I have been to similar functions where journos meet up to share stuff and tips although none have received the moniker of ‘hackday’ – but these things in my experience are a close mimickry of a chat over a couple of pints in a pub minus the alcohol. I don’t learn much from talk with others over the generalized subject of ‘good journalism’, some is inevitably irrelevant, and often we just drift onto other topics. Some get a little more from it perhaps…but I’d never term it a valuable day towards one’s efforts anymore than a social call in the boozer would be.

By default it isn’t ‘good journalism’ to report on some obscure meeting between those in the trade since it has limited audience interest. Smacks of conceit and pretence: That’s why Paul’s article links to a local rag’s blog and not a more widely read publication.

-Pete @ dirtygarnet.com

If you are a young talent then it really is upto you to read up on old school reportage. Quality stuff, stuff that requires going out and snapping photos, interviewing people in friendliness with your press card for legimatacy’s sake. It isn’t all that ‘hard’ to do, it’s just being economically viable and making enough money to do it for all the time invested. In a nutshell: Getting old school journalism which takes time and effort to keep oneself fed, watered, housed and with a modestly comfortable standard of living is just too hard for youngsters starting out nowadays.

I’m biased in this direction since I’m in that camp myself; I personally view the cheap, easy and cannibilizing culture of local and national press as an illness that journalism may not recover from in my lifetime. If you’re a News Corp/Trinity Mirror editor who values profit over quality and principles then rarely do I sell you material because of what I just outlined – so basically I’m marginalized, and that’s the story among many journos who value personal investigative stuff away from the desk and wire.

So I disregard these events because you need to go out and get experienced. Skills like those in old school type gathering cannot be taught in some seminar by some posturing hack from the Liverpool Echo or any other urine-poor newspaper simply because they don’t really know or endorse good journalism themselves.

Pete @ dirtygarnet.com

Also the term ‘Orwellian’ is refers to totalitarian. He actually did many esssays on soceity as well as those famous satirical books versus authority…so it’s a bit of a stretch to connote that he means that this style of journalism compares to the Orwellian pejorative. As opposed to being just simple rubbish.

A lot of people who ostensibly ‘teach’ people about journalism in these events need to practice what they preach. If they do not then they’re either putting on a false show of things; are garden-variety hypocrites; or more likely both.

-Pete @ dirtygarnet.com

For those who aren’t familiar with the Echo; it is like what Orwell referred to in a famous writing that projected a future for the working class; newspapers full of “crime, sport, astrology and intrigue” – I’m misquoting though this is mostly correct.

It’s a poor rag, based in Runcorn as they don’t really give a crap for Liverpool itself what with being one of Mirror Group’s rags. Money takes precedent over principle as per the usual – but their circulation took a big hit as a result of this. It really isn’t ever beyond the quality of the Mirror, and completely misses news that is valuable just like any churnalist factory.

If any Birmingham journo deigns to take his tips from that place in a ‘hackday’ then he should probably not even be in the profession in the first place.

- Pete @ dirtygarnet.com