The Fleet Street Forum FAQ

• a general section, dealing mainly with the Forum itself.
  
• a section on journalism training and education, of particular interest to anyone considering journalism as a career.
  
• following that, naturally, is a section on jobs, intended for those with vacancies to fill as well as for jobseekers.
  
• finally is a section called journalism in action, which deals with everyday practical matters of doing journalism, either as a staffer or freelance.
  

1.1 What is Fleet Street Forum?
1.2 Why Fleet Street?
1.3 How do I visit the forum?
1.4 Can anyone post?
1.5 Will I get flamed, personally abused or made to look stupid?
1.6 Are there any special rules or conventions?
1.7 Can I lurk?
1.8 Do I have to write perfect English?
1.9 Can I ask simple questions - like for phone numbers or contact details?
1.10 Does the forum welcome lightbulb jokes? 
1.11 But seriously, is humour a part of the forum?

2. JOURNALISM TRAINING AND EDUCATION

2.1 How do I get started in journalism? I'll do anything.
2.2 OK, more specifically, how do I increase my chances of getting a career in journalism?
2.3 Is a media studies degree worth having?
2.4 Are correspondence courses any good?
2.5 I'm caught in a Catch 22. No-one will employ me until I get published. And until I have a job, or at least a freelance commission, I can't get published.
2.6 Is journalism so competitive that outsiders just don't have a chance?
2.7 Is City University's periodical journalism course my best option?

3. JOBSEEKING AND VACANCY FILLING

3.1 Will I get a job from the forum?
3.2 Can I post my CV or advertise my availability?
3.3 Can I advertise a post?
3.4 Can I sell my past work?

4. JOURNALISM IN ACTION

4.1 How much do journalists get paid?
4.2 How should I approach an editor - with a finished article or an idea?
4.3 What are good reliable sources to help settle disputes about use of language, grammar and spelling?
4.4 How does the law affect me as a journalist?
4.5 Where can I find information about specialist journalism?
4.6 Is sending press releases by attachments to email a good way for PRs to attract journalists' interest?
4.7 I'm a freelance and my cashflow is suffering because of a repeated late payer - what can I do?
4.8 I routinely tape record telephone interviews. Is this legal? Should I ask the interviewee for permission first?
4.9 Who owns the copyright in my work?
4.10 How should I submit copy to a magazine or newspaper - by fax, email? Is a Word document generally acceptable - and are there any conventions to follow?
4.11 How should copy be presented?
4.12 Would you ever agree to submit copy to the subject of an interview before publication? If so, on what basis?
4.13 The publication I write for has been the victim of plagiarism - a blatant and uncredited 'borrow'. How can we rectify the situation?
4.14 Does anyone know where I would go to find news archives from the Slough Berkshire area from January 1989 to January 1990?
4.15 I am finding journalism very stressful. I'm drinking too much and missing deadlines. I may be depressed. Anyone else felt like this? What should I do?

1. GENERAL

1.1 What is Fleet Street Forum?

An electronic gathering of journalists, photographers, PRs, students and others active in, or interested in, UK journalism, the press and its activities. Contributors, most of whom have never met, post their thoughts - opinions, questions, requests for information - on the electronic bulletin board. And are replied to by others.

Debate is often robust & rarely dull. There are no sacred cows, and very little that is off-topic. What, after all, is off-topic to a journalist unless it is boring or old?

The bulletin board is hosted by LineOne, the internet service. It was set up in its present form by Wendy Grossman, a freelance computer and technology writer and Dominic Young, onetime photographer and currently intellectual property director for a reasonably well known firm of newspaper publishers. It had an earlier life as Fleet Street Forum on CompuServe of which Wendy and Dominic were chief sysops. It was set up there around Christmas 1995 by Rupert Goodwins, and moved to its present site in February 1999.

It retains the name Forum though it could be called a bulletin board. It is not part of Usenet, that anarchic collection of newsgroups. Thus we avoid most of the spammers, shills, trolls, ranters, obsessives and other nuisances who dilute the pleasure & value of newsgroups.

1.2 Why Fleet Street?

Fleet Street, a main thoroughfare linking Westminster with the City of London, has been the traditional home of literary and journalistic London for around five hundred years. The Caxton printing presses moved there in 1500. In 1702 Britain's first daily newspaper, the Daily Courant, set up its presses there, beginning a boom of over 250 years during which all the major national newspapers had offices and presses in the area.

That boom had ended by the mid-1980s when new technology and union-busting managers finally undermined the printers' power and the major newspapers decamped to new sites - including 'Fortress Wapping' in the docklands area to the east of the city.

But the spirit of Fleet Street breathes on. Eighteenth century writer and wit Charles Lamb once said, 'The man must have a rare recipe for melancholy, who can be dull in Fleet Street.' That observation, minus the gender exclusivity and the back-to-front construction, remains true, thanks to the virtual Fleet Street and its extraordinary bunch of lively, informed, argumentative and opinionated regulars, by-standers and droppers-in. 

1.3 How do I visit the forum?

If you have a web-based browser, such as Opera, Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer, you can read all the posts, arranged by date or by subject, via the homepage at www.fleetstreet.org.uk or - since you're here already - by clicking here.

Better, because it is faster and easier, is to use an off-line newsreader. Examples of such readers (known as OLRs) are Turnpike, Ozwin, and Ameol. You can also use standard newsreaders such as Outlook Express. The forum has a special NewsAgent program designed by Mark Hamilton specifically for the Fleet Street Forum which can be downloaded free from here.

