WRITING COMPETITIONS

Just a few competitions for you wannabe journalists to start getting yourself into. Will try and post some every week. Good Luck!


On the Road Writing Competition

http://www.gumtree.com/london/31/34608431.html

Writing competition for novels and short stories. Might be too late to write a manuscript for a novel unless you have one lying around! Still enough of time to write a short story. See website below for details.

http://www.gumtree.com/london/03/36754303.html


Fabuluso XX

LAW FOR JOURNALISTS : WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR IN A MAGISTRATE COURT : PART 1

Hi and welcome to another addition of my feature. I realized that previously I have not talked about the different courts present in the UK judicial system and what kind of cases you can expect to write on in each court. I would like to start with the magistrate court. This week I will explain minor or summary offenses dealt with by the magistrates. And of course, give you any juicy gossip that it currently taken place in the media world as I type!

- A magistrate court is much more formal than the youth court. To give you an idea see the two pictures above, just so you are aware of the layout.

- A minimum of two magistrates sit in on summary or minor offense trials while at a crown court, only one magistrate is required to supervise the more serious (indictable) offenses. However in some courts you might notice that full time district judges may not need the assistance of magistrates and might adjudicate on a case alone. This usually happens when there is a complex or lengthy case at hand.

- Most prosecutions or convictions of a defendant (the one who has been accused of an action against the claimant, who is the individual who brings an action against the accused) are carried out by lawyers who are employed by the Crown Prosecution Service. They work on behalf of the police and so are employed by the state, so as to say. Most prison sentences start at about 6 months and then can be increased as the defendant is found guilty of more offenses.

- Court lists can be made available to the press before court proceedings so that journalists have an idea of some details of the defendant for their story. However, it is well known that a defendant's address or name will not be published and will be kept anonymous.

And now for your latest in media news and entertainment:-

- Mark Ronson has reconciled with Amy Winehouse and plans to help her release her third album.
- Timbaland will be performing at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami on this Saturday. Ooooh!! I am so jealous of those who have got tickets to this. Hopefully someone puts this footage on Facebook.
- And the animal rights group, PETA has asked for Michael Jackson to leave the animals alone after he revealed plans to want to ride an elephant for when he performs on stage in London!

And that's it for now... remember to always play and say in a way that helps you get recognised in this big big world.

Fabuluso xxxx

FEATURE: LAW FOR JOURNALISTS: REPORTING SEXUAL OFFENCES

Hey Guys! Sorry I have not been writing for a while. Due to this, my next feature will be within the next week so that I can catch up with myself, so to say. This week, I will cover what journalists should know whether reporting on stories concerning sexual offenses. And as per usual, I will also provide the gossip on the going - ons of the music and entertainment industry. Hope you are having a great week end so far!

As with the youth, a journalist has a duty to not identify the defendant guilty of a sexual offense through publication of vital particulars such as age, name or detailed description of the defendant.

Anonymity is also given to those who complain of sexual offenses who are mostly protected during their lifetime. These do not just include sexual assaults but also sexual offenses that have had no physical contact.

The complainant can only be identified by the press if they give written consent, in a report of non sexual proceedings or if the judge decides that anonymity is not to be granted in the public interest.

Remember, that if you want to know more about these topics, then read more. Do not just take these statements to heart. As every journalist knows, you have to always do your research.

And now for the entertainment gossip:-

- It has been confirmed that Rihanna is not going to be recording a single with Chris Brown as rumored.

- Comedy duo Cordon and Horne are to play at the Isle of Wight festival.

- Gwyneth Paltrow is to be away from Chris Martin for about a month due to her working schedule.

That's all for now folks.

See you a bit later on this week.

Fabuluso XX

FEATURE : LAW FOR JOURNALISTS : REPORTING THE YOUTH

Hello and welcome to another addition of law and journalists.


There are restrictions for journalists when reporting cases of children involved in criminal or civil proceedings.

