The Curse of an Extraordinary Gentleman

HOWARD Hughes was obsessed with peas. The world’s richest man would line up his favourite green veg in order of size before he ate them. Ten cookies at a time, medium sized chocolate chips, not too near the edge. It took fifteen pieces of tissue paper for him to touch a doorknob and fifteen painful minutes to wash his hands after it.

Howard’s dead body was identified by his fingerprints because years in recluse made him unrecognisable, his death a result of the obsession that made him so successful in life.

This is a story of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), except this ain’t Hollywood and I’m no Katharine Hepburn. I’m in north Wales to meet a man who, like his American counterpart, is harming his livelihood with a bad habit.

Ben Williams is a comic book artist with an urge to wash his hands. Like the superheroes he sketches, he has an extraordinary ability, taught by a Nickelodeon master, which has earned him an apprenticeship with Disney. But just like a superhero, Ben has a crippling weakness that may ultimately be his downfall.

This is a tale of irony, a battle of good versus evil. Meet Comic Book Ben and the Curse of Carex.

“I bought comics in my teens that were collector’s items,” he says as I pull out a seat at his kitchen table. “You know, the ones you seal in a plastic bag and keep? They were so precious to me. It was a special mission to get them home in one piece.

“I must have looked a right dick on the bus. I’d pick a seat on my own and lay the comic flat on my knee so I didn’t bend it. If a page got ripped, I’d think about it all day. Or if it rained and got wet I’d go and buy another copy. I’d wash my hands before I read the comic because I hated it when I got greasy hand prints on them. I guess that’s how it all started.”

The 24-year-old is eager to talk about his OCD but a little less keen to make eye contact. In his trademark jeans and checked shirt with sleeves rolled up, he leans back in his chair and tells me about his daily hand washing routine.

“I go for a pee then open the bathroom door. Just a little bit. I run the water ‘til it’s scalding hot. Then it’s one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.” With a frown that creases his forehead, he touches every digit on his hands as he relays this.

“After that, I use Carex soap. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. I say the numbers out loud and if I miss one or stutter, I have to start again.” He sounds frustrated just telling me. “Then I rinse them and dry them with a clean towel. I don’t have to touch the bathroom door ‘cause it’s already open.

“If I don’t wash them in my special way, I think something bad will happen.” He says this so convincingly that my eyes widen and I nod my head in fearful agreement.

“I was washing my hands once and I kept fucking up on the numbers. My mum came in and screamed, ‘Ben, you’ve been washing your hands for 45 minutes!’ She dragged me out of the bathroom but all’s I kept thinking was wait ‘til she’s gone to work and you can go back and finish it.

“I’m just a joke to my friends. It’s like, ‘Where’s Ben?’ ‘Oh he’s washing his hands’ and they all fall about laughing. Or if my dad’s been digging in the garden, he’ll chase me around the house waving his hands in my face.”

It’s not just cleanliness that Ben struggles with.

“I turn off every plug socket in the house before I go to bed. This fire killed a guy’s wife and kids on ‘999’ once, and it was caused by a plug socket that wasn’t even turned on. I turn them all off then check again. And when mad cow disease was about and the beef was contaminated, I wouldn’t touch any meat of any kind just in case.

“The worst thing about it is that I know it’s wrong,” he says. “It’s an absolute pain in the arse. But I’m just compelled to do it, like I’m on some mission to save the world.” Cue further superhero resemblance.

Ben puts his obsessive behaviour down to being artistic.

“I think it’s an artistic tendency to be wired differently. All of my heroes have the same thing. Their hands are fucked up. It’s the perfectionist in me. Everything has to be precise. You have to push yourself just that little bit further.”

When does the strive for perfection become a life of obsession? I ask to see his hands. The first thing I notice is that they’re clean (obviously). The second thing I notice is that they are red-raw.

“I worry about it because I’m hurting my livelihood,” he says. “My hands are my thing. I can’t let it take over.”

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety-related condition that affects three in 100 people. Sufferers experience repetitive, intrusive and unwelcome thoughts which they find hard to ignore. These thoughts cause the person to perform repetitive compulsions in an attempt to neutralise the fear.

Common obsessions include contamination and germs, violent or sexual thoughts, the ordering or arrangement of objects and hoarding of possessions. The World Health Organisation ranks OCD as the tenth most disabling illness of any kind, in terms of lost earnings and diminished quality of life.

And us mere mortals aren’t alone in our suffering. Cameron Diaz admits to scrubbing her Hollywood home scrupulously every day. David Beckham would rather throw away a can of Coke than have an odd number of cans in the fridge. And Leonardo DiCaprio, who played Howard Hughes in The Aviator, avoids standing on cracks in the pavement at any cost.

Our interview almost over, I ask to see some of Ben’s artwork. He leads me to his bedroom and we pause outside while he opens the door with his elbow. It’s 4.30 in the afternoon and his curtains are drawn. But the double bed is neatly made, the room spotless.

While he shows me images on a computer screen, I nod and hum in appropriate places but scan his room stealthily for a speck of dirt or a stray pair of undies on the floor. A bookcase is crammed with books and DVDs, each placed in a certain way. On top of the bookcase, a perfect stack of comics in immaculate condition.

The walls are adorned with blue-tacked scraps of white paper, complete with pencil scribbles and sketches of outlandish characters. It reminds me of a shrine. Rows of sketchbooks and tins of coloured pencils are tidied away in a cupboard. Above his bed is a single poster of Spiderman. He spots me staring.

“I’ve never been to the doctor’s or anything about it,” Ben says. “Once I move out and get some responsibilities, I don’t think I’ll do it anymore. I’ll have a missus and babies; there’ll be more than just me to think about.”

For now, his baby is Brutal Comics, an online comic book he set up with two university pals. Not forgetting his Disney apprenticeship starting in July. Maybe Comic Book Ben lost the battle with Carex but will win the war on OCD. Maybe good will triumph over evil after all. Not bad for a lad who used to draw caricatures at Alton Towers.

The boy done good.

For more information on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, go to http://www.ocduk.org/

Behind The Wire

STYAL women’s prison in Cheshire is never far from controversies surrounding drugs, suicides and shabby living conditions. But what is the truth? Lois Hough was granted exclusive access into the prison to see what inmates endure

The train was eerily empty for a Wednesday morning rush hour. So deserted in fact that no-one got on or off for my entire journey.