If you cannot work the OLR technology, post a question on the web version of the forum, and you should find friendly help, if necessary off-forum. 

1.4 Can anyone post?

Yes. There are no entry requirements. Though it is a journalists' forum, broadly defined to embrace, with great warmth, photographers, PRs and associated professionals, it is also available to outsiders who are interested in talking about the media.

Be warned, though, that Fleet Street Forum is not a general current affairs discussion board. Topics are discussed by insiders, who know how newspapers, magazines, television and radio work and have spent quite a lot of their working lives in the industry. Anyone who expresses strong views about journalists and the press without knowing how the system works ends up sounding pretty silly.

1.5 Will I get flamed, personally abused or made to look stupid?

If you insist....

The forum has a reputation for hard-hitting responses that take little account of the finer feelings of others. This is largely undeserved. It is true that certain regulars feel no compunction about roundly abusing each other. But newcomers are treated with respect, especially if they are polite and show a willingness to listen and to think about other people's contributions.

Newcomers who are obnoxious, egocentric, insensitive to argument, boring, repetitive or overly pompous do risk being gently teased for their failings.

If you do find yourself on the receiving end of clever or hurtful remarks you can console yourself with the thought that someone figured you could cope with it.

1.6 Are there any special rules or conventions?

Yes, you have to be prepared to argue for what you say. There is no point in coming to Fleet, as people do to other newsgroups, offering a few comments and saying 'just my 2-cents worth'. Frankly, no-one is interested. If you cannot defend what you say, or are happy to think - 'I cannot explain it, it is just what I feel', this is probably not the forum for you.

You will see very few emoticons around the forum. Nor are exclamation marks and question marks used, except as a handy way to indicate exclamations or questions. This is because writers value words, which are much more subtle, rich and multi-layered than symbols ever can be. It is true that this absence can lead to misunderstandings, especially if an attempt at levity backfires. But that is all part of the fun.

Fleet messages are never rounded off with twee little signatures containing homely wisdom or inspirational platitudes. No-one really knows why. It could be just coincidence. Or it might be that they are intensely irritating to some people. And make others feel sick.

1.7 Can I lurk?

Of course. In fact, it is not a bad idea to spend some time getting a feel of the place, reading old messages, before you make your first post. And, of course, reading this FAQ, which you certainly seem to be doing, should help speed that familiarisation process.

1.8 Do I have to write perfect English?

Nope. Most of the contributors are professional writers who know the importance of producing accurate and error-free copy. But they can also distinguish between the standards appropriate to delivering copy and the relaxed informality of an electronic conversation. In Fleet, errors will not be unnoticed (training and experience forbid that), but they will generally go unremarked. Exceptions to that basic rule are generously made in the case of any contributor who sets themselves up as an expert or who finds fault with other people's use of language.

1.9 Can I ask simple questions - like for phone numbers or contact details?

Certainly. Think of it as calling out in a busy but basically friendly open editorial office. Questions such as 'Anyone got a phone number for this organisation?' or 'Can anyone place this quotation?' are welcome distractions and can lead to interesting threads or conversations - just as they would in a real office. You will find that people will help if they can, though they will also tell you, possibly caustically, if your answer is very readily available from an obvious source. Again, just as they would do in any office.

Likewise, you might be able to help others in their search.

1.10 Does the forum welcome lightbulb jokes?

What? The recycled anonymous witticisms that bored officeworkers devise to distract each other from productive work? Perish the thought. You would never get Michael Kenward, Fleet regular, ex editor of New Scientist and probably the only contributor to have an OBE for services to journalism, passing on this kind of thing:

Q. -- How many COPY EDITORS does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A. -- I can't tell whether you mean 'change a lightbulb' or 'have sex in a lightbulb'. Can we reword it to remove ambiguity?

Q. -- How many MANAGING EDITORS does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A. -- You were supposed to have changed that lightbulb last week!

Q. -- How many WRITERS does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A. -- But why do we have to CHANGE it?

Q. -- How many ART DIRECTORS does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A. -- Does it HAVE to be a lightbulb?

Q. -- How many COPY EDITORS does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A. -- The last time this question was asked, it involved art directors. Is the difference intentional? Seems inconsistent.

Q. -- How many MARKETING DIRECTORS does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A. -- It isn't too late to make this neon instead, is it?

Q. -- How many PUBLISHERS does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A. -- Three. One to screw it in, and two to hold down the author.

Q. -- How many SALES DIRECTORS does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A. -- (pause) I get it! This is one of those lightbulb jokes, right?


1.11 But seriously, is humour a part of the forum?

It is integral. Wit, levity and a less than solemn approach to life are very welcome.

But be aware that not all jokes work. After all, this is an electronic gathering of people from different backgrounds, ages, interests, and tastes. Humour is a personal thing and not universally shared. It is not easy to get the tone right. Irony is easily missed - to the frustration of the ironist. References to your favourite comedy show may well go unrecognised. And elephantine flights of fancy are sometimes regretted - though they do no harm at all. By all means, post something funny. But be prepared for others not to find it so - and for them not to spare your feelings in letting you know that.

Even if you do make people laugh, you are unlikely to discover it. Fleet does not tend to deal in the cosy mutual support and approbation that makes some online forums seem like touchy-feely group therapy sessions.

On the other hand, you need to be alert to the dry, sometimes sour rejoinders of some of the regulars. Rather than be upset at their brutal gibes and wounding put-downs, it is better to pity them as sad, bitter and twisted malcontents. Then wait for an opportunity to cut them to the quick with your rapier-like wit. At which point, re-read the first sentence of the last but one paragraph.