So short points to remember:-

For example, section 47 of the Children's and Young Persons Act 1933 says that reports of proceedings that took place in a youth court must not contain anything like a name or address, in the report that can identify the child. No photos are allowed either. Pretty simple issue of confidentiality for under 18's , really. These principles can also be applied to adoption cases.

However this anonymity can be lifted in the public interest if one needs to find a juvenile guilty of a serious offence or to avoid injustice to the defendant or witness. This does not often happen in the news so when it does make sure you milk it and get your name out there!

Anonymity is not guaranteed for juveniles in adult proceedings. Also,after a child turns 18, he /she is not guaranteed any immunity.

Anonymity is also granted if youth are the subject of care proceedings but surprisingly there is no automatic anonymity imposed in ASBO proceedings. I guess the saying goes that what you dish out you get back. There is nothing really like a fair trial...

Next week: reporting on sexual assaults.

Fabuluso XX

FEATURE: Law for Journalists and... your fix of media gossip!

Ahhhhh.... the good old days. If only everything in law was as simple as just sitting on the naughty step...


One important thing to remember as a journalist, is that you have the same legal rights as those of a normal citizen. Therefore, you are not above the law and have to watch what you say, do and publish or someone will try and sue you!

I am going to start with the basics of law and then slowly move on to the harder topics like defamation which journalists and many newspaper and magazine publications have been famously guilty for. I will try and not go too much into detail on any of the topics or issues as I do not want any of you to fall asleep at your computer!!

These are just the basics so if you want to know more, then buy a book or take a course.

Let's get this party started!

The media are meant to act on behalf of the public ( Spycatcher case) and so are not meant to harm the public through what they say, do or publish. However, the Media have not special status and their right to know and to publish are equal to those rights of the public. So the media can be punished for the same reasons that a citizen might be punished.

One of the roles of the journalists that are becoming popular are reporting in courts and so I shall also focus on this from time to time.

A journalist is allowed to enjoy certain privileges that allow him to do his job such as having a press bench in courts for journalists to use when reporting the courts. However it is important to understand that these privileges are not rights and so if the journalist does some that he is not supposed to do, he is fully responsible for his wrong actions and must be punished by law. More details of what journalists are not supposed to do will follow.

Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998 introduced freedom of expression in UK law which gave journalists the right to comment on issues but also the right to provide information and news to the public. But even freedom of speech can contain restrictions such as libel which will be explored later on. Sometimes journalists are told to postpone the reporting of a criminal trial by judges especially when it deals with the public interest ( Contempt of Court Act 1981). There are ways again where journalists can challenge these restrictions which again will be explored in more detail, I promise!

Previously, the press used to be bound by censorship which prevents a story going into a paper but this has started to lose its validity ( Cream Holdings Ltd v Banerjee {2004} UKHL 44). Nowadays, freedom of speech has ways of being protected.

Sources of law are made up of custom (common law developed through the ages by royal judges), precedent( specific points of law from decisions of previous cases), equity (rules based on fairness), statutory instruments (Acts of parliament), European Community Regulations and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Two main divisions of law are criminal( deals with offences harmful to the state) and civil (rights against individuals and private parties) law. If reporting on cases, journalists need to be very aware of the different wording used in both the type of cases. For example, in a criminal court, a person is 'found guilty' but in a civil court they are 'found liable' for their crime.


So, that's all for today folks and I will leave you with some media goss, as promised:-

1. Lee Evans and ex- eastenders star Michelle Ryan, will be appearing in Dr. Who.

2. Kate Winslet is the bookies favourite for winning an oscar for the role in 'The Reader'

3. Police in the Bahamas have detained two people due to an alleged plot to gain money illegally from actor John Travolta after the death of his son.

Keep the comments coming on the articles. I will be writing more features on this soon so if you think this should be shorter then please say so!

Till the next time we meet...

Fabuluso xx