An MP helped write the news for a regional daily paper after spending a day on work experience there.
The Northampton Chronicle and Echo gave Michael Ellis, the Conservative MP for Northampton North, chance to spend a day at its offices finding out about how his local newspaper is put together.
During his time there, the newly-elected MP attended news conferences, spoke to reporters, accompanied photographers on jobs and even wrote his own stories for publication.
And the newspaper hopes the new work experience scheme could be extended to other local figures in future.
Said Mr Ellis: “I have really enjoyed my day with the Chron. Politicians are often a little weary of journalists but we spend a lot of time working together and this was a valuable opportunity for me to see how journalism works in practice.
“Local journalism is an important part of our democracy and the Chronicle and Echo has been an integral part of our community for generations.
“Tens of thousands of local people are connected to their local news through the Chron and I am delighted to have had the opportunity to learn from the inside about how a newspaper works.”
News editor Daniel Owens said he had been impressed with the MP’s writing skills during the day.
He said: “A good newspaper will always have an excellent working relationship with its MPs and this gave us a great chance to get to know Michael whilst he was able to see at close hand just what is involved in putting together a daily paper.
“His writing was actually pretty impressive and didn’t need much tidying up. I won’t be giving him a job though. He didn’t offer to put the kettle on once all day!”
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Surely he means wary, not weary?
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Going out to make pizzas must have been a valuable insight into the Chron’s priorities and was it just me who found the news editor’s comments both a little bit patronising and rather revealing about the paper’s attitude to anyone not based in their ivory tower?
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Sounds like a fascinating feature, though. “We sent our reporter to make a pizza. With an MP.”
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Whilst. What on earth is the news editor doing writing “whilst”.
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I have a terrible relationship with my local MP who hates my guts because I do naughty things like print stories he doesn’t like. That’s the way it should be, surely? Does a “good newspaper” have to have an “excellent working relationship” with its MPs? If it doesn’t, Chron news ed, does that make it a bad paper?
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Did anyone point out to this wonderful shiny new MP that while he gets over £60,000 a year, almost no-one on the front line in that office earns even half that. And pay elsewhere in an industry that newly-elected MPs are desperate to cultivate is even worse – see the Newsquest pay rise story elsewhere on HTFP
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