Journalism Student Jordan

Jordan, you left a comments message on one of my posts about possibly studying journalism (poor fool).
Drop me an email at stephen@surepr.co.uk with your details and I will see if I can help you.
Stephen

Bylines Are Just The Tonic

A sad story caught my eye the other day in the Scottish Daily Mail. It was the ongoing saga of the final resting place of missing Bathgate teenager Vicky Hamilton, with her father deciding where Vicky will be buried despite strong objections from his estranged children. While the topic was tragic it was the byline on the story which made me chuckle. Are journos the only people on the planet who check out bylines? I think so - Joe Punter doesn't give a toss who has penned each story but we like to know what our mates and rivals have been up to, whose done the best job and who's been caught short.
Anyway, this byline was none other than Alan Crow, heid bummer at the Scottish Daily Mail. And anyone who knows Big Al will testify that he is the main contender for the title of the Biggest Byline Thief in the history of Scottish journalism. I've lost count of the times when I've done the graft, took the knocks, risked a do-ing, called in favours, issued barely concealed threats, coerced, cajoled, growled, sweet talked, schmoozed and flirted my way to standing up a story, filed to copy and got up early the next morning to grab the paper off the shelves and enjoy the glory. Only to read "Exclusive by Alan Crow". He'd added a comma or a few words to my finely honed prose and inserted his name at the top of the story.
One of the most outrageous cases of byline thievery I suffered, and which merited a full blown investigation by the polis, was the case of Safeway Poisoner, Paul Agutter. This was the university professor who in 1994 tried to knock off his wife Alexandra and make way for his foxy mistress, Carole Bonsall, by serving up a tea-time G&T laced with atropine. Agutter tried to conceal his mixology skills by placing contaminated bottles of tonic on the shelves of a Safeway supermarket in the hope that if successful, his wife's death would be put down to some random poisoner. Anyway, he got a 12 year stretch for his troubles and that's where the byline scandal erupted.
He was dubbed up in Edinburgh's Saughton Prison and I virtually did cartwheels around the Daily Record office when a long term prisoner contact of mine called to say he was in a cell only a couple of doors down from Agutter.
The recidivist contact of mine naturally befriended Agutter and in an act of genuine friendliness, and to help him settle in to prison life, he offered to take care of posting some letters from the jail to his mistress.
By some strange twist of fate these letters ended up at 90a George Street, Edinburgh, the Daily Record's office in the Capital. The saucy details contained in those letters (well the detail we could print in a family paper) and accounts of how this mad boffin was faring in the pokey, made pages 1, 2 and 3. And when I picked up the paper the next day, yes, that's right.
Put it this way. If I could have got my hands on some of Agutter's special brand of gin and tonic, big Crow would not now be warming his executive chair at the Scottish Daily Mail.
So I guess the question is: Who really wrote the article on Vicky's burial, 'cos we sure as hell know it wasn't Alan?

First Minister On To St Andrew's Day Winner At Musselburgh

One of my clients, Musselburgh Racecourse, has pulled off something of a coup. We've got First Minister, Alex Salmond, calling in on Friday afternoon's race meeting as part of the St Andrew's Day celebrations. As their PR consultant I would like to claim some of the credit for this visit, but damn and blast, I can't. Truth is the visit has been arranged through long time racecourse supporter and East Lothian SNP councillor, Kenny McLeod, who is also a director on the racecourse board.
It's a gala day for Musselburgh and congratulations really must go to general manager Bill Farnsworth and all his hard working team who have kept their heads high and aspirations for the course even higher, despite suffering a major set back when plans for an all-weather track were knocked back earlier this year after a Public Inquiry.
I've been doing Musselburgh's PR for about four years but I've always wondered if it's really financially worthwhile. You see, I know bugger all about the gee-gees and despite my best intentions, when I do attend race days I invariably have a flutter. I may as well just stand in Musselburgh High Street and hand out tenners to complete strangers and I'd have a better chance of a return.
Anyway, I've always been a fan of our FM, Wee Eck, and as he's a bit of an authority on the nags I'm going to try to stay close and pick up a few tips. Totepool has donated a £100 charity bet for the FM and he will be hoping he can pick a few winners and boost the coffers of a worthwhile cause. I've had a look at Friday's entries and there are a number of runners which merit his attention.
In the 1.20pm Balfour Kilpatrick Supply Chain Novices’ Handicap, The Saltire Tiger seems an obvious choice. Or New World Order in the 1.50pm Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle might reflect his views on changes which have taken place since his SNP party took power in May.
He will obviously be hoping St Andrew’s Day is a Day to Remember which runs in the 2.25pm Black Bottle Handicap Hurdle and in the 2.55pm feature race, he has the choice of Guerilla, which it could be said describes some of his tactics when dealing with Brown the Bottler at Westminster.
Alex is also a football fan (if you accept Hearts' brand of hoofball is actually football) so he could plump for Charlie George, also in the big race, which is trained locally by Peter Monteith at Rosewell and named after the Arsenal legend who scored 49 goals in 179 games and was part of the famous 1971 Double winning Highbury team.
And while we're speaking about stylish flair teams like the Gunners, I wonder of Alex will give me odds on a Hibs win when they take on Aberdeen at the weekend?
Read the full press release here.

