I’ve been working at MediaGuardian.co.uk two days a week helping cover a staff sabbatical. I cover various media stories, from television ratings to job cuts. Today the focus was on the terrible events unfolding in Mumbai – I found myself speaking to the Reuters south Asia correspondent on his mobile phone as he waited around the back of the Taj Mahal hotel for the body bags to be brought out. The result was this article on how the media is covering the story, plus this blog on the Mumbai v Bombay issue and whether papers that stick to the old nomenclature are missing out on web search traffic.
Travel article on Damascus
25 November, 2008 By Leave a Comment
I was lucky enough to go to Syria earlier this year, to write about an Iraqi wedding in Damascus for G2. As well as staying with an Iraqi family and experiencing Arab culture from within, I also took the opportunity to explore the fascinating, ancient city of Damascus. I’ve written an article on the highlights of Damascus, now up on the Guardian Travel site.
New web writing gig with EcoSalon
19 November, 2008 By 1 Comment
As a freelance writer I’m very interested in new media since I believe it will be a big part of my future. It’s not just a case of print publications moving online, it’s also a case of the internet throwing up new types of businesses. Educating myself about this is a large part of the reason why I blog at Roaming Tales and The Gooseberry Fool – and use social media tools such as Twitter.
I have some exciting news to share – I’m joining EcoSalon as a regular contributor. I’ve been asked to write two posts a week, one on green travel and one on green tech and lifestyle.
My first post last week was on eco-holidays in Cornwall and today I’ve written about 5 creative ways to be a green bookworm.
The theme of EcoSalon is about going green without sacrificing style and this is something that really strikes a chord with me. I am a passionate environmentlist but I also believe that people need inspiration and a reason for hope. We shouldn’t hide from the immensity of the challenge – but if we focus on doom and gloom, we risk generating despair rather than the committed and focused action the planet needs. Despair is just as destructive to the environment as denial.
I’m pleased to be blogging for EcoSalon because the blog is committed to the environment but with an aim to empower and inspire people rather than hector or scare them. There’s enough troubling environmental news out there – the question is what we can do about it.
I fully intend to keep my own sites and my blogging duties at EcoSalon are as well as, not instead of, what I already do. It’s a paid gig so this properly falls into my day job as a freelance writer and is probably a sign of things to come in my profession.
