Freelance/Student £125
Members £100
With more than 16 years’ experience in digital journalism, pioneering website editor Jon Bernstein will lead a day-long workshop on writing for the web. You will gain an understanding of the principles of writing for the web, how it differs from print, how to establish a successful blogging persona and why the headline must work much harder online.
In this interactive session, attendees will be given plenty of opportunities to hone their craft. The workshop is ideal for new and emerging journalists, established journalists making the transition from print to web and communications professionals seeking to extend the reach and impact of the written word.
The workshop will cover the following:
1. The principles of writing
- Why writing for the web is exactly the same as writing for print. And why it’s completely different
- What George Orwell can teach us about language and readability
- EXERCISE #1: Simplifying language
- EXERCISE #2: Decoding the press release
- Understanding online reading habits
- Six more tips for writing online
2. News writing and the fundamentals of storytelling
- The Inverted Pyramid of news. And why it still matters
- The Five Ws (and the H) of news
- How to define an audience
- Establishing length
- Defining tone of voice
- EXERCISE #3: Reworking the press release
3. Blogs, longer reads and structure
- How to create a structure
- How to plan
- How to blog: the ‘atomised’ Inverted Pyramid
- Three blogging archetypes that work
- EXERCISE #4: Writing a blog post
4. Headlines
- Why headlines matter more on the web
- Tailoring headlines for the web
- Newspaper headlines that probably don’t work online
- Headlines that do work online
- EXERCISE #5: Writing a killer online headline
5. SEO: an introduction
- A practical guide to keyword research
- . . . Final thoughts
About the trainer
Jon Bernstein is an award-winning journalist, editor and digital strategist. He was deputy editor, then digital director, at the New Statesman; multimedia editor at Channel 4 News; ran the Channel 4 FactCheck website during the 2005 general election; editor-in-chief of Directgov, working in the Cabinet Office’s eGovernment Unit; and editor-in-chief of dot com start up and technology website silicon.com. In 2011, he was named Website Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors for Newstatesman.com.
Images via Shutterstock.com / a6photo and Jon Bernstein
]]>Freelance/Student £125
Members £100
In the fast-paced evolution of digital journalism, it is essential to get to grips with the social media landscape around you. Pioneering website editor Jon Bernstein will lead a day-long workshop to teach you how to get the most out of your online tools.
From understanding the basics of social media and their applications in journalism, to the fine art of online editing, this workshop is ideal for established and emerging journalists alike. It will also appeal to anyone in a communications role who truly wants to understand the power of social media.
The workshop will cover the following:
1. Social Media: Understanding the basics
- What is social media and why it matters
- Exercise #1: Defining social media
- Two tales from the newsroom that demonstrate the power of social
- Six ways journalists use social networks
2. Getting to grips with Twitter
- The Twitter Audit
- The Twitter Glossary
- Exercise #2: How to Tweet
3. Social media in action
- When to post online: how consumption habits are changing
- Eleven examples of social media in action
- The Audit: Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and the rest
- Exercise #3: Creating a social media campaign
- How to manage your social media footprint all in one place
4. How to blog
- Blogging basics
- What kind of blogger are you? Introducing three archetypes
- Establishing a tone of voice
- How to get noticed
- Exercise #4: Writing a blog post
- Blogging dos and don’ts
- Final thoughts: Eleven social media tips
About the trainer
Jon Bernstein is an award-winning journalist, editor and digital strategist. He was deputy editor, then digital director, at the New Statesman; multimedia editor at Channel 4 News; ran the Channel 4 FactCheck website during the 2005 general election; editor-in-chief of Directgov, working in the Cabinet Office’s eGovernment Unit; and editor-in-chief of dot com start up and technology website silicon.com. In 2011, he was named Website Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors for Newstatesman.com.
Images: via Shutterstock.com / Peshkova and Jon Bernstein
]]>Freelance/Student £125
Members £100
With more than 16 years’ experience in digital journalism, pioneering website editor Jon Bernstein will lead a day-long workshop on writing for the web. You will gain an understanding of the principles of writing for the web, how it differs from print, how to establish a successful blogging persona and why the headline must work much harder online.
