Matthew Edwards is a soon-to-be English Literature graduate studying at Swansea University. He has worked with The Waterfront as a features editor for a year.
He co-edits Huttstuff, an independent blog on video gaming news and culture.
I will be graduating this year, and I hope to gather an online portfolio of my work, especially within the niche area of video games journalism. At the moment it consists of a blog that a friend and I post on as a hobby a few times a week. After reading over Chris Wheal’s less-than-conventional CV from 1987 during his presentation, though, I felt like the best way to impress an employer was to not only tell them what I have done, but how I intend to do it. What better way to do this than to publish and maintain my own blog online?
The NUJ student workshop opened my eyes to the rules that journalists have to adhere to, be they employed by a large media company or, in my case, a non-professional blogger. As a features writer for the Waterfront newspaper as well as a start-up blogger, it was very useful to learn about the various pitfalls and defences that a journalist can use, even for something as simple as a misquotation or an incorrect image. Whilst I am currently unlikely to be hit by a libel claim, it was interesting to note how no win, no fee cases work against the defence.
We concluded by analysing part of the ongoing Leveson Inquiry. It left me with some interesting questions. How close should politicians be to the media? Is more regulation needed, or should we rely on closer observation of existing laws? These are questions that will change the face of journalism. Personally, I agree with Ian Hislop, who advocates the latter. Responsibility should win over restriction. The industry should not be punished for the irresponsible actions of the few corrupt elite.