I was Styal bound on the Manchester to Crewe line, to visit a group of women held at Her Majesty’s pleasure. As I chugged through Stockport, a pub was being boarded-up. In West Didsbury, police photographed a burned-out car in a side street. The gardens of Handforth should have been beautiful, but the trampolines were rusty and Barbie dolls were left naked and strewn in the long grass.

I wondered how many of these council houses had lost a mummy to Styal.

From housing estates to land estates, I arrived at Styal and began the walk to the prison through a winding country lane. I passed quaint cottages with thatched roofs and doors cloaked with ivy. Detached houses with double glazing had at least three smart cars on their gravel drives. This cosy village with its golf club and private fishing lake is just like the village of Midsomer, except without the murders, though murderers live here. It is such a serene place to house the most violent women in Britain.

I was early for my meeting with the Gov­ernor so sat on a bus stop bench outside the prison gates.

‘Welcome to HMP Styal and Young Of­fenders Institute,’ an official sign said. ‘We strive for the best.’ If only, I thought.

Prison vans came and went, at least four in fifteen minutes. A car pulled up before me, and a couple in their late fifties helped a little girl from her booster seat. It was visiting hour.

“Time to see mummy,” grandad said. The kids grow so fast.

A minibus arrived and out poured three families to see their loved ones, chatting excitedly, as though this were a trip to the seaside. Ship ‘em in and ship ‘em out.

It was time to meet my Governor who had agreed to let me see the prison but was very suspicious of my cause. I walked to the main entrance and took a peek behind the wire. I thought I was on a film set.

Most of the women live in Victorian hous­es. These individual two-storey red-brick houses stand on a tarmac road complete with streetlamps and road markings. Each house is reached by a paved path separated by a tidy lawn, and each has a bronze number on the front door.

There are 16 houses in all that hold up to 20 women each. Every woman has a key to her room, though the front doors of the houses are locked by staff at night. To complete this model village is a chapel – a black and white timber-framed building with a steeple and a weather vane. I bet that cockerel knows a secret or two. A Union Jack is flying at full mast. If it wasn’t for the 20-foot high fencing, barbed wire and CCTV, this would be an ordinary street in an affluent town.

The Governor is approaching me, clip­board in hand and bodyguard in tow.

“You haven’t taken any pictures have you?” was the first thing Governor Denise Greenlees said as we shook hands. I reassured her that I hadn’t.

We make our introductions and she is worried that I have already seen too much. We don’t enter the prison gates. We turn around and walk to an old office building on the outskirts of the site.

“Before we let you in, we want to know a bit more about you and your project,” she says as we sit down in an interview room no bigger than a cell. Suddenly I feel like it’s me under the spotlight.

I tell her that Styal has had a hard time of late in the press.

“Styal has the highest rate of suicide in all women’s prisons in the UK,” I say. My audience wince.

“An inspection last year uncovered a number of faults, including poor facilities and a lack of staff training.

“The purpose of my visit would be to see the improvements you have made. It really is in your best interests,” I lie.

She shuffles some papers and clears her throat. “Sorry, what inspection report was this?”

“It was the Anne Owers inspection report, published in September after her visit to Styal.”

A blank expression. We move on and I am showered with more questions.

What is your fascination with prisons? Do you know any prisoners in Styal? Have any of your relatives been to prison, Styal or otherwise? What exactly do you want to see at Styal? Will you name me in your article? Who will read your article? It won’t be published, will it? What if you show it to an employer and they want to publish it?

I couldn’t help but feel interrogated, and that Styal had something to hide. Dying to know the big secret, I waxed lyrical to be certain they would show me around. But it was in vain.

“I’m sorry but I can’t give you a tour to­day. I’ll talk it over with the Head Governor and I’ll give you a call on Monday. I have your number.”

Denise certainly did have my number. She had two of my numbers because I had called her constantly for a month to arrange this visit.

I didn’t get a phone call on Monday. But I did get an email.

“The Governor has decided that we are unable to facilitate a visit to the establish­ment for you at this time.”

That was it. After all of our communication, I couldn’t help feeling short-changed. We had dis­cussed my project, back and forth for four weeks, and had even arranged dates for a possible tour.

What had I said or done to make them change their once keen minds? Did I know a little too much? Were they scared about what I would see?

The irony to this story is that their reluc­tance to let me in has been more harmful than a visit ever would have been.

What are you hiding, Styal?

Does Jailing Women Really Work?

IN the wake of a critical report on Styal women’s prison, Lois Hough asks whether locking up vulnerable women really works.

The population of women’s prisons is soaring – and with it the number of inmates with mental health problems who may try to commit suicide.

Is prison the right place for the most damaged members of our society? Should women’s prisons be closed down altogether?

Baroness Corston argues that they should in her pioneering report into women and the criminal justice system.

“The nature of women’s custody in many of our prisons needs to be radically rethought,” she said.

“Women have been marginalised within a system largely designed by men for men for far too long and there is a need for a “champion” to ensure that their needs are properly recognised and met.”

The Fawcett Society, who call for equality for women, agrees with Corston.

Spokesperson, Victoria Peck, said: “The system is based on a male model and rarely takes into account the particular vulnerabilities and needs of female offenders.

“The increase in re-offending rates show that prison is not deterring women from crime, the current system is not addressing the criminogenic needs of women.”

The charity Revolving Doors, who support mental health in the criminal justice system, say that staff are simply not trained to deal with the complexity of need.

“Women in prison have extremely complex needs – mental health illnesses, drug and alcohol misuse, abused as children,” said Anna Page for the charity.

“They are not social workers but are expected to work as social workers.”

Corston says that short custody sentences for women are unnecessary.

“There are many women in prison, either on remand or serving sentences for minor, non-violent
offences, for whom prison is both disproportionate and inappropriate,” she said.

And Deborah Coles for INQUEST, agrees: “Vital questions need to be asked about what possible justification can there be in sentencing a woman to just 28 days.

“Unless more women are diverted from prison the increase in self inflicted deaths and the associated high levels of self harm, mental distress and family disruption will continue.”

Corston calls the effects of imprisoning women is “nothing short of catastrophic”

Laura Thorne for the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (SCMH), says the practical consequences of imprisoning women for short periods are too harsh.