In this interactive session, attendees will be given plenty of opportunities to hone their craft. The workshop is ideal for new and emerging journalists, established journalists making the transition from print to web and communications professionals seeking to extend the reach and impact of the written word.
The workshop will cover the following:
1. The principles of writing
- Why writing for the web is exactly the same as writing for print. And why it’s completely different
- What George Orwell can teach us about language and readability
- EXERCISE #1: Simplifying language
- EXERCISE #2: Decoding the press release
- Understanding online reading habits
- Six more tips for writing online
2. News writing and the fundamentals of storytelling
- The Inverted Pyramid of news. And why it still matters
- The Five Ws (and the H) of news
- How to define an audience
- Establishing length
- Defining tone of voice
- EXERCISE #3: Reworking the press release
3. Blogs, longer reads and structure
- How to create a structure
- How to plan
- How to blog: the ‘atomised’ Inverted Pyramid
- Three blogging archetypes that work
- EXERCISE #4: Writing a blog post
4. Headlines
- Why headlines matter more on the web
- Tailoring headlines for the web
- Newspaper headlines that probably don’t work online
- Headlines that do work online
- EXERCISE #5: Writing a killer online headline
5. SEO: an introduction
- A practical guide to keyword research
- . . . Final thoughts
About the trainer
Jon Bernstein is an award-winning journalist, editor and digital strategist. He was deputy editor, then digital director, at the New Statesman; multimedia editor at Channel 4 News; ran the Channel 4 FactCheck website during the 2005 general election; editor-in-chief of Directgov, working in the Cabinet Office’s eGovernment Unit; and editor-in-chief of dot com start up and technology website silicon.com. In 2011, he was named Website Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors for Newstatesman.com.
Images via Shutterstock.com / a6photo and Jon Bernstein
]]>
The panel discussion ‘Breaking Point: The EU Referendum and its Aftermath’ on 15 November showed that whilst it’s hard to know how exactly what it means, there are clues about the shape it will take.
For example, despite the pivotal role migration played in the referendum rhetoric, migrants are likely to stay, argued Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King’s College London. ‘We have no earthly clue who the European citizens in this country are, unless they’ve registered to vote or are getting a benefit,’ Menon said. ‘People are going to be allowed to stay,’ he remarked bluntly, ‘because we can’t do anything about it.’ The notion of ‘taking back control’ of our borders is ‘nonsense’ because the British civil service ‘can’t deal’ with the ‘kind of promises that some people in the Leave campaign have made, and they won’t try to’.
We also know that Brexit lends itself to European food based analogies. A ’kind of Swiss cheese Brexit’, in which different sectors get different deals, is most likely, Macwhirter claimed. However, Menon rebuts, any ‘deals’ at this point are moot; there is no evidence, he argued, that the EU will allow the UK to ‘salami slice the market’.
But food may not be as important as the analogies would have us believe. It’s simply not true that ‘Bordeaux winemakers’, Bojan Pancevski (The Sunday Times’ European Union Correspondent) warned, or producers of any other foodstuff or product for that matter, will successfully persuade EU governments to be lenient when negotiating with the UK for fear of losing market share. At least in Germany, the trade union bodies representing such individuals, Pancevski remarked, are on a record, saying they ‘completely agree with the government policy’. That government policy, currently, will not be one of doing favours for Britain. To avoid fuelling the rise of their own Eurosceptics, Menon argued, these governments ‘need Brexit to look dreadful’. The German Chancellery’s approach to Brexit and its message to businesses, he suggests, is similar to it’s approach to sanctioning Russia following its invasion of Crimea: ‘the political imperative is more important than economic loss, suck it up.’
Possibly most strikingly, we also know that Europe and the UK are in what Pancevski described as ‘parallel universe[s]’. For example, Britain is the only country in the EU with a political issue about freedom of labour, Menon argued. European countries, Pancevski said, don’t understand the phenomenon as ‘migration’, but rather as ‘internal movement’ within the European Union.
Furthermore, since the referendum, politicians and commentators have claimed that Europe needs the UK so much that it will change the rules, compromising freedom of movement to keep Britain in the single market. ‘We are very happy in this country to assume that everyone loves us’ Menon deadpanned. But the parallel universe strikes again, and obscures what is really at stake; the EU’s ‘primary objective’ Pancevski argued, ‘is to preserve their own union and above all to preserve the single market’. The EU’s fundamental four freedoms of goods, services, movement, and capital are, Menon claimed, ‘sacrosant’.