Engineer Al Peaks For Downhill Skiing Challenge

Ok, all you cash rich journos out there. How about putting some of your ill gotten gains to a good cause instead of blowing it down the boozer tonight? Or you could donate a portion of those fat expenses you hike up each week with dummy receipts. If you've just turned someone over to nail down that page lead or you've conned someone out of a collect pic which is appearing all over the tabloids tomorrow, this is your chance to make amends and feel good for a while . . .
Al Den-McKay, an engineer working for one of my PR clients, STATS Group, is taking part in a ski-athon to raise money for cerebral palsy foundation Scope. Read on, or if that's beyond you just donate some of your filthy lucre here. And yes, I have donated myself.

A skiing enthusiast is taking on an Everest sized charity endurance challenge by conquering the peaks of Austria.
Project engineer, Al Den-McKay, will ski down 24 peaks in 48 hours to raise money for cerebral palsy foundation Scope.
If anyone thinks downhill skiing is a breeze, Al is quick to point out the distance covered on the 24 runs is equivalent to skiing Mount Everest from summit to valley twice over.
Al, 32, of Alford, near Aberdeen, was taught to ski at the age of seven in the Canadian Rockies but the White Peaks Challenge in Austria next March will push him to the limit.
Al said: “It’s a great physical challenge but also really good way to raise money for a worthwhile cause. A family friend of my wife has been very well supported by Scope so it all seemed such a good idea.
“I ski about three times a year but this will still be a tough one to pull off. It may sound easy because I will be skiing downhill but it’s pretty much non stop skiing from 8.30 to 5.30 on each day and the only time you are resting is on the lifts.”
An ankle injury has curtailed Al’s other sporting interests but he has embarked on a rigorous training schedule in preparation for the White Peaks test, including daily swim sessions to boost his cardiovascular capacity.
He also thinks taking part in the ski-athon will be a life changing experience.
He said: “There is the satisfaction of raising money for a good cause but I will also make good friends with like minded people. I’d never thought about doing something for charity before but it’s said that once you do something like this you tend to go on and do more charity work so that would be very positive.”
Al hopes to raise a minimum of £1500 for Scope and is already well on the way to his target following enthusiastic backing of colleagues at specialist engineering company STATS Group based in Dyce.
He said: “STATS have been very supportive and after details of my challenge were posted on the company website my work colleagues have pledged a fair amount of their hard earned cash. I hope to raise more than the minimum £1500 target I’ve set myself.”
Scope aims to achieve equality and normality for people who live with cerebral palsy. The money raised will assist Scope to run vital services which are designed to support disabled people in every aspect of their lives, from birth and through to adulthood.
To support Al Den McKay’s White Peak Challenge visit http://www.justgiving.com/skistatsboy or contact him at adenmckay@statsgroup.com

ends

A Face Like A Spacehopper

So, I've just returned from the gym (no laughing please) and I'm devastated and despairing to find England are trailing 0-2 to Croatia. The phone rings and it's my toe-blister. I'm slightly irritated that she is calling at a time when I am roaring my wholehearted support for the world's best footballing side, he says with a straight face. But of course I instantly switch to loving-brother mode when she tells me Peter Tobin, the man accused of murdering teenager Vicky Hamilton, has been blue-lighted from Edinburgh's Saughton Prison to hospital after getting a right going over from a fellow con on the eve of a court appearance at Linlithgow.
A quick word with a prison insider and I've got the full bhuna. Particulary liked my source's quote on Tobin's injuries: "He had a face like a Spacehopper". Who needs to dress up quotes when you get descriptions like that?
A call to my old pal Alan Crow at the Daily Mail and we're in business. My 16-year-old son is booted unceremoniously off the computer and I'm filing copy. The Daily Mail's Scottish edition deadlines are earlier than others and its an age since I filed against the clock but boy does it come back to you in a flash. End result, a page 6 lead* in today's Scottish Daily Mail and a pledge from Crow this morning that "I'll look after you". Perhaps I haven't lost it after all.
Oh, and apparently England got humped and are out of the Euro Championships.
*can't link to the story because Daily Mail don't have it on their website.