“The cost to society of sentencing women to custody is enormous, not simply the cost of keeping a woman in prison, but the indirect cost of family disruption, damage to children and subsequent mental health problems,” she said.

“A prison sentence, particularly a short one, can and does make matters worse. It can be long enough to disrupt any support which might be in place such as housing, benefits and relationships with services but not long enough to allow for any meaningful intervention or coordination of support inside.”

The Fawcett Society say there is emotional damage too.

“Many women lose their family, friends, jobs and often suffer relationship breakdowns as a result of their imprisonment,” said Victoria.

“This often means that upon release they face further problems and find it harder to settle back into a life without crime.”

Corston says there are many alternatives to prison for women. She suggests that the most dangerous women live in “homely” local custody units and the rest should attend new community centres during the day.

Revolving Doors say the solution is to tackle social exclusion.

“The solution to stop women with mental health illnesses offending in the first place is to tackle social exclusion – the unemployed, those living in poverty, deprived areas,” said Anna Page.

The SCMH say early intervention is the solution.

“Intervening early, both in someone's life and in the system, can make a difference and divert an individual away from a path of career criminality,” said Laura Thorne.

“Making use of existing provision and mechanisms such as Youth Offending Teams, Neighbourhood policing teams and Community Support Officers could provide opportunities for diversion from prison towards better mental health at the earliest stages.

The Fawcett Society have suggested some alternatives to prison.

“We feel there should be more community sentences available for women that mean they are still able to see their families and live in their communities. Both these elements are proven to reduce recidivism and contribute to a positive outcome,” they said.

“They should utilise community penalties as well as introducing small custodial units as an alternative to prisons, they help women keep ties with their families, friends and partners, maintain links to the community and would be able to access programmes with links outside prison.”

But some believe this is not a good enough punishment for women who have offended.

Eddie McGrail, 41, a taxi driver from Sheffield, believes that crime should be punished, no matter what the gender.

“I’ve had many experiences of female crime, ranging from knifepoint robbery to drug related crimes.

“A young woman who hired my taxi once had me drive around several chemists with false prescriptions. I picked another girl up at a hospital who admitted to going through the elderly wards stealing patient’s belongings. All of them were duly arrested and to my great satisfaction were locked up.

“Why someone feels it necessary to vary court punishments according to gender is totally wrong. Women plead for equality in everything else so they should get equality in the justice system too.

“A person should be judged on the crime they commit, and if a court feels it necessary to deprive that person of their liberty then so be it. Surely the aim is to protect society from these individuals. I just don’t get it.”

Prisons Minister, David Hanson, is reluctant to give an opinion about the effectiveness of jailing women but does insist the government are taking action to find out more.

The government have launched an independent review of alternatives to prison for offenders who are mentally ill, or who have learning difficulties or disabilities.

“It will review the way that the courts deal with mentally ill offenders,” said Mr Hanson.

“These women often have a low level of offence, experiences of violence and abuse and multiple health and social needs.”

“Mental health awareness training and specialist skills development continue to be an issue that is key to improving the consistency of services to women, and this is being addressed by the women’s strand of the offender health and social care strategy.”

There is one man who believes the answer is simple.

“They needn’t close down the prisons,” said John Gunn, brother of Lisa Marley who killed herself in Styal last year.

“Prisons should have a proper hospital wing on them where the prisoners with mental illnesses can go,” said Mr Gunn, of Blackpool.

“They can have psychiatrists who can speak to the girls, people who are properly trained to deal with them.”

Sarah Campbell is a case in point. Campbell, aged 18, is the youngest person to die in Styal prison after she took an overdose of anti-depressants in 2003. She was diagnosed with depression at the age of 16 and started taking heroin.

In 2002, she was charged with manslaughter after she and another girl hassled a man for money in the street and he collapsed and died of a heart attack.

Campbell pleaded guilty at her trial and was sentenced to three years in jail. She attempted suicide seven times while awaiting trial, and was acknowledged as being mentally ill.

The judge advised she go to a secure psychiatric unit, but instead she was sent to Styal Prison. Her parting words to her mother were: “Why aren’t they sending me to hospital?” She committed suicide the following day.

"If Sarah had been put into psychiatric care, she’d still be alive,” her mother Pauline told the media.
Pauline took action against the increasing number of deaths of women in custody. Whenever a woman died in prison in England and Wales, she held a demonstration outside the prison gates.

When a van arrived with new inmates, she blocked its entrance and asked the driver to take the women to a place of safety.

In all, Pauline arranged 28 such demonstrations. She was arrested 15 times and charged with public order offences on five occasions, but was never convicted.

Pauline Campbell committed suicide at her daughter’s graveside last year.

Styal, where Sarah died, shows no signs of closing. Last year it was given the green light by Macclesfield borough council to expand the prison, which would make it the largest women's prison in the UK.

The Shortcomings of Styal

A WOMAN urinated in her dustbin because staff were too ‘busy’ to unlock her cell. The most troubled prisoners have telephones with a direct link to the Samaritans, but they don’t work. Few staff know first-aid. The windows are thick with cobwebs and flies. And those who are too rowdy are simply stripped and put in ‘the special cell.’

You’d be forgiven for thinking that this was Guantánamo. In fact, it is Styal women’s prison on the outskirts of Manchester, and the subject of yet another critical investigation.

Eleven women have taken their own lives in Styal since 2000. It is the second largest women’s prison after Holloway in north London but has the highest levels of self-harm and suicide. The prison is not learning its lessons. Just what is it about Styal?

“The level of need and vulnerability of the women at Styal, even by the standards of women’s
prisons, was extremely high,” said Anne Owers, Chief Inspector of Prisons, in her investigation report.

“All women’s prisons hold a disturbed and challenging population, but at Styal the needs of a heavily substance dependent population were extreme, complex and growing.”

On arrival at Styal, a third of women say they are depressed or suicidal, over 40 per cent said they have health problems, over half have drug problems, and nearly 40 per cent alcohol problems.

The most challenging women are managed on the Keller unit where cells are limited to ten. Between January and July last year, there were 1,335 recorded incidents of self-harm, with the Keller unit accounting for 71 percent.

Owers said prison staff lacked the training to deal with the mentally ill women on this unit.

“It aimed to provide a therapeutic environment, but it was staffed by prison officers who lacked the training, support and leadership to deal with this group of women.

