Course Diary

Week 13 :- 23 Apr – 27 Apr

END OF TERM 2

The Week I exited my placement in a press office. I didn’t enjoy it and felt that I didn’t live up to expectations. It left my thinking I’m unsuitable for any journalistic role or that of a press office. I was left wondering if I should complete my MA programme.

Personal Comment :- I found myself wondering whether I want to complete my degree programme this week. I found that I couldn’t type or concentrate on my written skills in a working environment. I’ve now questioning my whole career in journalism or PR. I’ve been persuaded to submit my end of Term 2 coursework to earn a post-graduate Diploma. But should I continue and finish of earning a full MA if I’m going to be unable to use it if I type too slowly for a working environment.

Course Diary

Week 12 :- 16 Apr – 20 Apr

The Week I spent my first week at my placement in a Press office. I found it hard to satisfy the brief of tasks given without having feedback on first efforts. Clarification of some of the task briefs I felt was required.

Personal Comment :- I found that some briefs were a bit on the vague side and so were open to interpretation as to how to set them out. Typing speed is inadequate. I’m finding I’m taking my work home with me to complete it. Would I like to be a press officer. Certainly some aspects of it I handle well. I’m certainly full of ideas. But on execution I’m mediocre. Room for improvement I think.

Course Diary

Week 11 :- 9 Apr – 13 Apr

The Week I have finally landed a formal work experience placement in a Press office, for a car brand here in the midlands. I’ve done some reading around the brand and products. But done very little else this week, tho ugh made further MIPAA enquiries.

Personal Comment :- I am relieved I now have a proper work placement organized. I will still dedicate some efforts to the Coventry car day and the separate MIPPA event. It will help me develop organization skills for PR events, which is good if I want to be a press office as a career.

Course Diary

Week 10 :- 2 Apr – 6 Apr

The Week With no formal work experience placement in a Press office, I’ve been tasked with organizing the Coventry car day at Coventry University and MIPAA events.

http://wwwm.coventry.ac.uk/newscentre/Pages/NewsArticle.aspx?articleID=983

I also spent time writing up a script for a two-way interview radio package.

Personal Comment :- Not having a proper work placement to organized, has largely left me at a loose end. So I can dedicate all my efforts to this Coventry car day and the separate MIPPA event. It will help me develop organization skills for PR events, which is good if I want to be a press office as a career. But I still feel I should be asking for £1,000 of my course fees back. And at the moment I’m doing very little in the way of study (I’ve done most things ahead of schedule).

Course Diary

Week 10 :- 26 Mar – 30 Mar

The Week Now that lectures have finished, I’ve been concentrating on finding a work experience placement in a Press office. Spent time e-mailing almost every press office of most car brands to achieve a placement. Also spent time writing up an extended interview piece for my portfolio and a radio package of the same.

Personal Comment :- I may have left it a bit two late to organize a work placement. The feedback I am getting from some press offices is that I should have started organizing months in advance. Many press offices simply don’t even return my e-mail enquiry. I’ve been left to my own devices to find a placement, while the university organised placements for half the class. Luckily, I’ve been handed a lifeline by my lecturer if no press office will have me. Having a lack of internet recently – maxed out my broadband limit – doesn’t help. This is why this posting is on a Wednesday and not the previous Sunday.

Course Diary

Week 9 :- 19 Mar – 23 Mar

Monday saw me attend the mornings M45MC for the last time. It was just a revision session going over old ground. This week was the last teaching week. The afternoons M43MC was again devoted to the Automotive magazine. Having done my bit, I wasn’t involved.

Tuesday afternoon with M44MC saw all the Journalism students have a lecture on personal branding.

Personal comment :- This was the last teaching week. The M45MC lecture was pointless for me to attend as I’d finished the course work for the module. But I am having trouble with referencing enough suitable sources. I didn’t really get involved with the M43MC magazine in the afternoon.  I did my phone interview recording of a kit car company boss. I spent the rest of the week editing it around to shorten it, and wrote it up as an extended interview for my portfolio. The lecture on personal branding in M44MC worried me. The lecturer listed name upon name of journalist who ruined their reputation. And everyone knew it in each case because their personal profiles are widely known within the field because of web-based profiles. One screw-up and your career can be over. I rather like not been known, and not having a web presence – except this darn blog. 

Course Diary

Week 8 :- 12 Mar – 16 Mar

Monday saw me only attend the mornings M45MC. The afternoons M43MC was totally devoted to the Automotive magazine again. But I had finished my Ginetta article.

Tuesday afternoon with M44MC also saw the entire day taken up by student magazine. I tried to pitch in and help others where it was welcome.

Personal comment :- After the positive feedback for my assignment draft for the M45MC module, I had need only to add more references. Though I have also added additional content derived from those references. I expect a good mark. I spent Monday afternoon sub-editing another students work. Tuesday I need not have even have turned up except to have a group photo for the magazine. After the utter contempt I got from the others (frustrated that they’ve not finished), I’ve decided not to have any further involvement with the magazine. The rest of the week I took easy. I prepared for an extended interview piece I’m hoping to do with a car company over the phone.

Course Diary

Week 7 :- 5 Mar – 9 Mar 

Monday saw me only attend the mornings M45MC. The afternoons M43MC was totally devoted to the Automotive magazine.

Tuesday afternoon with M44MC also saw the entire day taken up by student magazine and completion of my Ginetta G60 article in ‘InDesign’.

Personal comment :- The feedback for my submitted assignment draft for the M45MC module was good. I just need to site more references. I only attended the first hour of the lecture. The remaining time was better used for the Magazine article. In my defence, none of the other journalism students attended the morning M43MC and M44MC saw me working on my magazine pages. I found my files on the same computer. So I haven’t lost a thing.

Course Diary

Week 6 :- 27 Feb – 2 Mar

Monday morning with M45MC covered more analysis techniques of articles e.g. Frame analysis, and an exercise in media (newspaper and internet) based news. The afternoons M43MC covered print production and sub-editing. We also worked on the student Automotive magazine.

Tuesday afternoon with M44MC saw more work on the student magazine. I started putting my layout together in ‘InDesign’ for my Ginetta G60 article.

Personal comment :- I submitted my first assignment draft for the M45MC module. M43MC and M44MC saw me working on my magazine pages. But on Wednesday I tried to access my InDesign magazine pages. I couldn’t find them, and may have lost all the pages. Unless it is some where on the same computer, I’ve lost my work, and have to do it again. I have bought a new memory stick, it’s the last time I trust the university hard drive.

Course Diary

Week 5 :- 20 Feb – 24 Feb

Monday morning with M45MC covered analysis techniques of articles e.g. Content analysis, discourse analysis and semiotic analysis. The afternoons M43MC again covered interviewing sources and writing interview articles.

Tuesday afternoon with M44MC we started putting the magazine format together. I decided the layout of my photos for my Ginetta G60 article for the second student magazine.

Personal comment :- This week I spent time getting to grips with this M45MC module. I ended up completing the assignment for this over the weekend. M43MC cover interviewing sources and writing interview articles. This is useful stuff, though I have to mention I’d pre-read all the journalistic theory concerning this topic. But M44MC saw slow progress in putting the magazine together.