Blog
Why social media works for me – by my journalism students at the University of Central Lancashire
Social media work as a great means of communication for all generations and all kinds of people- as this little film shows. It was made by my journalism students at the University of Central Lancashire.
Read More ‘Steaming to Victory’ – new WW2 anniversary edition – and the ‘train of the book’
With the World War 1 commemoration under way, let’s not forget World War 2, with two major anniversaries in 2014. In June, the Queen goes to Normandy to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day, and September is 75 years since the start of the worst war the world has ever known. The new edition of […]
Read More ‘Breaking news!’ My talk to the boys of Hereward House school
My talk today to the boys of Hereward House school about my life in journalism and what the future holds for the media was great fun! What an intelligent lot!
Read More The amazing journey of newspapers in just 50 years
Astonishing how the production of newspapers moved from a world virtually unchanged since Caxton to today’s apps for smartphones and tablets in just 50 years. The film in this link is about the Buffalo Evening News in the United States in the 1960s when even the old “hot lead” type seemed “modern”. What a contrast […]
Read More Who reads the newspapers?
I love this clip about who reads the newspapers from the BBC comedy ‘Yes, Prime Minister. Despite the advent of tablet computers and smart phones it’s as true today as when it was first made… http://viewrz.com/video/who-reads-the-newspapers
Read More Super review of Steaming to Victory from the National Railway Museum
A very nice review of Steaming to Victory in the journal of the Friends of the National Railway Museum, which describes the book as “highly recommended” and “very readable”. It’s a big year for the railways in wartime in 2014 – in June it’s 70 years since D-Day and in September it’s the 75th anniversary […]
Read More Now a new great rail anniversary – Derby 175
After Tube 150, there’s an important new rail anniversary coming up this year – 175 years of Derby as a rail manufacturing centre. Famous for the great products of the Midland Railway that pulled the express trains into St Pancras, including the legendary Midland Compounds (above). Derby remains today as the only centre for designing […]
Read More The antidote to rail-bashing by the media – from my essay in the Independent
It was the ironic TV image of the week. “We always pay more but they never seem to spend any money on the railways?” the angry King’s Cross commuter fumed in an interview about the latest train fare rises. Yet filling the screen behind him was the station’s magnificent new concourse, one of the finest […]
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