Return to FAQ index

2. JOURNALISM TRAINING AND EDUCATION


2.1 How do I get started in journalism? I'll do anything.

Variations on this question are asked over and over again. It is not a particularly good question. It betrays a worrying cluelessness and lack of initiative. Anyone serious about journalism really ought to have enough commonsense to get beyond it. There are careers books in libraries, even cheap paperbacks on sale in the High Street (including Teach yourself Journalism, by ex-Mirror journalist Michael Bromley who now lectures in journalism at the respected City University, London) which will give you far more information and leads than you can possibly get from a forum of working hacks.

Much better to tighten your question and ask specifics.

Here is one reply from Fleet regular and award-winning columnist John Diamond to a recent poster. She had replied to his query about what kind of journalism she aspired to saying she 'would do anything'.

That's a bit like your saying you want to work in a hospital, my asking you what doing and you saying that it's all the same to you: ward orderly, radiographer, neurosurgeon, ambulance driver. Unless you just want to get your name in the papers 'anything' in journalism includes everything from reviewing computer games for What Dweeb? to doing tedious subbing shifts on trade mags, to writing one-page stories for My Weekly, to doorstepping grieving widows for the local paper, to writing self-serving columns for the nationals, to compiling Me And My Pet questionnaires for the tabs to... I'm sure you can complete the list yourself. All the jobs rely on acquiring facts and assembling words in a felicitous order, but other than that the difference between most of the jobs is as great as that between children's nurse and lab technician. You really do need to decide what sort of journalism you fancy doing.

2.2 OK, more specifically, how do I increase my chances of getting a career in journalism?

Over the years two different sorts of responses have emerged from Fleet. One is - do anything and everything you can. Make your own breaks by energy, activity and willingness to do anything even vaguely connected with your ultimate goal.

The other is - stay focused. If you really want to be a print-based news reporter don't be deflected by any old opening. Eventually your persistence will pay off.

Confused? It's inevitable. Here, to help, is a recent offering from Fleet regular Jenny Hirschkorn, herself a journalist, describing how her son kick-started his career:

After uni, my son took a year out to do his own thing as a ski guide, and then came back to face the daunting task of getting a job in journalism. He sorted out the things that interested him - computers, skiing, cars and a few others - and wrote to all the magazines and organisations that covered those topics. About half failed to acknowledge at all - and why should they? They didn't solicit the applications. The other half came back with the usual - "we'll keep your details on file." It was all very depressing, but tenacity counts. Then, he got a call from probably his number one on the wish list offering him part-time freelance work to tide them over a busy patch. That was two years ago, and he's now been on staff for eighteen months.

Quite a number of the others who'd said they'd keep his details also came back to him, but he was already settled by then. You have to take the proactive line. (By the way, he had no journalism qualification.)

2.3 Is a media studies degree worth having?

Views of Fleet-ers tend to be surprisingly uniform on this matter. Media degrees have such a bad reputation that when it comes to jobseeking, they are a positive disadvantage. If you have a media studies degree it is better to keep quiet about it - fake your CV to pretend that you were in prison or something that won't harm your employability so much.

That is a joke. But it is true that media studies is a degree like any other and does not give you a fast track to employment. It is also true that many editors value what they see as strong subjects with good content. The technical bits of journalism can always be quickly picked up by anyone willing to learn.

2.4 Are correspondence courses any good?

Good for hobbyists and dabblers. Unlikely that anyone will learn anything that cannot be picked up faster and better doing the job, or just reading one of the many paperback guides to writing at a fraction of the cost.

John Diamond wrote a piece for the Spectator on just this subject, helpfully available at the science writers' website http://www.absw.org.uk/careers.htm


2.5 I'm caught in a Catch 22. No-one will employ me until I get published. And until I have a job, or at least a freelance commission, I can't get published.

Not true. Journalism is wide open. To get published all you need to do is provide the editor of your choice with copy that she or he wants to print. And while as an outsider or beginner you may have certain disadvantages, you also have certain advantages. Namely, you are fresh, you will have new angles on things, you have time to think and research and you can try a variety of newspapers and magazines until you find one that matches your interests and skills.

Given that people have broken into regular journalism while still at school, and certainly while heavily committed to other jobs or families, the plea that 'I can't get in' simply doesn't wash. It is hard, yes. But so is training to be a dentist. By comparison the routes to journalism are many, varied and extremely open.

2.6 Is journalism so competitive that outsiders just don't have a chance?

Again, this is a myth that does not stand up to much scrutiny. There are lots of wannabes, who clutter up the bottom rungs of the ladder. But most will not make it - not because the competition is too strong but because they do not really have what it takes. When BBC R4 and the Guardian ran a writers' competition a few years ago they were deluged with entries. But presenter and judge John Diamond reports that the standard was very low. Basic mistakes, amateurism, failure to understand what was required characterised most of the entries.

The volume of wannabes means that it is a struggle to get noticed. But if you are good, and listen and learn, you will break in.

2.7 Is City University's periodical journalism course my best option?

That, from a final year student at Glasgow University, is a not untypical request for information about the options for postgraduate journalism studies. The questioner had heard that the course is good, but asked - is it all it is cracked up to be?

