Yesterday saw confirmation that the Independent is to launch a 20p news-digest style paper to target “lapsed readers of quality newspapers”. But will “i” succeed in stemming the flow of readers away from newsprint? The inclusion of an iPad app format indicates that Russian owner Alexander Lebedev has his eye on the young, digital-savvy market. But […]
It’s always fun for smug media professionals to flag up the illiteracy of local councils, so here’s a nice example from a road sign currently on display in Bath. Given the parlous state of the nation’s finances, I suspect it won’t be replaced for a while. But, I mean, it’s not as if you don’t […]
In the first of what may turn out to be an occasional series, here’s the result of some Popbitch-inspired web trawling: Amateur.org.uk. With posts titled “On Numinosity“, “Tender Buttons” and “Milk“, this is clearly a site designed for those with a most discerning intellectual curiosity. Sample text: Objects proliferate as never before, but they are mostly […]
If the new leader of the Labour Party runs into serious trouble over the next few years, maybe he can carve out a new career in situation comedy. Or has he already? Maybe the reason Ed Miliband has never been seen in the same room as Italian-American TV comedy actor Ray Romano is because they […]
This splash on the latest stop-motion animation short from the UK’s favourite Oscar-winning, Bristol-based animation studio manages to spell the company’s name wrong not just once, but all three times it is mentioned. Oh well, it was at least consistent. And it wasn’t in the headline or standfirst. Just for the record, it’s Aardman with […]
Readers may remember the run-in I had with the Clinique press office a little while ago, and the flood of visitors that were drawn here by a repost at US journalism college web site the Poynter Institute. It was very exciting – my readership spiked tenfold, and I had loads of comments. So – I’m on […]
…I’ve had to spend quite a bit of time training up my new editorial assistant. She’s certainly got a nose for news, and will sniff out ineptitude and inaccuracy in the media with relentless tenacity. She also loves traditional news media – it’s very comfortable. Don’t worry though – Freelance Unbound is not about to […]
Regular readers of Freelance Unbound will know some of the problems a journalism lecturer faces when it comes to assessing student work. But aside from the relentless inaccuracies in spelling, grammar, punctuation and argument, one of the most notable qualities of student writing is its self-indulgence. “I” dominates the writing of students. It’s not long […]
Entertainment headline on Yahoo News: Mitch Winehouse has gallstones (Though, to be honest, I’m more intrigued by the news that “Paris Hilton is being sued for allegedly wearing someone else’s hair.” What is the world coming to?)
Via Soilman comes an example of a news item from the Telegraph that fails to tell the reader almost everything they need to know in order to make sense of the story. It’s impossible to pull out any extracts from the story that make any real sense. Go and have a look and see if […]