]]>
The audience sat in stunned silence. Roman Borisovich continued, “there is an army of UK bankers, accountants, lawyers, trustees, and other professionals assisting Russian corruption.”
Facilitating such dubious financial transactions should be ‘socially unacceptable behaviour,’ he argued, ‘just like child pornography.’
September 14th marked the Frontline Club’s inaugural Kleptoscope; the first in a new series of events investigating corruption and dirty money in London.
“Klepto as in kleptocracy,” award-winning journalist Oliver Bullough explained, “scope as in looking at it under a microscope”. Their aim, he elaborated, was not just looking at those ‘stealing money from their budgets’, but also the ways in which that dirty money is laundered and then spent. Kleptoscope’s debut event certainly delivered on this promise.
Anti-corruption campaigner and ex-banker Roman Borisovich shared a former insider’s perspective. The UK, he argued, is the “single largest enabler of money laundering and corruption in the world.”
That dirty money, Chido Dunn of Global Witness claimed, is stashed in a ‘secret bank’. This bank, she said, is one without branches and employees, but which takes dirty money and cleans it: the London property market.
“If you were a corrupt politician and you wanted to buy a luxury property using stolen money,” Dunn asked, “how would you go about it?
Her explanation made it seem simple.
Imagine you’re a corrupt minister with the power to sell oil rights, Dunn urged. Using an anonymous company you’ve registered in the British Virgin Islands (‘Shady Incorporated’), you sell those rights to yourself at a fraction of their market value, and then sell them on for their full worth. With no trace left behind, you pocket the ‘profit’. But, Dunn asked, how do you clean that dirty money?
“Property is an excellent way to launder money,” she said, “you can drop a large amount at one time with very few questions asked and the value of that asset will steadily increase.”
‘Very few’ might even be an exaggeration. A excerpt ‘From Russia With Cash‘ screened at the event showed several London estate agents caught on camera blithely nodding along with Borisovich, who played the role of a corrupt oil minister, much to the entertainment of Kleptoscope’s audience.
But whilst the hapless estate agents’ actions were certainly laughable, the impacts of corruption clearly are not.
“Corruption threatens our economy and makes our country less safe’ explained Dunn. In Russia, Borisovich said with an air of resignation, corruption “has caused irreparable damage to the nation”
But, where does the money go from here? Describing the links between individuals associated with bribery, corruption, and violence in Ukraine and Azerbaijan and back-bench MPs in the UK, Bullough asked whether it is being used to buy influence and access. He couldn’t be certain that these links were crooked, he cautioned, “but it looks bad, it looks concerning.”
“By focussing the scope on these things” he reiterated, “hopefully we can push for greater and greater transparency so when the sunlight is shone on these deals we can say actually it was fine […] we need to know, this is a democracy.”
]]>
Freelance/Student £125
Members £100
In the fast-paced evolution of digital journalism, it is essential to get to grips with the social media landscape around you. Pioneering website editor Jon Bernstein will lead a day-long workshop to teach you how to get the most out of your online tools.
From understanding the basics of social media and their applications in journalism, to the fine art of online editing, this workshop is ideal for established and emerging journalists alike. It will also appeal to anyone in a communications role who truly wants to understand the power of social media.
The workshop will cover the following:
1. Social Media: Understanding the basics
- What is social media and why it matters
- Exercise #1: Defining social media
- Two tales from the newsroom that demonstrate the power of social
- Six ways journalists use social networks
2. Getting to grips with Twitter
- The Twitter Audit
- The Twitter Glossary
- Exercise #2: How to Tweet
3. Social media in action
- When to post online: how consumption habits are changing
- Eleven examples of social media in action
- The Audit: Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and the rest
- Exercise #3: Creating a social media campaign
- How to manage your social media footprint all in one place
4. How to blog
- Blogging basics
- What kind of blogger are you? Introducing three archetypes
- Establishing a tone of voice
- How to get noticed
- Exercise #4: Writing a blog post
- Blogging dos and don’ts
- Final thoughts: Eleven social media tips
About the trainer
Jon Bernstein is an award-winning journalist, editor and digital strategist. He was deputy editor, then digital director, at the New Statesman; multimedia editor at Channel 4 News; ran the Channel 4 FactCheck website during the 2005 general election; editor-in-chief of Directgov, working in the Cabinet Office’s eGovernment Unit; and editor-in-chief of dot com start up and technology website silicon.com. In 2011, he was named Website Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors for Newstatesman.com.