“Many senior officers had not completed case manager training and about 50 staff had not been trained in the basic procedures.

“Staff working at night were alert and responsive to risk, but few were first aid trained.”

One man who knows this first-hand is John Gunn, brother of Lisa Marley, who killed herself on Keller unit last year.

“Styal prison is not catering for the girls with mental health problems,” said Mr Gunn, of Blackpool. “They haven’t got a clue.”

“My sister was supposed to be on suicide watch but no-one was watching her when she hung herself from the TV brackets on the wall. Every single one of them guards should be sacked.

“They all cover each other’s backs, and they’re getting away with it. If you had made that many cock-ups in any other job, you’d be sacked. If it was an old people’s home, it would be closed down.”

One charity also has concerns about the safety of Styal’s prisoners.

Deborah Coles for INQUEST said: “Despite high level scrutiny of Styal prison, serious concerns remain about the safety and quality of life for women held there and why lessons from previous deaths appear not to have been learned.”

Prisons Minister, David Hanson, has defended claims that the government is not putting enough money into staff training.

He told Eve: “The government has invested £600,000 over three years on mental health awareness training for prison officers and staff.

“The Women Awareness Staff Programme (WASP) is a two-day course that helps meet the awareness needs of staff,” said Mr Hanson.

“It covers why women come to prison, how staff can support the women, the difference between working with men and women in prison and self-harm.”

The scheme was implemented last year and aims to train over 600 members of staff across prisons in England and Wales each year.

The Owers report also said that too much force was used against inmates.

“Force was used on Keller unit to place women in protective clothing routinely and against their will, which was entirely inappropriate.

“Records indicated that force had been used as a last resort, but some contained little evidence of de-escalation and in some cases it was difficult to see how the use of force could be justified.”

The prison’s handling of drug addiction also came under fire.

Owers said: “Methadone should be issued to women who need it without undue delay. There were some unacceptable delays in issuing the medication, which caused women considerable anxiety.”

A methadone replacement programme to control drug addiction was only introduced in 2005. Methadone is thought to be a less harmful equivalent of heroin. Before this inmates had to go cold turkey.

Anna Baker, aged 29, hung herself in Styal in 2002 while withdrawing from heroin. The methadone replacement programme was not available at the prison, so she was given painkillers instead.

Her inquest concluded that the drug detoxification programme she was placed on was “inappropriate and insufficient to her needs.”
Jan Palmer, a consultant psychiatrist, told the jury that the treatment fell short of what Baker would have received in the community.
Owers also called for “more vigilant supervision” of medicine queues in case prisoners stole from the medicine trolley. This wouldn’t be the first time.

Julie Walsh, aged 39, died in Styal in 2003 after an overdose of drugs stolen from the medicine trolley. Walsh drank 500ml of Dothiepin thinking it would help her sleep through the discomfort of heroin withdrawal.

Four other women who also drank the medication survived. The inquest into her death heard that a nurse left the drugs trolley unattended for several minutes after handing out medicines.

Nina*, aged 19, has been in and out of Styal for two years. She says it is easy to sneak drugs into the prison.

She told Eve: “We sneak them in in our bras and knickers because you never get strip searched anymore.

“It’s easy to take other people’s meds but it depends what nurses are on. Some make you swallow it in front of them but you can keep it under your tongue then give it to someone else if you wanted to.”

The report also blamed the prison for poor facilities. One room in the first-night centre, where women spend their first 48 hours in prison, didn’t even have toilets.

“One woman said she had urinated in her dustbin because staff would not unlock her to use the toilet,” said Owers.

“Staff did not deny that this could happen and explained that the one officer on duty had to call for others on duty at night to unlock a prisoner, which ‘might take some time’ on a busy night.”

Cordless telephones to contact the Samaritans had been recently purchased for Waite wing, which houses the most violent offenders. But these were “out of order for several weeks,” said the report.

Some parts of the prison are untidy and overcrowded, Owers said.

“Although communal areas of the houses were well furnished and decorated, some of the bedrooms were overcrowded and shabby,” she said.

One room in Willow House (for young women) was being shared by six women.

She noted litter left in the showers, and windows “full of flies and cobwebs.” In reception, the walls of one holding room were “crumbling and badly damaged by damp.”

Bullying is also a serious problem in the prison, according to the report. A third of women say they have been victimised by another prisoner but staff monitoring was in vain.

“There were only limited interventions to tackle bullying,” Owers said.

“Ongoing monitoring was ineffective and formal monitoring often stopped simply due to lack of
staff entries in observation booklets.”

A spokesperson for Styal declined to comment about the inspection report.

Despite its flaws, Owers praised some aspects. Relationships between staff and prisoners had improved, and the mother and baby unit “offered the best and most constructive environment we have seen in such a facility,” she said.

Owers questioned whether prison is the right place for female offenders.

“There is the prior question of whether such women should be in prison at all,” she said.

“But while they are, there is the need to provide a much better resourced and professionally led therapeutic environment to support them.”

By Lois Hough
*Names have been changed to protect identity

Britain's Oldest Couple

PHYLISS Tarrant has been there and done that, thank you. Serious history has gone before this little old lady. But at 100 years old, she’s a spring chicken compared to her old man.

Because hubby, Ralph, is 105.

And that makes the Tarrants - with a combined age of 205 -Britain's oldest married couple.

I popped round to their Broomhill flat for a coffee and a chinwag.

“You can’t keep me long, I’ve got lunch club at 12,” she warned.

“Ralph’s gone to Tesco, he’ll be back soon.”

Their spotless lounge is adorned with family photographs. On the sofa, a tidy stack of crossword magazines. On the windowsill, a bouquet of flowers to mark Phyliss’s birthday. And on the mantelpiece, a bottle of Bells.

She spots me staring.

“We have a tot of whisky every night,” she laughs. “I sit in bed and Ralph brings them through on a tray. We have them with hot water, it helps us to sleep.”

Phyliss was born on Slinn Street, Crookes, and worked as a typist at Hadfield's steelworks for 30 years.A life-long Wednesday fan, she loves opera and is a member of St Mark's Church in Broomhill where she worships every Sunday.

The couple, who wed at Crookes Church in 1933, have two daughters - Brenda, 71, and Christine, 61 - as well as five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

How this pair met is as sweet as anything.

