johnsaunders's blog


This nearly made me drop my newspaper

Remember that guy we all laughed at in school - you know, he thought giraffes had long necks cuz their ancestors stretched to reach the high-up leaves? How could he fail to realise that it's random mutations that cause evolution, which are then reinforced through 'survival of the fittest' style environmental pressures? I mean, duh!

So confess - who bought yesterday's NoW?

I forgot in the end, but intended to (story of my life). Anyone get a compy for posterity (Alan, I know you did via Facebook status)?

Third years talk about graduating from the CfJ

Recent graduates on their experiences at the University of Kent's Centre for Journalism

Piece in today's Indy

Didn't post this sooner as I've got no internet at home, had a bit of shameless exploitation of my private life published today in the Independent.

PS: If I look tired in that photo, it's because I'm being propped up by tiny elves from the top of the garden. *zzz...*

3rd yr printable newspaper, 2nd newsday

I've made an A4 version of our Spring term print newsday 'paper, but it's too big to upload to the site (and looks awful compressed further). I'll bring it on Weds on a USB if anyone wants a copy.

Beginning of the end for online defamation?

"Is this a landmark moment for free speech online, with Twitter handing over confidential details of a user for the first time?" asks Rory Cellan-Jones, after Twitter's release of user information in a Californian court to lawyers acting for South Tyneside Council.

Is this the most important story of the century?

The singularity - not the origin of the universe, but the rupture with human history as we know it, when artificial intelligence surpasses the sum of all human intelligence.

By its nature, we cannot imagine what will happen after such a point (if it happens, that is), because if we could, it wouldn't surpass our intelligence.

Yr3 TV News Day - Conference at 8.30

Conference starts at 8.30 tomorrow, in the smaller newsroom. See you there!

'Ethnic cleansing' - book Reporting Conflict students might be interested in

Today's lecture on the former Yugoslavia reminded me of a passage in Steve Poole's book Unspeak (which is in the library) that Reporting Conflict students might be interested in.

On pages 91-98 he discusses the invention of the term 'ethnic cleansing', and how it was cynically adopted by the international community - only obliged by treaty to intervene in cases of 'genocide'.