Writer Linda Watson-Brown Reveals Her Dark Side

Freelance journalist, columnist and ghost writer, Linda Watson-Brown, launches her debut novel tomorrow (thurs) at Waterstone's west end branch in Princes Street, Edinburgh. But it's a funny one in that it's actual their debut novel as ex-Scotsman staffer Linda has penned Dark Angels with former lawyer Maria Thomson, under the nome de plume, Grace Monroe.
A crime thriller set in Edinburgh, the central character is Brodie McClennan, a rising star lawyer who investigates the city's underworld. Well, who says Rebus should have it all his own way?
Linda's a busy woman, with two blogs on the go and I like her humorous style. She admits her pic on the blog makes her look a bit glaikit but she's really pretty normal. She's an ex pupil of Tynie High in Edinburgh where she perfected the arts of skiving and hanging around graveyards. The graveyard shifts proved handy because a career advisor told her to consider a Biology diploma and she'd already completed a fair bit of biological studies in those very graveyards.
Married to "some ginger bloke who seemed alright" the mother of three now lives in the Mearns and finds living in the north east of Scotland "very nice if frequently unintelligible". I know the feeling. My other half leaves me standing when she drops her cultured Aberdeen accent and slips back in to pure Doric.
If you want to find out more about Dark Angels you can read the first chapter here. And if you fancy going along to the Waterstone's launch (6-7.30pm) to meet Linda and Maria you can contact Linda at l.wb@stampless.co.uk

Brush Up On Contempt of Court Laws

Scott Douglas has been posting a-plenty on his blog about the legal situation and risk of contempt in the Peter Tobin/Vicky Hamilton murder case which is gruesomely unfolding just now so I'll avoid repeating the detail. But I did splutter over my late night cocoa at the end of last week when up pops Mark Austin with ITV's late news round up of the next day's newspapers. The Daily Mail flashes up on screen with a splash on Tobin and a strap line containing a tabloid phrase which leaves the viewer in no doubt that Tobin is unable to boast he is of unblemished character.
Of course, it was the English edition of the Daily Mail and no doubt ITV were ignorant of the fact that for this to appear on Scottish airwaves, given proceedings are live, would be an outright contempt of court.
And we can't treat contempt of court too lightly, as I well know, having stood in the dock of the High Court in Edinburgh accused of that very charge. It was because of a Daily Record splash I wrote about my old pal, notorious sex offender, conman at large, the Walter Mittyesque John Cronin, who recently threw himself on the unfortunate Swedes.
Devious Cronin had been lifted and charged over a weekend after being involved in some shenanigans and I was working a Sunday shift when I got the tip from a trusted source. He was due to appear at Haddington Sheriff Court on Monday, and of course, we didn't need lawyers to tell us that if we ran the story, me and the newspaper, would be in contempt. After high level discussions I think the attitude was "bollocks, it's too good a story not to run, let's take the risk".
Great splash, left our rivals trailing, and a few days later me and editor Terry Quinn were served with a summons and a warning to get our best suits and a toothbrush looked out. It seemed the Crown Office were out to make an example of us.
QC's were engaged for both me and the paper but I'm glad to say I wasn't footing the legal bill. I think the hearing lasted two or three days and yes, we were duly found to be in contempt. Fortunately, I was admonished but if I remember correctly the Record was fined £20,000 and El Tel was sent away with a flea in his ear and advice that if anything similar happened under his watch that he actually would need that toothbrush.
So, I wouldn't under estimate the Crown Office when it comes to dealing with those who pay scant regard to Scotland's contempt of court laws.

