Behind the scenes of ‘real life’ magazines
Ever wondered about the people behind weird and wonderful headlines such as “Carjacked and then force fed meat pies” and “Allergic to trousers”? Two programmes this week take a peek into the intriguing world of real life journalism, meeting both the journalists who find and report on these people and those who sell their stories. Secrets for Sale was aired on BBC 1 on 2nd March and is available on iPlayer. My Daughter Grew Another Head and Other True Life Stories will air on Thursday 4th March at 9pm on Channel 4.
Visit the takeaweirdbreak website to see some more of the most garish headlines.
Campaign for libel reform
Simon Singh, the freelance science writer currently fighting libel action brought by the British Chiropractic Association, is calling for 100,000 people to sign the petition for libel reform before the political parties write their manifestos for the election. The legal row centres on a 2008 Guardian comment piece in which Singh accused the BCA of promoting “bogus” treatment for children.
Singh says: “Our current libel laws inhibit debate and stifle free expression. They discourage writers from tackling important subjects and thereby deny us the right to read about them.
“The law is so biased towards claimants and so hostile to writers that London has become known as the libel capital of the world. The rich and powerful bring cases to London on the flimsiest grounds (libel tourism), because they know that 90% of cases are won by claimants. Libel laws intended to protect individual reputation are being exploited to suppress fair comment and criticism.”
TheLawyer.com provides more background information about the ongoing Simon Singh libel case.
Grammar horrors
Lots of writers and editors enjoy nothing more than getting riled up over a misplaced apostrophe or an amusing spelling. GrammarBlog will have your pedantic teeth grinding in no time at all with atrocities such as a threat that your car could be “toad” and an advert for a room for “private party’s”.
English “at it is worst”.
Flexible working could be good for your health
Good news for freelancers - according to a recent review of ten research studies involving more than 16,000 people, workers who have control over their working hours are healthier because they are less stressed and get more rest.
The review, published by the Cochrane Library, found that mental health, blood pressure, and sleep patterns were better among people who could determine their own working hours through flexible working.
Mar 3, 2010
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