“We all hung around Crookes post office,” she recalls. “He had his pals and I had mine."

“My parents were very strict and I had to be in for 10 o’clock. And all at once, the church bells struck ten and I had to run all the way home. Run, run, run. Ralph thought it was hilarious”.

Speak of the devil.

Her other half bursts into the living room with armfuls of shopping and a boyish grin.

“Sorry I’m late, duck,” he says, plonking himself into an armchair.

“Now,” he sighs. “Fire away.”

Ralph, originally from Nottingham, moved to Sheffield with his family when he was seven.He left school aged 13 and started work as an office boy at the George Turton Platts steelworks. He moved round most of the departments before he left to join Refuge Assurance, where he remained until he retired in 1968.During the war he served in RAF 201 Coastal Command, where he was a corporal based in Inverness.

The couple like it in Broomhill.

“I call this the West End,” says Phyllis. “It’s very green. If you look out of the window, you can see a long way. I like it when you can see a long way.”

But she rarely gets out anymore, and says Sheffield is not what it used to be.

“I went on a coach trip last year. The coach passed where all the steelworks used to be. I looked down and there was nothing. The ground was flat. I cried and cried.”

“Lighten up,” Ralph interrupts. “Have you seen the muriel I painted?”

“It’s mural Ralph, not muriel.” Phylis tuts.

The couple put their long lives down to “a good diet, exercise, avoiding cigarettes - and a tot of whisky each night.”And the secret to their 75-year marriage?

“She behaves herself,” chuckles Ralph.

“Don’t write that,” she says.

Many happy returns.

The Nine O'Clock Service

IT IS seven o’clock on a Sunday night. Evensong time for the traditional Christian worshipper. But at St. Thomas’ church on the edge of Sheffield, the band are tuning their electric guitars.

The church is packed. People in bare feet greet one another like old friends. A disco ball casts a shimmer from the ceiling that dances merrily over the walls. The stained glass window that once overlooked the flock has been filled in and painted cream. In its place a PowerPoint, and it says ‘Welcome to the 7pm gathering.’

Beside the stage are a mountainous stack of shadow black speakers. Engineers on the balcony make last-minute checks to sound and lighting. We’re encouraged to help ourselves to tea and biscuits before finding a seat, or a cushion on the floor.
The music drops down to a low drizzle of synthesizer backbeat as the priest in jeans and a jumper takes to the stage. He tells people to find a space and gather their thoughts. One boy gets down on his knees and kisses the floor.

Their whispers create a buzzing all around us. It grows louder and louder. Suddenly there’s a forest of arms up high and they start to clap. There is chanting and whoops of ‘Thank you Lord.’
The band kicks into an upbeat number and the people jump up and down. Volunteers dressed in black emerge from the shadows and snake through the crowd with donation bowls.

“Michael Rowed The Boat Ashore” has been neatly put away with the other traditional relics of this church. St Thomas’ sings from a different hymn sheet now.

So, whither Christianity?

Fifteen years after the scandal of the Nine O’Clock Service, has St. Thomas’ church relapsed into the same cultish form of alternative worship or is it simply connecting with the young people of today?

Under the Rev Chris Brain, the Nine O’Clock service transformed Christian worship. Thumping music, dry ice and strobe lighting were characterised his service. Brain preached not about God but about the world. But the service has people divided, even today.

Stephen Lowe, Archdeacon of Sheffield at the time, has nothing but praise.

“I remember the service with immense affection. I was going almost every week myself,” he says.

“It was one of the most exciting energies of Christian worship in England.

“The church really needs to create services for young people, where they can worship and engage with God and The Nine O’clock service did that.”

But others weren’t so keen. One former member of the church calls it bizarre.

“There was nothing like it in the country,” says John from Woodseats.

“It was an alternative service and it shocked a lot of people. The style of worship was bizarre. Some people liked it and others ran a mile.

“It was more new age theology. They seemed interested in relating it to a person’s lifestyle. It was very woolly. God didn’t seem to be important.

“They talked about how wonderful Mother Nature was and how brilliant the world was. I didn’t like the way they kept harping on.”

The service was disbanded in 1995 after Chris Brain admitted to having sexual relations with women in the congregation.

Has the church learned from its mistakes?

“The issue was that there was an abuse of power,” says Venerable Lowe.

“Power should have been shared and handled more democratically.”

When the service moved to Ponds Forge, John believes the church should have scrutinised Brain.

“They should have kept a closer eye on things, but Chris knew best and he wasn’t going to listen to anybody else. He went off the rails.”

After twenty minutes of singing and dancing at the 7pm Gathering, the priest tells us to put our hands on our heart.

“Feel that beating. That is the Holy Spirit inside you.”

He says a prayer and asks for a round of applause. The crowd make it rapturous.

And the donation bowls are sent round once again.

Student Life

I STOOD outside my new home and watched their car pull away without me. My mum cried, my dad cried, everyone cried.

Months of preparation had led to this moment. Open days, interviews, personal statements written and rewritten a hundred times. Whole forests were lost for the prospectuses I had sent to the house. UCAS had become as much a part of my life as eating and sleeping.

But I’d finally done it. I’d flown the nest and gone to University.

Teary eyed, I turned and trundled up five flights of stairs to my room for the next year. I was living in halls of residence that were based on the design of a Swedish women’s prison.

And prison it was.

In my cell I had a bed, a desk and little else. Engraved on the desk were scribbles and declarations of love from roomies gone by, like “Sharon P. woz ere 91” and “Helen 4 Rob IDST.”

Showers and toilets were at the end of the corridor I shared with 12 other girls. You needed a code to get into them which wasn’t ideal when you were so drunk you couldn’t remember your own name.

At 5 o’clock sharp, the inmates would descend onto the huge canteen and queue for school dinner delights like cottage pie and spotted dick and custard. After tea, we were allowed to collect our post from reception. But no visitors and no loud music.

The Prison was so old it would have crumbled away if it had not been demolished last year.

Now I share a house with four girls, including one I went to high school with. I’m more suited to a house because you have more freedom. Come and go as you please and eat your meals at any time. You’re not forced to stand in the freezing cold in your smalls when a fire alarm goes off. Your own toilet is always a plus, too.