Pints With Pals Eases Hampden Pain

How to kill a party in under two minutes. That gifted Italian goal on Saturday cut through the party atmosphere in The Baillie in Edinburgh's Stockbridge like a knife through butter. The buzz that had rippled through the basement bar spluttered and died in an instant. It was interesting watching the body language of punters across the other side of the bar. Laughter and animated gestures were replaced with grim expressions, folded arms, and folk holding their hands to their faces - me included.
It did pick up as Scotland got back in to the match through sheer determination and hard work which forced the Italians on to the back foot but we all know it came to nowt. Result apart, it was a good night for no other reason than I got to meet up with old pals who don't get the chance to get together as much nowadays and it was a broad spattering from the Scottish media world.
Our group included in no particular order, Richard Neville, deputy editor of the Press and Journal; Douglas Smith, former news editor of the Edinburgh Evening News and now Scotsman sub; PR boss Scott Douglas of the Holyrood Partnership; Magnus Llewellin, assistant editor at The Herald; former Scotsman chief sub and assistant editor Nigel Donaldson, and last but by no means least Andy "Knocker" Naylor, until recently GNER's press supremo in Scotland who is newly returned from a self imposed exile at his holiday pad in Fuerteventura.
A tad ironic that the one man missing from our group was Scotland on Sunday feature writer, telly critic and author Aidan Smith, as The Baillie is more Aidan's local and we meet there often because he is a Stockaree resident. Aidan had pulled the short straw and had been dispatched to Glesga' by SoS to file a report from the streets on the pre-match build up and Tartan Army manoeuvres.
I hope Aidan had more luck than one of our four children who had arranged to meet her twin sister and pals in a Glasgow pub to watch the big match. She was late getting to the agreed venue as she waited back for two Glasgow Caledonian University flatmates. And by the time they got to the pub it was packed to the rafters and she couldn't get in, while her sis was trapped inside. A long and rain soaked trudge back to the uni halls did little to lift her spirits as the flats don't have SKY telly and so she didn't see the game.

Winehouse Winds Herself Back - For Now

I've been watching the Amy Winehouse car crash show slowly unfold over the last year hoping this would not end in yet another fatality. Such a huge, unique talent, it would be a terrible waste if she did not reach her full potential.
The faltering, drug debilitating shows she has stumbled through recently did not bode well and many have predicted her imminent demise. But it seems she was at least Back to Black at last night's concert at Glasgow's Barrowlands where she wowed a crowd who had been feeding on day long rumours that she had been hospitalised or had died.
I'm glad we didn't wait and made the trip to Dublin's Ambassador Theatre back in March to see the songstress before she began her, hopefully reversible, journey to disaster. In the slightly rundown, shabby Ambassador at the top of O'Connell Street, Winehouse put on a stormer and left everyone feeling good that they had the opportunity to enjoy her distinctive, unrivalled performance. The weekend was a present to my loved one, who had discovered the joys of Amy Winehouse just before Christmas (she has an ear for good music) and I had become quickly hooked. A Winehouse concert on the Friday night and a weekend of soaking up the Dublin street and pub life with your nearest and dearest. Doesn't get much better.

BBC Get Shot of Sheriffs

Driving down the A90 from Aberdeen yesterday and listening to Radio 2 when their news bulletin reported a man had been arrested and charged with the murder of missing Bathgate teenager Vicky Hamilton. But the London-based Beeb journos obviously couldn't get their head around the fact that we have Sheriffs and Sheriff Courts in Scotland. According to their story the man "was due to appear before magistrates at court in West Lothian". As we all know, Peter Tobin, appeared in private before a sheriff at Linlithgow Sheriff Court yesterday.
Makes me wonder if Scottish Daily Mail news executive, Alan Crow, will come out of reporting retirement to cover the subsequent trial. After all, big Alan almost made an entire career out of Vicky Hamilton stories during his time at the Daily Record.