Fleet Street's fairest responded:

James: 'I'm in the same position as you at Lancaster University. From what I've heard it's the Oxbridge of colleges that do journalism, I'm applying myself for the print one. I do know, however, that it's a hell of an effort to get in. Sun editor David Yelland got turned away in the eighties. I know a few people who graduated from the postgrad this year. Apparently a lot of them went on to the Express and Evening Standard, but they were doing the print journalism. Cardiff and Central Lancashire have got good reputations too, but I'd steer clear of Preston as it's a bit of a dive.

Wendy: I'm not familiar with City's courses, but I've met a few of the key people at the department there and been very impressed.

David: Yes. At least, that's my 2nd-hand conclusion from the half-dozen or so graduates I have worked with. I think the selection process is incredibly tough, so that weeds out wannabes from willbes. The course also appears to give a good grounding in basics rather than wander into the la-la land of academia.

Marc: Both City and Cardiff were certainly reckoned to be the best schools a few years ago. But I had an interview for a lecturer's job at City a while back which I totally ****ed up. One of their questions was why at 35 I wanted to do the job, instead of waiting to move into it as a sort of retirement option. I thought then that a problem there was that the staff were about two generations older than the students, and there was too much emphasis on newspapers and broadcast media.

Chris: Yes it is all it's cracked up to be. There are several of these and City's is pretty highly rated. I'll leave it to others here to tell you that going to college to avoid work for another year isn't necessarily the best way to get into journalism.

Alex: City University certainly shook me into shape when I was there three years ago. There are some fiercesome characters teaching the course, so don't believe that they are out of touch with reality. I did the Periodical Course and had all my academic prose writing kicked out of me by a certain David Roper. Cruel but fair. Once you've survived City, the real world of journalism is a doddle. As for getting in, well I did have a good degree, but aside from that the only thing going for me was enthusiasm. My journalism had been limited to a few music reviews for the University magazine and a couple of cringing weeks work experience on Money Marketing magazine. So don't be put off: it's not that hard to get in.

Return to FAQ index

3. JOBSEEKING AND VACANCY FILLING

3.1 Will I get a job from the forum?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with nurturing the fantasy that the editors of all the sought-after newspapers and magazines read all messages, looking for the spark of brilliance that betrays an undiscovered talent. This is how most well-paid staffers get their jobs. Many's the time a writer has been picked out of a Fleet Street chorus of disapproval and asked to stand in for an injured prima donna writer by an editor who had been smitten by a particularly stunning verbal arabesque executed on forum.

Back on planet earth, the straight truth is - yes, it is worth looking. You won't get spotted, but vacancies do arise and forum regulars and others who drop in from time to time do use the forum as a quick and easy way of finding staff. It is well worth looking out.

3.2 Can I post my CV or advertise my availability?

Please do not post your CV. It would be like producing your Record of Achievement during a conversation in a pub. But by all means let the world know that you are in the market for a job. Doing so quickly and interestingly - and offering to follow up your message with a full CV to interested parties - is probably the best way. If you have a Web page, we will be happy to include a link to it on the page for members' links.

3.3 Can I advertise a post?

Please do. The only thing you risk is a few sarky comments from overpaid hacks who wouldn't uncap their Biro™ for the pittance you are offering.

3.4 Can I sell my past work?

There is no mechanism on Fleet Street itself. Try instead Byline, the global journalism bank. This offers a way of uploading your cuttings file and watching the money roll in as editors exchange money for your old rope. Find it on the web at http://www.universalbyline.com/

Return to FAQ index

4. JOURNALISM IN ACTION

4.1 How much do journalists get paid?

If you are one of the nation's handful of celebrity writers you can probably name your price. That might well be around £300,000 a year or more. Perhaps up to a fiver a word for freelances.

Newly trained reporters on the worst paid regional papers might be trying to make do on £8,000 a year. Freelance contributors to, say, the computer or gardening page might hope for a token £25 for the page, or two-and-a half pence a word.

Somewhere between those extremes lie most working journalists. For the vast majority, journalism is neither a branch of show business nor a spectacularly cruel form of exploitation. This is an industry with a lot of enthusiastic, even desperate hopefuls. So at the entry level there are far more wannabes than there are jobs, which keeps starting salaries discouragingly low and means competition is fierce. This seems alarmingly true of television - where the proliferating cable channels and indie production companies will take on junior 'staff' as unpaid apprentices.

On the other hand, good, reliable, accurate, journalists are always in demand and - especially if they can find a niche or make a specialism their own - can look forward to a working life that is more congenial than most and probably repaid at whatever level the individual's ambition and inclination determine.

To give some detail to that here are some reported salaries in the autumn of 2000 among Forum members:

'As the junior hack in this office [in central London] I get £16,150 pa. I started two years ago on £15,000.'

'A senior reporter/writer at VNU typically gets £22,000 a year.'

'Lowest salary, £24,000 and all on four day weeks' [Newsroom staff at BBC Scotland]

'Our local paper has quite a few experienced hacks on less than 12 grand.' ... later expanded...'OK, I confess I'm quoting the absolute rock-bottom rates for qualified provincials with a year or so under their belts - so I'm stretching a point when I call these people experienced. But the vast majority at the local rag are on less than fifteen for what usually amounts to a six-day week.'

'Worcester Evening News journos get (allegedly) £14k pa.'

'Britain's largest regional - the Press and Journal. Circulation is over 102,000 a day and the average wage is less than £18,000 for reporters. The guy who does the technology page (full broadsheet page) gets £1,250 a year for it and that has to be in 52 weeks of the year.'