For a girl who was scared of her own shadow, my biggest fear about University was making friends. What if they didn’t like me? Was I too weird? Too Welsh? Would I be the girl with no friends?

The best advice I was given is a big cliché but it’s completely true. Everyone is in the same boat.
People are just as nervous as you. They will have the same questions and the same concerns, guaranteed. There is someone for everyone at University so the more people you meet the better chance you have of finding a great mate. Pluck up the courage to introduce yourself and they will appreciate it more than you know.

I’d like to dispel the myth that you have to be rich to go to University. I come from a pretty normal family. I grew up in Connah’s Quay in a terraced house and went to school in Flint. My mum once had four jobs at once to keep us afloat. My dad has always worked in factories.

I worked out that my loan entitlement wasn’t nearly enough to cover the cost of The Prison for my first year. I got myself a summer job on Deeside Industrial Estate making colostomy bags for 40 hours a week.

It wasn’t the way I’d foreseen my summer holiday but it gave me enough pennies to last the year.

Budgeting is vital when you’re at University too. I sit down once a month and work out my incomings and outgoings and anything I’m left with I spend wisely. Make the most of supermarket club cards because every little really does help. Watch out for students who want you for their experiments and will pay good money! You might even get yourself a little part-time job.

I’m proud to say I haven’t touched a penny of my overdraft, but I will have £18,000 of debt when I leave.

Is it worth it?

Of course it is. Employers value not just the practical knowledge you’ve gained from a degree but the worldly experience too. My confidence and people skills have flourished since being at University and this will be recognised by your potential boss.

Going to University takes initiative too. You decided what you wanted to be when you were 18 years old, a feat in itself. You researched the Universities, you went through the application process and you’ve packed up shop and gone.

I was the second in the family to go to University after my cousin left for Central Lancashire two years before me. I still come home for the odd weekend - a birthday, a christening and of course, my mum’s Sunday dinner.

Sheffield is a great city. Ten minutes one way is bustling West Street lined with shops, bars and restaurants. Ten minutes the other and you’re in the Pennines, superb walks for clearing a hangover.

Make the most of every opportunity at University because you’ll never get so many things handed to you on a plate. Join a club, play a sport, be a representative. All these things will look impressive on your C.V. and the people you meet doing them will often be lifelong friends.

This week I was fitted for my cap and gown.

It was so surreal because it only seems like yesterday that I was catching the bus to school. And now in three short months, my higher education will all be over. And it’s pretty emotional.

Lois Hough BA (Hons)

I can’t hide behind the occupation ‘student’ anymore. I’ll be a proper adult with a proper job and proper responsibilities. University is a dress rehearsal for the real thing, and I highly recommend the experience to anyone.

Spiked

WE'VE all done it girls. We’ve ditched our vodkas to leg it to the dance floor, abandoned our Malibu’s while we nip to the loo and let that handsome stranger buy us a vino. But what if our mysterious stranger had laced it with something sinister?

Last year, 700 people in the UK claimed to have been spiked. Spiking occurs when a mind-altering substance has been added to your drink without your knowledge. Motives include theft and revenge, but the most popular is rape and sexual abuse.

Rohypnol is the most common drug of choice. It is a tasteless pill which can take effect after just 10 minutes. It gained notoriety as the ‘date-rape’ drug after victims were sexually assaulted while unconscious. All traces of the drug disappear after 24 hours making prosecution difficult.
Symptoms of spiking include dizziness, vomiting, slurred speech, memory loss and paranoia.

Kim Roberts, 20 from Sheffield, thought spiking was something that just happened in Hollyoaks. Until she was caught out.

"Me and a girlfriend were out celebrating our exams. Two guys came up to us and offered to buy us drinks. They went to the bar while we carried on dancing.

“After a while, I started to feel sick. The room was spinning and there was two of everything. I don’t remember anything after that. My friend told me the morning after that I had tried to pick a fight with her.

“You see this kind of thing on TV but you never for one minute think you’ll be a victim”.
And it’s not just the ladies who are likely to be drugged. Almost 11% of victims are male.
David Roberts, 23 from Chester, was shocked when he was spiked at his local pub.

“The football on the big screen finished about 8.30pm and that’s the last I can remember.

“I woke the next day with a bucket of sick by my bed. My mates showed me pictures of me completely out of it.

“That type of thing doesn’t usually happen to a bloke. I was winding people up about the footie score so maybe someone wanted revenge”.

The Roofie Foundation is Europe’s only agency dealing with sexual abuse through drink spiking. They offer advice to people who have been targeted.

“Everyone is aware of their personal tolerance to alcohol so if you feel nauseous after a few drinks, tell a friend immediately and get them to take you home”.

“Under no circumstances let a stranger or someone you don’t trust take you home. They could be the person who spiked your drink”.

If you think you’ve had sex under the influence of a date-rape drug, Roofie urge you to go straight to the police.

“Take in the clothes you were wearing and don’t shower. Ask for blood and urine samples to be taken, as they might hold vital evidence”.

And girls, get to your local GUM clinic for advice on the morning after pill and STI’s. Check you still have your bank cards and call the bank to change your pin numbers.

‘Tis the season to be jolly. Just have your wits about you.

Visit http://www.roofie.com/ for more information

TrekAmerica

WHITEWATER rafting in Tennessee. A stretch limo down the Vegas strip. A helicopter over the Grand Canyon. Throw in some campers and an all-American tour guide. Welcome, cowboys, to TrekAmerica.

TrekAmerica has been tempting young travellers away from the package holiday for 35 years. Make your way around the States and experience the sights, sounds and smells of Americana. From the 7-day Western Wonder to the 64-day Trailblazer, there is something to suit everyone.

Size matters to Trek. With just 13 people on each tour, it’s more of a group of like-minded friends. Trek’s motto is ‘fun, freedom and flexibility’. No-one wants to be dragged around a visitor’s centre. They are ‘tours for non-tourists’ and encourage you to explore your own interests whenever the chance arises.

Toby Butland, Marketing Manager, talks about the advantages of TrekAmerica.

“Travelling with Trek is by far the most affordable mode of travel. You get value for money and that is incredibly important for students.

“Our passengers always tell us that it's more like travelling with a group of friends. You don't waste time waiting for buses and trains. You get much further off the beaten track with Trek. You discover all the secret places that you wouldn’t even know existed if you were on your own.”
Toby explains the importance of a tour leader.