Murder and Mayhem in Fulham

An older generation remembers where they were when first hearing of the news of the JFK assassination. Ours mostly remember where they were when news first broke of the Parish car crash which killed Princess Diana. I remember where I was when BBC newsreader Jill Dando was killed in a leafy London street in April '99.
I'd just stepped off a flight to Heathrow and my then bulky mobile phone went in to hyperactive mode with messages from The Scotsman news desk. I was in London to root around on rumours we'd picked up about a prominent Scottish legal figure who had allegedly been involved in an incident while "walking" on Hampstead Heath.
Any notion of bagging a big name legal eagle immediately disappeared on the airport tarmac and it was straight to Fulham where Dando had been found dying in the street after being shot through the head with a single bullet. Awaiting me was one of the biggest hack packs I had ever seen - but still smaller than the massed media ranks Scott Douglas and me had fought off at Gatwick Airport in early 91' to secure the exclusive interview and pics of hostage pensioners, Jim and Mary Wright, after they had been freed by Saddam Hussein in the run up to the first Gulf War.
Arriving at the Dando scene there was mayhem all around. And I did what any reporter should do when on a strange patch with few contacts. As we crowded round a Met police press officer for an update I heard the Scottish accent and realised immediately he was a wide-o. He'll do for me, I thought, and I latched on to Daily Mirror legend Don Mackay, an old hand who knew the score. Despite his gruff exterior Don was a gent and introduced me to other London hacks including the Sun's crime man Mike Sullivan. It was an educating insight in to the beasts of Fleet Street and I've got to say, despite the extreme competitiveness, they were mostly welcoming and helpful to the stranger from Edinburgh.
As it turned out Don Mackay and me had been brought up only a street away in the same Edinburgh housing scheme, and he still returned 'home' to visit his elderly parents. The Scotsman had booked me in to a hotel the other side of London from the crime scene which was not ideal and one night, after being out late on the wrong side of town, Don put me up at his place. His lovely actress wife, Nichola McAuliffe, was obviously used to waifs and strays turning up as when I woke in the morning awaiting me were toiletries, a new pair of socks and a new white shirt still in the packaging. Now, that's what I call service.
By the end of the week I was recalled to Edinburgh and the theories of who killed Jill Dando, from eastern European hitmen to jilted lovers and weird loners, would rumble on for many months to come.
Barry George, the man convicted of her murder, is now to face a retrial after appeal court judges agreed the trial jury had been misled about forensic evidence. It wouldn't be the first time an innocent man has been put behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. The significance, or otherwise, of firearms residue found on George's coat will now be fully re-examined and a new jury can weigh up whether George really did have the wherewith all to carry out such a cold-blooded execution.
Never did bottom out the legal eagle story but I still pay attention when I see his name in the press.

While I've Been Gone . . .

I'm not sure this blog is speaking to me. I stand accused of the heinous crime of blog neglect, not having posted since 1 November. No lame excuses, just been a bit busy and the real job has to come first, so guilty as charged.
Anyway, while my back was turned, someone has nicked in and stolen my seat. But I've no complaints as its PR boss and my ex Daily Record and Evening News colleague, Scott Douglas.
Scotty has his own meeja blog up and running and it's well worth a visit. We've been in a few scrapes together over the years and had our fair share of hairy moments on doorstepping duties but Scotty is better placed to recount them as my memory suffers from too many nights fully utilising our weekly expenses claims in the Jinglin' Geordie (old Evening News pub in Fleshmarket Close).
The Jinglin' was the place to be for any self respecting News hack. Leaving off the nostalgia tinted glasses, I reckon the team we had then working at North Bridge, under news editor Simon Bradshaw and editor Terry Quinn, could outsplash anyone.
On Thursday evenings the Jinglin' was where we blew the eccies and on Fridays it was to recount the events of the week and how we had yet again pissed all over the opposition (and that included news maestro Alan Crow, then of the Record and now Daily Mail boss man).
Just how frazzled my memory is, can be demonstrated by the fact I've had to phone Scott a couple of times recently to firm up details of a past event before posting on the blog. And just because he's now got a blog of his own, he won't be excused from memory-refreshing duties.

Marketing Job Means McAskill Only Gets 999 Cops Back On Street

I hear Lothian and Borders cops have been adding to their ever growing communications department with the arrival of Chief Inspector Allison Strachan who is working on a "marketing" project. If the Edinburgh force's press officers need any extra help in dealing with media inquiries they can confidently turn for advice to CI Strachan who has proper hands-on experience of the press.
Ms Strachan featured in a number of my own stories which revealed how she copped off (shameless pun) with then, Chief Superintendent Douglas Watson, which resulted in the break up of his second marriage. And when Watson was heading up the farcical and shambolic Operation Capital, guess who was recruited to join his hand picked team? Sorry, no prizes.
In one episode, we were camped outside Ms Strachan's parent's home trying to get a snatch pic of her as she left for work early one morning but her taxi driving father rumbled us after he emerged from a side entrance and drove round the corner. He stormed over to the snapper, trying to land a blow, but I stepped in to push him back. Cue allegations that we assaulted him and within minutes about half a dozen police officers were on the scene.
Watson was no slouch at earning his own headlines. As Head of CID, he infamously called off a surveillance operation on notorious paedophile James Clark. Chief Supt Watson decided it was too costly to continue monitoring Clark as he roamed Portobello beach fresh from his release from an English prison. Yes, you couldn't make it up.
On a more serious note - another senior officer removed from front line policing to perform a "marketing" role? Justice Minister Kenny McAskill has no chance of getting an extra 1000 cops back on the streets if this is an example of how Scotland's eight police forces conduct their business.