For obvious reasons, freelances tend to be coy about what they actually earn. A substantial (and therefore confusing and contradictory) amount of data is given at the NUJ's freelance fees page http://www.gn.apc.org/media/rates/ . The NUJ's monthly newsletter the Freelance also gives reported pay rates. There is also a very handy freelance fees guide, which is currently being updated.

Among Fleet Street Forum journos the following rates were reported - some anonymously:

'I work mainly for UK and offshore personal finance mags. I get £200-300 per thousand - and occasionally more if I'm writing very dense or technical stuff.'

'Editing shifts at magazines like Portfolio International pay a mere £160 a day'.

'Northern & Shell (OK!) Sub-editing: £100 per 7hr shift. BBC Magazines (Eve) Sub-editing: £110 per 7hr shift. Daily Express Sub-editing: £116 per 6hr shift. PR Newswire Europe Sub-editing: £112 per 7hr shift. John Brown (Classic FM Mag) Sub-editing: £110 per 7hr shift'

'Independent £250, Management Today £300 to £330, various newsletter £350, DTI jobs £500, ghostwriting rates £425-£450' [all rates per thousand words]

Of course, all this is only so much use. The effort to produce a thousand words can vary widely. Pieces can be repackaged and resold. But the good news is that talking about money on the forum never seems to go out of favour. Its potential for causing disagreement, jealousies and wonderment is thankfully limitless.

4.2 How should I approach an editor - with a finished article or an idea?

Most editors will prefer to discuss an idea first. That way they can help shape it, knock it on the head to start with, or provide useful leads. Which can save a lot of time and heartache.

Send a query letter or email which outlines the proposal in a way that makes the editor salivate with hope and anticipation. Follow it up with a phone call. Then write it to brief.

Having said that, some pieces are very hard to describe or sell over the phone. In which case there is nothing wrong with writing it - bearing in mind the target readership - and sending it speculatively to the editor. Do not presume - some editors are overwhelmed with spec pieces and are in general well stocked with commissioned features. Do not despair - some editors are thirsty for new ideas and most of the stuff that appears on spec is rubbish.

4.3 What are good reliable sources to help settle disputes about use of language, grammar and spelling?

None better than asking in the forum itself. Be prepared though. Wrangles about the use and misuse of language tend to be long, bitter, personal and extremely good fun. (Or very tiresome, depending on your level of interest.)

Authorities that are most often cited as expert witnesses are:

A good dictionary, with the multi-volume Oxford English Dictionary (OED) supposedly leading the field - but often overlooked because of its size in favour of the more manageable Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (SOED) - in two volumes most recently revised in 199?. Electronic versions of both of these are available. Single volume dictionaries such as Chambers, Longman, and Collins also are well regarded. The last two have clear and helpful short articles on interesting or disputed usages. Chambers has better jokes.

The New Fowler's Modern English Usage, 3rd edition, edited by R W Birchfield, Oxford 1996. This claims to be the acknowledged authority on English usage, and the claim is probably justified. Often known just as Fowler.

Waterhouse on Newspaper Style (Viking, 1989) and English our English (Viking, 1991) by Keith Waterhouse are brilliant, entertaining and well worth using to reinforce an argument.

Many people like The Penguin Dictionary of Troublesome Words by Bill Bryson. Written before he became a best-selling travel writer and humorist, this book nevertheless displays well the author's fresh eye, frankness and fun. Bryson's proposed alternative title is a good guide to its contents: A Guide to Everything in
English Usage That the Author Wasn't Entirely Clear About Until Quite Recently.

The style books of individual newspapers or magazines are sometimes quoted, out of interest. But as house style guides they often make arbitrary judgements between equally good usages (this is not a fault, it is their raison d'être) - and so are not authoritative more widely in intention or practice.

4.4 How does the law affect me as a journalist?

In many ways. You can always ask specific questions on the Forum. But you also ought to have a copy of McNae's Essential Law for Journalists, 1999, by Tom Welsh, Walter Greenwood. ISBN 0 406 981 450, price £14.95.

4.5 Where can I find information about specialist journalism?

There is a wide range of journos and PRs posting regularly, who would be happy to answer specific questions about their work. It would be idle to pretend that all specialisms are covered, but hacks here may know someone who can help, even outside their own field.

Computer writers, not surprisingly, loom large. They also frequent an electronic conferencing system called CIX (see their nice new, compact, URL http://www.nextra.co.uk/products/net/conferencing/conferencing.html), where they have several closed conferences just for them (or, in  one case, just for them and PR people). Science journalists are represented here, and Michael Kenward, who  edited New Scientist for ten years, is a regular. He maintains a site for science writers on behalf of the Association  for British Science Writers at http://www.absw.org.uk/. At that site, you will also find a guide called "So You Want to Be a Science Writer," aimed at helping people get started in that particular field.

Financial journalist Chris Wheal edits Insurance Times and is also chair of the Financial Journalists Group. It organises impartial briefings on financial subjects, usually with a panel of five speakers who disagree on the subject under discussion, says Chris. 'We then provide further contacts. We also vote annually for the best press office in a financial services company.'

The secretariat of the Financial Journalists Group is run from the Association of British Insurers. Suzanne Moore on 020 7216 7411 will add names to the mailing list.

Among regulars there are also property writers, business journalists, online editors, big name  columnists (well one anyway), and a television documentary maker. Many more drop in from time to time.