“With you tour leader doing all the driving you'll arrive fresh at your next destination ready to get stuck in. Having a leader who knows the in's and out's means you won't miss a thing. You’re guaranteed to get the best deals on activities and places to eat too.”

Toby believes TrekAmerica will offer a better adventure than their rivals.“Travelling with a coach tour company means bigger groups and you'll be staying in major cities for the most part. Travelling by bus can be dangerous as they drop you off in dodgy downtown bus stations with long waits.

“Our main competitor does not maintain the same standards as we do. You could be shown around by a British tour leader, whereas we maintain a 100% American tour leader policy. You’re introduced to the States by a real American whose local knowledge is invaluable.”I first discovered Trek when my older cousin suddenly announced she was off to America for a fortnight. Two weeks later I went to collect her from the airport. She had a cowboy hat, the biggest smile and the best stories. I knew I had to do it.

So I’ve booked the Grand Trek. A loop-de-loop of the States, from New York to LA and back again. I’ve never been travelling on my own. Before University, I was scared to catch a bus on my own. But graduation is looming and soon I’ll be unleashed into the real world. I suppose I want to do something radical before I settle down, something to let off steam after three years of my head in the books. A six week trek across America, I rather fancy.

The benefits for graduates are endless. Not only will it give you the confidence to engage with new people but it will give you the patience to deal with them on a daily basis. It will show your employer that you have initiative. You’ve chosen your tour, you’ve saved like crazy and you’ve gone and done it. It takes guts and determination and your boss will acknowledge that. You will learn many lessons on tour, not least how to mount a horse or light a fire. It is the worldly knowledge that you will gain that is the most valuable.

Katy Lawrence, a Human Resource Management graduate, describes the highs and lows of her Southern Sun tour.

“I was excited to visit the cities but the highs were the unexpected bits. Things like looking at the stars in Yosemite, going to a drive-in movie and experiencing a real rodeo in Wyoming.

“The early mornings were not the best. We travelled across country so we went through three time changes. We were also in the van for a long time. A six hour drive was not considered long.
“We were constantly doing things, from the stuff in the itinerary to the ‘priceless’ experiences, like getting lost in Wal-Mart or having a game of ‘I Have Never’ around the campfire. They added so much to the trip”.

She explains what she gained from the experience.

“I have more confidence when meeting new people. I feel I understand different cultures and personalities a lot more. We had Australian, Taiwanese, South Korean, German and English people from Oxbridge to Essex.

“Finding common ground and having a conversation with these people was a challenge but I made some amazing friends.

“If your aim is to get a taste of America and you want fun along the way then TrekAmerica is perfect. Just be prepared to go with the flow and you’ll love it!”

Tours start from £480. Prices include entrance to the national parks, activities, attractions, overnight accommodations, local transportation and camping equipment. Don’t forget your flights and spends.

Folks, this is my best kept secret and I am passing it on to you all.

Go forth and Trek America.

Get 10% off any TrekAmerica tour by mentioning discount code 800003 at time of booking. Enter the code into the Special Request Box when booking online or mention to reservations staff when booking by phone.

Love on a Budget

CHRISTMAS only seems like yesterday. The dog is still wearing her festive bow and I’ve got a cheeseboard in the fridge with Mrs Bell’s Yorkshire Blue to tackle. Now Valentines Day is upon us and we’re feeling the pinch. Can we tug at the heartstrings when we’ve tightened our purse strings? Will Cupid make a flying entrance or is he saving his air-miles? And can love survive when the economy is dead?

“I’ll definitely be staying in this year,” says Anna Smith, 38, of Northop Hall. “The prices go through the roof around Valentines but especially this year. It’s just too expensive. Luckily my husband is a great cook so we’ll be having a quiet meal at home.”

It seems Anna’s not the only one fed up with pricey nosh. Julia Rowlands, 52, of Leeswood, is taking advantage of a special offer for that special dinner. “We usually go out for a slap-up meal somewhere lovely,” she says, “but this year we have vouchers for buy one get one free.” Julia is celebrating for more than one reason and is sad that she and her husband can’t do it in style. “We’ve been married 20 years in July so it’s a double celebration. It’s a shame we can’t splash out. We’ll probably just get an Indian takeaway and a DVD.”

One lady from Mold has taken Cupid’s arrow and snapped it right in two. Valentines Day is cancelled altogether for Katy Lindsay, 19. “I’ve made no plans at all,” she tells me. “I’ve just had a baby which costs enough as it is. Even though I’m really careful with my money, I just can’t afford it. I will be staying in.”

Paul Harris, 20, of Afonwen, will be doing the opposite but it’s not for the romantic reason you’d expect. His plans with his girlfriend are on hold while he waits tables at his local pub, The Pwll Gwyn. “It’s my shift on Valentine’s night so I couldn’t make plans anyway,” he says. “My time will be spent serving others.” Paul thinks it’ll be a busy one. “A lot of people have booked tables already so we’ll be rushed off our feet.” And as for his other half? “My girlfriend is gutted but she understands. We’ll do something the week after to make up for it.”

Has the recession given us depression? Are we still lovesick or sick of spending? Are we that out of pocket that we can’t treat our loved ones on Valentines Day?

“The credit crunch hasn’t really affected me,” says Dave Blundell, 42, of Chester. “I’m in between girlfriends at the moment so I will probably take her for a nice meal, no expense spared.”

And Andrew Jones, 35, of Mold, is spending more than what he usually would come February 14th. “Me and my wife are going to a charity function in Llangollen for the Rotary Club,” says Andrew. “It’s been organised for months, a day out for the both of us. Otherwise it’d just be a case of a card.”

While the sale of Valentines goodies may be dropping, the sale of one thing has soared. Cake stands, believe it or not, have been flying off the shelves. And why? Because couple’s who are planning to tie the knot on Valentines Day are making their own wedding cakes instead of paying for caterers.

“There definitely seems to be a growing trend of people looking to DIY their wedding day,” says Steve Whittle of Displaysense, the UK’s largest supplier of catering equipment.“Some of our customers have been very inventive with their purchases. One customer cut down on their wedding stationary and purchased some note clip holders from our leaflet holders range and used them for table and name placements as well as menu holders," said Steve.Research also shows that couples are renting items for their wedding instead of buying them. It gives ‘something borrowed’ a whole new meaning. Some businesses are planning to extend their January sales to cover the first two weeks of February to cater for pre-marital couples with a tighter budget. And for those cost-conscious Casanova’s, who can forget Asda’s 8p Valentines card?

