tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8459632375083185046.post7941061327339645745..comments2022-10-21T22:03:13.425-07:00Comments on Jo Wadsworth: Warts and allJo Wadsworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17029240545616856521noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8459632375083185046.post-46445873904366386122009-10-20T09:53:14.318-07:002009-10-20T09:53:14.318-07:00My favourite story happened when as news ed at the...My favourite story happened when as news ed at the Northern Echo we had a photo journalist go to the site of the discovery of ancient, rare bones. An amazing find which had been painstakingly revealed by scientitst with the little brushes working away for weeks - only for the clumsy journo to topple into the 'grave' while getting the shot. True, I promise!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8459632375083185046.post-88345222179944763302009-10-19T12:50:43.450-07:002009-10-19T12:50:43.450-07:00Oh, and Kevin - did you find the body?Oh, and Kevin - did you find the body?Jo Wadsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17029240545616856521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8459632375083185046.post-9383166085353792162009-10-19T12:45:04.829-07:002009-10-19T12:45:04.829-07:00Fantastic stories all. As I'm a competitive an...Fantastic stories all. As I'm a competitive anecdote teller, I'll leave another one: <br /><br />Three *very* naughty reporters (not one of whom was me, sadly) once thought it would be funny to intercept the fishing columnist's weekly fax and replace it with their own, stuffed full of fake fish and fly names (lesser warted hogfish, striped flibbertigibits, etc). They figured the sports editor would spot the fake a mile off - but no, it went in, and they braced themselves for the worst. The result - not a single call, letter or email. Not even from the fishing columnist. They must have been more convincing than they thought . . .Jo Wadsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17029240545616856521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8459632375083185046.post-34136392869389621302009-10-19T12:35:22.121-07:002009-10-19T12:35:22.121-07:00I once had a tip off that a man, who lived in the ...I once had a tip off that a man, who lived in the patch I was covering, had the name Elvis Presley. I popped around but there was no answer. In his back garden was an eight foot wooden cross with a Confederate flag flying from it. I left my card and next day, back at the office, I had a call from reception. I went down and there was Elvis performing All Shook Up to the embarrassed reception girls.<br /><br />There was another time when my news editor sent me to interview a glamorous granny. She proudly told me her daughter was a model. She unveiled a stack of publications in which said daughter had appeared in: Mirror, Sun, Star, gulp Daily Sport and a centre spread in Big and Beautiful (I think that was the name). "Lovely," I said, "You must be very proud." She was.<br /><br />And I'm not even going to go into the viking enthusiast, an IT specialist called Kevin by day, who drew blood when he stabbed me to show how a sword would have been used, or the time I interviewed a 12 year old boy who died in 1956 but through a spiritualist told me where I could find parts of a dismembered woman.Kevin Matthewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06026813204204673007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8459632375083185046.post-83746877449575838912009-10-16T11:26:03.970-07:002009-10-16T11:26:03.970-07:00As the number three on the newsdesk I once worked ...As the number three on the newsdesk I once worked on, it fell to me to take the looney calls. A repeat offender was a well-meaning old lady who was convinced al qaeda had taken over a cake shop in a small town I'm convinced they would never have an interest in, to which one of the subs replied: "If they have, tell her to leave them to it. Their cakes have never tasted so good." <br />But you can always tell a lot about a place by the sort of post which is sent to the local paper. Our nature writer never used to appeal for animal skeletons, but did used to get sent them. And there was right fuss when an evelope of white powder arrived in the post - it turned out to be the boyfriend of someone in advertising sending her love hearts in the post. He hadn't twigged they might get crushed...David Higgersonhttp://www.davidhiggerson.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8459632375083185046.post-39105083127374628692009-10-15T02:58:28.234-07:002009-10-15T02:58:28.234-07:00I've had the phonecalls from the people who ha...I've had the phonecalls from the people who have "concrete evidence" MI5, The Royal Mail, a TV celebrity is trying to get them killed. <br /><br />While on work experience I was sent out to meet the Scientologists who had set up a tent on Centenary Square - much to the amusement of those back in the office.Joanna Gearyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03115413058216227623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8459632375083185046.post-89312600192318934532009-10-14T12:57:59.432-07:002009-10-14T12:57:59.432-07:00Having worked in magazines rather than news, I con...Having worked in magazines rather than news, I consider myself fortunate to have been spared such newsroom humiliations. On mags, being roped in usually involves a perk of some sort - like the night a car weekly I subbed for paid for half a dozen of us to get steadily drunk, the only proviso being to check in every two drinks to test a portable breathalyser for a drink-driving feature it was running.Louise Bolotinhttp://louisebolotin.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8459632375083185046.post-14189745094710014512009-10-14T09:53:26.252-07:002009-10-14T09:53:26.252-07:00Dressing up - the one thing every reporter vows ne...Dressing up - the one thing every reporter vows never to do to a colleague should they get on the desk, and which they <i>always</i> end up forcing on someone once they reach said position of power. <br />And yes, I've done it to someone - they got sent Big Cat hunting in the Forest of Dean. <br />I also like the phonecalls that start off: "Worridiziz...", the defendent who tells you his gran doesn't know he's in court <i>so if you could, like, keep it outta the paper cos it'll kill her to see it</i> and the summons from reception that starts off "There's a gentleman here with a (insert improbable item here) to see you". For me, when the call came through the improbable item was the corpse of an otter. While people around him tried to submit birth notices and cars for sale adverts.<br />Anyway, without wanting to plug shamelessly, <a href="http://headlinesanddedlines.blogspot.com/2008/02/10-oclock-from-house.html" rel="nofollow">here's </a> my take on newsroom rules...Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02856693084384304955noreply@blogger.com