Investigative journalists are welcome - and have a site devoted to their trade at http://www.aij-uk.com/


4.6 Is sending press releases by attachments to email a good way for PRs to attract journalists' interest?

Not recommended. Forum regular Mike Kenward did some 'quick and dirty research' on the attitude of journos. And found almost universal rejection. Here are some quotes:

"I reject all attachments, except from very well known contacts."

"I never open attachments from people I don't know and even look warily at ones from those I do know if it's not something I am expecting."

"I bin them without looking at them, unless they are from a source I know personally. And even then our primitive software usually means I can't access the files, so I automatically reply asking for text in the body of the email."

"I'm only happy to receive attachments from sources I'm absolutely sure of, so press releases would normally be binned without being opened."

"What do I have against attachments? They are in the wrong format, take time to open, and are prone to virus infection."

"I generally hate attachments - as a non-Word, non-MS Windows user I find I can only open a small percentage of the attachments I receive in any case, as I don't have all the filters that come with MS Word."

"Unless we know the sender, any unsolicited attachment AND the Email that bring it is trashed without being read."

For more information on this subject please refer to our useful and deadly serious anti-FAQ.

4.7 I'm a freelance and my cashflow is suffering because of a repeated late payer - what can I do?

Ask politely for what is rightfully yours, and insist if you are still fobbed off. Late payment is the bane of freelance lives, and most successful hacks have to learn to live with it. It does become easier with time, as is frequently observed. Provided you are in regular work the pipeline of work & money should be always full, so it doesn't really matter how long the time lapse is between delivery of work and payment.

That, however, does not always help. The following advice might:

Contact the accounts department to find out what the hold-up is. You may well get more sense from them than from the editor who commissioned you, whose grasp of financial systems and in-house procedures may be less than perfect. Ask what you can do to streamline the process - are your invoices in the right format with all the numbers in place?, is there someone whose signature they need?, and so on. If things do not improve you may want to make mention of the legislation which protects your rights. Since 1998 legislation has existed which allows traders and businesses including freelance journalists to claim interest on money owed after the accepted 30-day period. The sums owing to you as a result of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 will not be great - they are 8 per cent above base rate calculated on a daily basis for every day that the payment is late. But they may well be troublesome to your tardy debtor.

The Department for Trade and Industry has a helpful booklet on the Act - see its website or, for a free copy of "The Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998: A User's Guide (URN 98/823)", ring 0870 150 2500.

If you don't want to wade through that, here is financial journo Chris Wheal's instant practical guide on what to do:

The interest rate is the Bank of England's base rate on the day the debt became overdue. If the rate changes after that, you don't have to worry – this is good news at the moment as rates are going down. The base rate is published every day in the FT or you can ring the BoE's public enquiries unit on 020 -7601-4878 or look at the website. It is currently 5.5%. The interest you charge is base rate plus 8%, today making that 13.5%. You take the amount of debt and multiply it by the percentage. So £100 paid late is worth £13.50 a year. You divide that by 365 giving you 3.7p a day and you multiply that by the number of days late. You do not have to send an invoice but you should notify the late payer how much is owed, what it is owed for, to whom payment should be made, to what address, and by what method.

You do not have to make the claim immediately but can claim as much as six years later. If you have a bad payer who owes you lots of interest for small amounts you could send claim every year or every six years. Letting them know every time you phone them how much they currently owe might be a good tactic. If your customer thinks they shouldn't have to pay, they can negotiate with you but if that fails they have to go to court to be excused paying. The onus is entirely on the bad payer to prove that it doesn't have to pay. If the bad payer simply refuses to pay then you have to go to court, with all the costs and time that court entails. Once you've done it though, you will have completely ruined the company's credit record and they will find it much more difficult to get a bank loan or a credit card in the future. So let's get to it.

4.8 I routinely tape record telephone interviews. Is this legal? Should I ask the interviewee for permission first?

Several years ago an interesting thread developed on this fascinating topic. It causes a lot of confusion among journalists, misinformation is rampant, and very little that is authoritative is ever written about it. So relax and welcome to the Fleet Street forum insider's guide to telephone taping. The technical and legal advice that follows has been supplied by Oftel's Director, Technology, Peter Walker and was updated by him in December 2000 to take account of changes in the law since the original FAQ was written.

It is not an offence against anyone's privacy to record your conversation without their knowledge. Whether that will change with the Human Rights Act which took effect on 2 October 2000 is not yet clear as there is no case law to go on. But at the moment it is not an offence. Such tape-recordings have been used in court, and they are generally given more weight than contemporaneous shorthand notes. As such they may be your biggest asset if it comes to legal or ethical rows about who did or did not say what to whom.

However, under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA), which came into force at the end of July this year, it could be an offence to attach a tape recorder onto the line in order to intercept a telephone conversation or other form of electronic communication.

Crucially, the definition of 'interception' in RIPA turns on two key elements:

• the interception has to be by means of a telecommunication system, so if you use discrete recording equipment that is not connected to the phone there is no interception
  
• interception involves making some of the contents of a communication available to a third party, someone who is neither the sender nor the intended recipient of a communication, so there is no interception when private individuals record their own phone calls but only if those recordings are also made available to someone else.

This is probably also the place to add that interception is not unlawful where:

• there is consent from both parties, or
  
• the interceptor has reasonable grounds for believing that one party is outside the UK.

Where an unlawful interception has taken place redress is by means of a civil action by the aggrieved party. RIPA and the Lawful Business Practice Regulations (which deal with interception by companies) have replaced the old rules which were included in telecommunications licences. Accordingly the requirement that you must make 'every reasonable effort to inform parties to whom or by whom a Live Speech Telephone Call is transmitted before recording, silent monitoring or intrusion into such Call has begun that the Live Speech Telephone Call is to be or may be recorded, silently monitored or intruded into' no longer applies.