Images: via Shutterstock.com / Peshkova and Jon Bernstein
]]>Freelance/Student £125
Members £100
With more than 16 years’ experience in digital journalism, pioneering website editor Jon Bernstein will lead a day-long workshop on writing for the web. You will gain an understanding of the principles of writing for the web, how it differs from print, how to establish a successful blogging persona and why the headline must work much harder online.
In this interactive session, attendees will be given plenty of opportunities to hone their craft. The workshop is ideal for new and emerging journalists, established journalists making the transition from print to web and communications professionals seeking to extend the reach and impact of the written word.
The workshop will cover the following:
1. The principles of writing
- Why writing for the web is exactly the same as writing for print. And why it’s completely different
- What George Orwell can teach us about language and readability
- EXERCISE #1: Simplifying language
- EXERCISE #2: Decoding the press release
- Understanding online reading habits
- Six more tips for writing online
2. News writing and the fundamentals of storytelling
- The Inverted Pyramid of news. And why it still matters
- The Five Ws (and the H) of news
- How to define an audience
- Establishing length
- Defining tone of voice
- EXERCISE #3: Reworking the press release
3. Blogs, longer reads and structure
- How to create a structure
- How to plan
- How to blog: the ‘atomised’ Inverted Pyramid
- Three blogging archetypes that work
- EXERCISE #4: Writing a blog post
4. Headlines
- Why headlines matter more on the web
- Tailoring headlines for the web
- Newspaper headlines that probably don’t work online
- Headlines that do work online
- EXERCISE #5: Writing a killer online headline
5. SEO: an introduction
- A practical guide to keyword research
- . . . Final thoughts
About the trainer
Jon Bernstein is an award-winning journalist, editor and digital strategist. He was deputy editor, then digital director, at the New Statesman; multimedia editor at Channel 4 News; ran the Channel 4 FactCheck website during the 2005 general election; editor-in-chief of Directgov, working in the Cabinet Office’s eGovernment Unit; and editor-in-chief of dot com start up and technology website silicon.com. In 2011, he was named Website Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors for Newstatesman.com.
Images via Shutterstock.com / a6photo and Jon Bernstein
]]>Freelance/Student £125
Members £100
With more than 16 years’ experience in digital journalism, pioneering website editor Jon Bernstein will lead a day-long workshop on writing for the web. You will gain an understanding of the principles of writing for the web, how it differs from print, how to establish a successful blogging persona and why the headline must work much harder online.
In this interactive session, attendees will be given plenty of opportunities to hone their craft. The workshop is ideal for new and emerging journalists, established journalists making the transition from print to web and communications professionals seeking to extend the reach and impact of the written word.
The workshop will cover the following:
1. The principles of writing
- Why writing for the web is exactly the same as writing for print. And why it’s completely different
- What George Orwell can teach us about language and readability
- EXERCISE #1: Simplifying language
- EXERCISE #2: Decoding the press release
- Understanding online reading habits
- Six more tips for writing online
2. News writing and the fundamentals of storytelling
- The Inverted Pyramid of news. And why it still matters
- The Five Ws (and the H) of news
- How to define an audience
- Establishing length
- Defining tone of voice
- EXERCISE #3: Reworking the press release
3. Blogs, longer reads and structure
- How to create a structure
- How to plan
- How to blog: the ‘atomised’ Inverted Pyramid
- Three blogging archetypes that work
- EXERCISE #4: Writing a blog post
4. Headlines
- Why headlines matter more on the web
- Tailoring headlines for the web
- Newspaper headlines that probably don’t work online
- Headlines that do work online
- EXERCISE #5: Writing a killer online headline
5. SEO: an introduction
- A practical guide to keyword research
- . . . Final thoughts
About the trainer
Jon Bernstein is an award-winning journalist, editor and digital strategist. He was deputy editor, then digital director, at the New Statesman; multimedia editor at Channel 4 News; ran the Channel 4 FactCheck website during the 2005 general election; editor-in-chief of Directgov, working in the Cabinet Office’s eGovernment Unit; and editor-in-chief of dot com start up and technology website silicon.com. In 2011, he was named Website Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors for Newstatesman.com.
