spin after scaremongering the public about global warming for many, many years. But let’s face it; the threat of the end of time will always be gravely inflated and we will constantly be reminded that we’re all going to die. If not from global warming, then from Bird Flu or just from watching too much reality TV.

Furthermore, hoards and hoards of nauseating so-called celebrities will continue to jump onboard the latest “save the world” band wagon – and for many of the fame-seekers, they’ll do it in the hope, that it’ll make them look good and sell whatever it is they’re plugging. After the much publicised Live Earth (the cheap-imitation of Live Aid and Live eight) one very famous rock band front man is quoted as saying; “I don’t know much about the cause but it did wonders for our album sales”. I rest my case.

It only gets more and more ridiculous when the whole “saving” process goes local and rural places like Fermanagh are asked do their bit. How a small area such as this county can single-handily prevent the world from going bang is anyone’s guess. But fair play, they do try. Although, I’ve yet to see a local farmer, barefoot, peddling a battery powered tractor and cutting the silage with a pair of hedge clippers. And I wait, with baited breath, for the day that Fermanagh councillors rollerblade into work, wearing a solar powered helmet and munching on a piece of organic rhubarb for breakfast.

Here’s a mad idea. How about we individuals focus on the matters in hand, instead of worrying about something that might never happen - serious issues that should be addressed are the issues that affect us right now. World poverty, the war in Iraq and around the globe, terrorism, racism, sectarianism, bullying, corruption, debt, eating disorders and terminal illnesses- and that list is just of the top of my head. There are far more serious problems with society to consider. Think about that the next time you worry about what bin to put your yogurt pot in or whether or not your potato skin sandals go with your daffodil-encrusted sunhat.

Rodney Edwards presents the Bigger Breakfast Show 7-11am, Mon-Fri on Vibe FM 105.3FM.

Taken from the Impartial Reporter, 3rd April 2008.

Rodney Edwards

e-mail: rodney@rodneyedwards.co.uk

Everyday hoards of media outlets descend on social networking sites or video sharing sites to bump up their coverage of a particular news story or issue. Be it local or national newspapers, magazines, radio or TV stations or various websites – they all have one thing in mind, and that’s bringing its punters closer to the big story.

This particular practice has been widely condemned as ‘lazy journalism’ or indeed, praised as ‘embracing web 2.0 interfaces’ by the Theodore and Abigail’s of management meetings. Websites like YouTube, Bebo, MySpace and Facebook have become an essential journalistic tool for story fodder. Videos, photographs and blogs are now setting the editorial agenda. I’ve written many stories for various British tabloids and broadsheets that have been sourced using the internet following the commands of a barking editor – it’s a practice that has become well acknowledged in the media.

Pick up any paper today and I guarantee you’ll find yet another story based on an internet indignity by a celeb, a footballer or a group of asbo teenagers in Liverpool. Flick on the News at Ten with Trev, and the chances are, he’ll run a story that uses a user-generated video clip to back it up. Regionally, more and more news organisations are feasting on social-networking sites, such as MySpace or Bebo profiles to illustrate a story and maintain their ‘local angle’ remit. Profiles that feature a local that has died or the misdemeanours of another are all used, with the focus heavily on that particular person’s biography or “friend’s comments”. It’s all bizarre and in some respect; infringing on an individual’s privacy; - especially when it concerns a bereavement. I don’t really believe presenting the profile of someone who has died or the messages of condolences as a “story” is beneficial to anyone; in fact, it shows when a story really isn’t a story. But that’s the nature of the beast and how we consumers have started to expect our news – up-close and personal. The internet will continue to alter the delivery of news to the consumer whether you agree with it or not.

Keeping on the subject of local content online, a quick search for ‘Fermanagh’ on video sharing site YouTube.com finds you … absolute tosh. In fact, Fermanagh has such a dreadful “online” presence that the only videos you’ll find worthy of a mention are of a drunk dressed up as Batman, a mini being reversed into a trolley shelter at Asda and a hairy fella vomiting into a shoe. It’s somewhat reassuring that Vibe FM, the new Enniskillen radio station will be launching an online TV service for purely local content soon then. In addition to soon-to-be-launched Fermanagh TV which will also cover local news, entertainment, music and sport much like Vibe. Quality and informative local programmes for local people by local people.

Well, it was only a matter of time before some level-headed folk got their finger out and brought Fermanagh up to speed with the rest of the world. Much hilarity is to be had, of course, at those folk in suits, the individuals that have never been too bothered about taking an interest in the media business – and now, those “old dinosaurs” have all been proved wrong. The change in technology and the introduction of these new media platforms is upon us, as the county’s media business gears up for a thriving future. In fact, it could easily be Fermanagh’s saving grace – pumping a bit of life back into the county. A window of opportunity has been opened, a chance for literally, everyone (of all ages, young and old) to get out and embrace changing times and contribute their talent. We’ve been lurking around in the dark ages for far too long and it’s about time that people, especially those in power (and outside the county), realised, that Fermanagh isn’t all about its lakes, farming or according to the internet; inebriated Goths being sick.

Rodney Edwards presents the Bigger Breakfast Show 7-10am, Mon-Fri on Vibe FM 105.3FM.