So what can you do? It seems prudent to tape-record calls, and might well get you out of a sticky legal situation if a row blows up. In fact, it is reported that some newsrooms make it a disciplinary offence not to tape calls, for exactly this reason.

If you let people know you will be taping their call and they don't hang up, you might be able to mount a defence that their conduct suggested consent. Alternatively, you needn't tell them at all, but then you can't disclose the contents of their communication to anybody else. Another way to put yourself in the clear is to record calls using a loudspeaker phone and an ordinary voice microphone. A communication is only intercepted when it is carried out in the course of its transmission by means of a telecommunication system. . Bizarre as it sounds, it is not the taping which leads to the offence but the use of a telecommunication system.

Note that none of this applies to the USA. In some states secret taping is a felony. If you want to learn more about the new laws, Oftel's own FAQs are posted at:

http://www.oftel.gov.uk/crs/faq/page1.htm#rules

4.9 Who owns the copyright in my work?

The basic rules are simple. If you create something in the course of your employment then your employer owns the copyright. Anything else is yours and you can keep it to yourself or hand over some or all of the rights in a contract or licence. So far, so simple. But surely it's not as easy as that...?

Of course not. Over the last few years copyright has become a bit contentious. Whereas in the past everyone knew where they were and didn't worry too much about small print, the internet - among other things - has raised the stakes. Rights which were previously considered to be trivial are now the subject of argument and controversy which is sometimes made difficult to resolve because what paperwork there was in the past didn't fully anticipate the future.

The arguments go something like this. The freelance, seeing their work on the internet or databases, says they want to be paid extra for this use of their work. The publisher, who sees these new media as simply another edition of their publication and key to their future (but not yet profitable), says they have a licence for this use and refuses to pay extra. 

Who is right? Obviously that depends on the individual circumstances and the specifics of the small print (or lack of it) in question. Clearly the publisher does have a licence to use the work but how far does it extend? In the absence of a definitive answer perhaps it would be best for anyone worrying about the question to think about the nature of the relationship they have with each other. Is your publishers' motivation in creating the website or database to try to get something for nothing and not share the spoils? Are your contributors just trying to stiff you for some extra cash or are there genuine concerns underlying their demands? 

In the (perhaps partisan) opinion of the author it's important for everyone concerned to consider the issues unhysterically and remember that their relationship is generally symbiotic. As long as contributors are able to make a living and publishers are able to make a profit then things are roughly as they should be. The internet may yet fundamentally change the way in which work is created and paid for but trying to divine exactly how and when is a pointless exercise. Which means many of these arguments are best saved for a time when they actually mean something - in particular when there is room for give as well as take on both sides. 

Further contributions or amendments to this part of the FAQ are welcome. This being a controversial subject a mix of views would be useful. 

4.10 How should I submit copy to a magazine or newspaper - by fax, email? Is a Word document generally acceptable - and are there any conventions to follow?

No-one wants to re-key a piece that already exists. So while faxing may be useful as a safety measure (not all editors are familiar with technology), most editors will prefer the file to work from. There are two possibilities - emailing it, or sending it directly through the Mercury system straight to a paper's computers. You will know if your commissioning editor wants you to use the direct input system because you will be given a number for your modem to dial up.

In both these cases plain text is wanted. That means not a Word document, and not html either - so make sure your email software is set to send plain text only. Also known as ASCII, plain text is a standard format which not only can be read by all computer software, but - just as importantly - can travel across the internet without being coded and decoded. 

But plain text means just that - letters and spaces. No formatting is carried or needed. So if you (itals) really (unitals) need to put things in italics or bold, your only option is to mark them in parentheses, just like that really. The temptation to use square or angled brackets or parentheses is better resisted. These introduce command codes to some systems, and might cut your transmission. 

No fancy characters are allowed in ASCII - and that includes the pound sign. So if you are using amounts of money make it crystal clear what you mean, without using the pound sign. 

If you are delivering copy as a freelance, don't forget the value to you of your presence in the editorial office. As freelance Jay Rayner reports:

One other point - if it's a new outlet, the very best way to file the copy every now and then is in person. Tell them you just happen to be passing by - even if you're not - and that you can give them a disk. I think it makes a big difference if a commissioner is forced to clock your face. You stop being an anonymous voice down the phone, start building a relationship etc. Good long term strategy.

4.11 How should copy be presented?

See the previous question for electronic submission. In terms of the lay-out of the hard copy, the advice is to follow the old-fashioned way, expressed in one post here by John Diamond:

Double spaces, one side of paper, wide margins, name + phone number + catchline + page number at the top of each sheet, 'More' at the bottom, 'ends' at the end. I know that some of these habits are no longer necessary now that folios don't get split between waiting typesetters (I don't bother not running pars over the page any more even though that's one of the things a word processor makes easy) but a habit is a habit.

Commercial correspondence course tutors tend to advise writing FBSR on the copy, to indicate that first British serial rights are the ones being offered for sale. The logic may be unarguable, but the consensus on Fleet is that anyone doing so immediately marks themselves out as a novice, probably fresh from a writers correspondence course. Pros don't do it. 

