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I've written a weekly column on radio news for publication of the radio industry, The Radio Magazine, since January 2001.

Here are recent articles.

Court Out

There seems to be a growing practice, especially among smaller commercial stations of using press releases on court cases, which have been written and distributed by bodies such as the Benefits Agency, Environment Agency and local authorities.

But, curiously, these are only sent out when they’ve had a successful prosecution.

There was a time when no self-respecting editor would run a court report from such a source. But in these days of shoestring budgets, it seems we’re in danger of being more interested in saving money than impartial reporting.

These press releases are clearly not written from an impartial standpoint and often not by trained journalists. Often they are sent out late. What would happen do you think, if one of these releases was broadcast containing errors resulting in a legal challenge?

Is it an idea to ask for some legal training as a ‘new year’ present? Or suggest to your news editor that copy is only used if it’s from a reputable news agency – even if that costs the station a few pounds?

Sometimes it really is best to pay now, rather than pay later.

Fire Story Basics Check-List

In the ‘heat’ of the moment it may be tricky for a new reporter to think of the most appropriate questions to ask a fire brigade control centre about a recent blaze. So, here are some of the top topics that you can refer to.

·Location – the address of the incident, is it a residential area, are roads closed or other buildings evacuated

·Times - time and source of the first call, how soon were crews there (the response time)

·Origin of the fire - how it spread and when it was controlled, is it suspicious, when will investigators be able to get in

·Numbers - of dead or injured, nature of injuries, is anyone missing, ages, where were the injured taken

·Building - Type of building, was it occupied, name of owner or occupiers

·Estimates - Damage estimate, how long will investigators be working at the site

·Fire units responding – also the number of fire-fighters and equipment used

Contact Peter