Images via Shutterstock.com / a6photo and Jon Bernstein
]]>Freelance/Student £125
Members £100
In the fast-paced evolution of digital journalism, it is essential to get to grips with the social media landscape around you. Pioneering website editor Jon Bernstein will lead a day-long workshop to teach you how to get the most out of your online tools.
From understanding the basics of social media and their applications in journalism, to the fine art of online editing, this workshop is ideal for established and emerging journalists alike. It will also appeal to anyone in a communications role who truly wants to understand the power of social media.
The workshop will cover the following:
1. Social Media: Understanding the basics
- What is social media and why it matters
- Exercise #1: Defining social media
- Two tales from the newsroom that demonstrate the power of social
- Six ways journalists use social networks
2. Getting to grips with Twitter
- The Twitter Audit
- The Twitter Glossary
- Exercise #2: How to Tweet
3. Social media in action
- When to post online: how consumption habits are changing
- Eleven examples of social media in action
- The Audit: Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+ and the rest
- Exercise #3: Creating a social media campaign
- How to manage your social media footprint all in one place
4. How to blog
- Blogging basics
- What kind of blogger are you? Introducing three archetypes
- Establishing a tone of voice
- How to get noticed
- Exercise #4: Writing a blog post
- Blogging dos and don’ts
- Final thoughts: Eleven social media tips
About the trainer
Jon Bernstein is an award-winning journalist, editor and digital strategist. He was deputy editor, then digital director, at the New Statesman; multimedia editor at Channel 4 News; ran the Channel 4 FactCheck website during the 2005 general election; editor-in-chief of Directgov, working in the Cabinet Office’s eGovernment Unit; and editor-in-chief of dot com start up and technology website silicon.com. In 2011, he was named Website Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors for Newstatesman.com.
Images: via Shutterstock.com / Peshkova and Jon Bernstein
]]>Freelance/Student £125
Members £100
With more than 16 years’ experience in digital journalism, pioneering website editor Jon Bernstein will lead a day-long workshop on writing for the web. You will gain an understanding of the principles of writing for the web, how it differs from print, how to establish a successful blogging persona and why the headline must work much harder online.
In this interactive session, attendees will be given plenty of opportunities to hone their craft. The workshop is ideal for new and emerging journalists, established journalists making the transition from print to web and communications professionals seeking to extend the reach and impact of the written word.
The principles of writing
- Why writing for the web is exactly the same as print; and why it’s completely different
- Understanding the audience
- What Orwell can teach us about language and readability
- Establishing the right tone of voice
- Determining length and frequency
- Five writers who understand the digital form
News and feature writing
- The inverted Pyramid of news and why it still matters
- The Five Ws of News
- Finding a killer angle
- Reporting vs opinion
- News vs Features
- NEWS WRITING EXERCISE
Blog writing
- The ‘atomised’ Inverted Pyramid
- When is a blog not a blog?
- Five blogging personas
- Seven blog writing tips
- BLOG WRITING EXERCISE
Headlines and social media sells
- Why headlines and sells matter more on the web
- Tailoring headlines and sells for the web
- HEADLINE WRITING EXERCISE
- Ten headlines that work online, and ten headlines that don’t
- SEO: An introduction
- A practical guide to keyword research
About the trainer
Jon Bernstein is an award-winning journalist, editor and digital strategist. He was deputy editor, then digital director, at the New Statesman; multimedia editor at Channel 4 News; ran the Channel 4 FactCheck website during the 2005 general election; editor-in-chief of Directgov, working in the Cabinet Office’s eGovernment Unit; and editor-in-chief of dot com start up and technology website silicon.com. In 2011, he was named Website Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors for Newstatesman.com.
Images via Shutterstock.com / a6photo and Jon Bernstein
]]>