Alex Crawford - a short introduction

Last week, I was lucky and privileged to meet, along with the rest of my journalism class, the award winning journalist and Sky News Special Correspondent Alex Crawford OBE.

Alex, who has won three Royal Television Society journalism awards, is best known for reporting live in Libya during the Arab Spring last year, where she was one of the very few journalists who was able to report, right from the centre of Tripoli in Green Square, on the uprising in the middle east.

Speaking out in front of trainee journalists at the Centre for Journalism at the University of Kent, Alex spoke with sincerity about her work in Libya, describing how she was often in the middle of gunfire. She spoke to rebels with ease, and her reports from inside hospitals and Bab al-Azizia clearly show her determination and skill at her job. Her emotive account touched the hearts of many students in the audience, including myself, as she showed us clips from her award-winning reporting.

The clip I have added with this blog post is just a small taste of the ground-breaking reporting Alex achieved in Libya. Her ambition and approach to reporting on the conflict left the world speechless, and has left many journalists in awe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhc4-6gk9V8 - Just one example of Alex reporting from Libya

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzGMug7RMvQ - Satirical rap between Alex and one of the rebels

A big thank you to Alex and her team for all they accomplished in Libya. They truly are a credit to the currently damaged world of Journalism.

*Alex was appearing at the Centre for Journalism for the annual Bob Friend Memorial Lecture, which is dedicated to the late Bob Friend. The lecture also presents an award to one first year journalist who has been awarded a months work placement, and their first year university fees paid for, by Sky News. Well done to Jem Collins who was awarded this years award (despite the Jourknow being shortlisted - no sour grapes!)

Photo Courtesy of The Guardian

You can read more on Alex at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Crawford and http://www.centreforjournalism.co.uk/

Top Ten for Tuesday: Top Ten News Websites

Now I know last week I decided to post two different Top Ten lists – one for me, and one on something news-worthy. However, I’ve decided to make a small change and instead focus on one top ten list, will provide you with more information about me and the chosen subject.

For this week’s Top Ten for Tuesday, the jourknow has compiled his ten favourite News Websites – where he gets his main news from. These are in the order of the jourknow’s personal preference!

1.       BBC News:  The best objective news gathering in the world, in my opinion. The BBC has been reporting, publishing and informing the public – nationally and internationally – of breaking news for nearly a century. It is highly regarded all over the world, and besides the newspapers of our nation, is the foundations for news in this country. My first port of call when looking at the new. www.bbc.co.uk/news

2.       The Guardian: one of the best online websites, despite being a traditional newspaper, the Guardian has and continues to reveal the biggest and most shocking scandals to rock this nation. It has a readership across the world, and is easily accessible. An up-to-date source for any ambitious writer/ journalist.  www.guardian.co.uk

3.       Digital Spy: My favourite website for showbiz, entertainment and television news, Digital Spy is still unfamiliar with the British public. It provides content on a range of UK and International artists, celebs, movies and television programmes, as well as special features on the Media industry and Bollywood. It’s my number one destination for entertainment news, and one of the best in the UK. www.digitalspy.co.uk

4.       Mail Online: The Daily Mail’s viral website offers many positive articles, as well as negative ones, on a host of news items. Its Femail section provides one of the best sites for fashion and celebrity news, whilst its reader comments allow readers to really get involved in the article. However, its grammar, spelling and facts are frequently misplaced, if placed at all – so watch out for what is true, and what is false! www.dailymail.co.uk/home

5.       Press Association: The press association might not provide you with colourful pictures, vox pops and unnecessary polls and opinion, but what it does provide is a countless supply of news stories. The website is often used for the source of many newspapers and news groups, so why not get ahead of them, and try it yourself. www.pressassociation.com/

6.       Reuters: Another news agency, Reuters is superb for international news. Similarly to the Press Association, it provides information to many of the media outlets – but also is easily accessible to the public. Its Twitter feed is exceptional. www.uk.reuters.com

7.       The Huffington Post: The Huffington Post is one of my favourite international news sites. It’s opinions and blog-style format is really accessible and user-friendly to a growing online audience, and it provides an alternative angle to the conventional news piece. www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

8.       The Independent – One of my favourite newspapers, the Independent – like the Guardian and the Mail – has a website with a global presence which is highly successful and professional. Although the website is not the easiest to navigate, it is well worth a read – especially its award-winning opinion section. www.independent.co.uk

9.       Google News: Now I know technically this is not a news site as such, but Google is great at providing the latest articles on any topic; providing you with sources from a range of media and news outlets, which are easily accessible. www.news.google.co.uk

10.   Sky News: My last port of call if I fancy a change from my usual websites. Although Sky is great with Breaking News Stories, and its TV programming is often far better than the BBC (at times), its online content lacks the clarity and sophistication of other websites. You might think differently though. www.news.sky.com/home

Pictures Courtesy of Wikipedia