4.12 Would you ever agree to submit copy to the subject of an interview before publication? If so, on what basis?

The hard line, taken by a small minority of Fleet-ers is no, never. As a matter of principle, it compromises the independence of the journalist and therefore the newspaper or magazine. As a matter of practice, it can cause havoc with production schedules, as the ensuing row drags on and threats and offers are exchanged to get the copy 'cleared'. 

If it became known that the possibility existed, this argument goes, everyone would try it on. And everyone, especially the reader, would be the loser.

However, the majority of hacks are prepared to consider some sort of checking back - albeit with varying degrees of reluctance (mostly very, very reluctantly) and only under certain circumstances and when certain conditions are agreed.

One likely circumstance is when the material is highly technical, and the interviewee is well placed to spot errors which otherwise would make for inaccurate copy. Another is when the interviewee is a celebrity and makes it clear that sight of copy is a condition of granting the interview. By and large, there was more sympathy with the first of these than with the second - but also an acknowledgment that editors and proprietors can often be very keen on celebs and not averse to bending editorial policy if it means capturing a big name.

Chief among the conditions are that the subject realises that there is no power of veto, that the copy may well be changed later in the production process and that therefore no guarantees at all can be given about particular wording. If the check is for technical accuracy, it is reasonable (though not always feasible) to send only the technical bits. Likewise, an interviewee concerned about being misquoted might be sent only the proposed direct quotes - disembodied from the rest of the piece.

In short, it is a practice that is widely loathed. Any journalist, especially beginners, should consider referring such requests back to the editor. One editor on the forum went so far as to say he would never knowingly publish an interview that had been checked back with the subject. But then again, there are some exceptional editors who take a relaxed view of it all. Even to the extent of surprising and - quite possibly - annoying hacks by checking back the copy themselves. 

4.13 The publication I write for has been the victim of plagiarism - a blatant and uncredited 'borrow'. How can we rectify the situation?

Very carefully. Accusing someone of breach of copyright is a serious business, and puts the onus on the accuser to prove the illegality - possibly to the satisfaction of a court. This is harder than it sounds, and what might seem obvious to you gets much murkier once m'learned friends are involved. Expensive too.

In this case, which concerned a website, the best advice seems to be a non-confrontational approach. One contributor, very experienced in these matters suggested: 'Going to the boss usually extracts apologies, slapped wrists and removed articles if it is done in a good humoured way.' With the added thought that if there is some cross-fertilisation to be had - that is, if they are not competitors, you could always offer to syndicate to them for a bit of cash. 

4.14 Does anyone know where I would go to find news archives from the
Slough Berkshire area from January 1989 to January 1990?

Back issues of the various Slough and Reading papers - and tens of thousands of others, local regional, national and foreign - are kept at the British Museum's Newspaper Library.

It is referred to in the trade as simply 'Colindale'. You'll find it in Colindale Avenue in north west London, NW9, almost opposite Colindale Underground Station (Edgware branch of the Northern Line). Opening hours are Monday to Saturday, 10am. to 4.45pm, except on public holidays and certain additional days. 

You can get admittance if you are over 18 and have bona fide reason for research that basically involves consulting material not easily available in other libraries. 

You'll need a Newspaper Library reader's pass which is issued to applicants in person on site. Take a proof of identity document with your signature on it - passport, driving licence, or bank cheque card. 

To get an annual pass, you must also provide proof of your address and your need to use the library on a regular basis. 

If you have a British Library photographic reader's pass you'll be admitted, no questions. 

You are strongly advised to book a place. You can make advance reservations for up to four items by telephoning the library on 020 7412 7353 or by emailing newspaper@bl.uk, preferably 48 hours in advance of your visit. 

Further Information from the British Library, Newspaper Library, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HE. Or see the website, from which you can search titles of publications and dates of issues held (though obviously not the text of the newspapers themselves).

4.15 I am finding journalism very stressful. I'm drinking too much and missing deadlines. I may be depressed. Anyone else felt like this? What should I do?

When the full version of this question was posted, some suspected a troll - an insincere attempt to provoke reaction, either for mischief or - this is a journo's forum - to provide material for an article.

Whatever. It led to a sympathetic and insightful discussion, as many contributors recalled similar stages in their own life. Depression and finding journalism stressful are not often talked about openly - a 'macho' culture often pervades, where long hours are venerated and weakness despised.

A summary of the advice given would go something like: hang on in there, we've virtually all suffered something similar, it will get better. It is not unique to journalism - so don't assume that you are not cut out for the profession. Walking away from your job won't improve your self-esteem, which is often key to fighting depressive illness. 

Alcohol is bad news, talking things through with a counsellor (properly trained, with a Westminster Pastoral Foundation qualification, or, less ideally, accreditation from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, was suggested) might help and so might a psychiatrist - though opposition to drug-based solutions was expressed. And argued against.

Other practical ideas ranged from taking a rest, having a holiday, making lists of all the things you are to all the people you know and looking at it regularly to remind yourself how you matter to others. Have an all-round health check and look at the side-effects of any medication you are taking, break the mould by doing something new and different...

On the subject of solving the problem by going freelance - one of the options the questioner was considering - the consensus was that being depressed and having difficulty hitting deadlines were not, prima facie, a good basis from which to launch a solo freelance career. But not to rule it out for ever, either, as the freedom from office pressures and distractions can be liberating for the mind and spirit.

For a counsellor in your area see the website of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy at http://www.counselling.co.uk. There is also much useful information and links at http://www.mind.org.uk/ - the site of the mental health charity Mind.

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© Fleet Street Forum 2000, 2001

Last updated February 2001