So there is hope for all you hopeless romantics. Here are my tips for Valentines on a budget:

Instead of a card, write your loved one a letter or a poem that shows how much they mean to you. You don’t have to be a Shakespeare. Your own words will be effective.

Why not go all Blue Peter and make something? A mixed tape with their favourite songs will remind them of the good times you’ve had. A photo of you both in a frame is simple and sweet. Even a collage of tickets, receipts, postcards and beer mats is a quirky reminder of the time you’ve spent together.
Cook them a meal with their favourite dish. It shows you have made an effort and they will appreciate it. And crack open that vintage bottle of wine you’ve had for forever as this will save you from buying one.

And every little helps. Run them a bath, walk the dog or wash the dishes because it’s the small things that make the biggest difference. And ladies, try a compromise. Let him watch the match and he can play with your feet after it.

A celebration of love or a way to make money? Everybody likes that bit of recognition on Valentines Day even if we hate to admit it. And this year, though money may be tight, you can still enjoy yourselves without breaking the bank.

Me? I will be in Sheffield and my boyfriend will be in Shotton. We won’t be celebrating because I can’t afford the train fare home.

Ooh la la! Je’taime mon cheri!

Now where’s me Yorkshire Blue?

Citizen Journalism: Ally or Rival?

Experts are calling it a revolution. A transformation in the way that we consume our media. The daily newspaper is dwindling in sales and the 10 o’clock news is quite literally, old news. More and more people are turning to the internet as their source of information. It is free, immediate and we decide what we want to consume. What’s more, we are the reporters.

The last ten years have seen an influx of blogs, wikis and amateur news websites that have put the mainstream media in a panic. Citizen journalists are breaking the news that professional organisations refuse to. When the mainstream media declined to broadcast the affairs of American politician Henry Hyde, the news website Salon did.

Blogs are also hugely popular and are breaking news that the media elite are often too afraid to. When Newsweek spiked the story about Bill Clinton and an intern named Monica Lewinsky, blogger Matt Drudge published the claims. He reportedly said afterwards, "We are all newsmen now." Was this the turning point? Did this end the role of the media elite?

A wave of citizen journalism is infiltrating the media at an alarming rate. It is redefining the role of the traditional journalist and taking his audience too.

I will explore whether citizen journalism is an ally or a rival of mainstream journalists. I will look at how the role of the traditional journalist is being redefined and what they can do to keep up with the digital revolution. I will examine the advantages and disadvantages of citizen journalism and whether it poses a threat or an opportunity to the mainstream media. I will offer my own arguments aswell as those of authors, journalists and the bloggers themselves.

The newspaper we pick up on the news stand gives us an agenda of news for the day. The 20 or 30 stories we read have been carefully selected by a news editor and written in a specific way. We have no choice but to read the news that we are given. The internet, however, gives us access to thousands of stories from all over the world that we can read at our own discretion. All’s it takes is a click of the mouse.

The journalist’s role of gatekeeper, in deciding what information the public should and shouldn’t know, has inevitably been redefined. Kovach and Rosenstiel say, “The notion of the press as gatekeeper no longer strictly defines journalism’s role” (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2003, p. 23) And Brown and Willis argue that their role is changing because of the consumers themselves; "The venerable profession of journalism finds itself at a rare moment in history where, for the first time, its hegemony as gatekeeper of the news is threatened by not just new technology but, potentially, by the audience it serves” (We Media, 2003). Is this a bad thing?

Dan Gillmor, a Silicon Valley journalist, seems to think not. He says that mainstream journalists have got to use citizen journalism to their advantage; “We must recognise and use their knowledge or else they won’t settle for half-baked coverage. They will come into the kitchen themselves” (Gillmor, 2006, p. 111). And the Media Studies Journal says, “There is no getting around the fact that if one trend defines the future of all media, it is their interaction with their computer and the Internet” (De Wolk, 2001, p.3)

As more and more people opt for the internet, the mainstream media fight a losing battle. So what is the journalist’s role now?

They argue that they still have a place in today’s media. John Carroll, former editor of the LA Times, says; “Newspapers dig up the news. Others repackage it” (Carroll, 2006, p.6) Kovach and Rosenstiel share a similar view and say that journalists will retain their role as prime mover within the media; “Journalisms function is not fundamentally changed by the digital age. The journalist is first engaged in verification” (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2003, p.25). They accept that their role as gatekeeper has come to an end but argue that they now have a more important role; “The new journalist is no longer deciding what the public should know. She is helping audiences make order out of it” (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2003, p.24). So the newspaper journalists still feel that they have the most important role. But what do the online reporters think?

The journalist’s role as prime mover is lost these days ,according to Mitchell Stevens from the Columbia Journalism Review; “In a day when information pours out of digital spigots, stories that package painstakingly gathered facts on current events have lost much of their value” (Stevens, Beyond the News, 2007). He disagrees with the idea that the internet and mainstream journalists can work together. He sees citizen journalism as an independent form of media; “The widely held belief that the Web is a parasite that lives off the metro desks and foreign bureaus of beleaguered yet civic-minded newspapers and broadcast news organisations is a bit facile.” He says, “Mainstream journalists are making a mistake if they believe their ability to collect and organize facts will continue to make them indispensable.”

In Mitchells view then, citizen journalism poses a serious threat to mainstream journalism. He suggests that citizens are an independent and capable group of reporters and the professional’s role of gathering the facts and figures is growing more unnecessary as a result.

He admits that there is still room for their input though; “There will continue to be room, of course, for some kinds of traditional, thoroughly sourced reporting: exclusives, certainly. Investigations, certainly.”

Stevens argues then that mainstream journalists seem to have a more official role. Exclusives, investigations and gathering facts is where there responsibility lies, while the role of citizens is to break the news and deliver it fast.

So, is that all it boils down to? Does citizen journalism pose a threat because it delivers news faster?

It would appear so. Amateur journalists are not managed by proprietors with business interests which means they can break whatever scandal they like. What’s more, they can deliver it when they like. Websites such as ohmynews.com and italknews.com are giving professional media organisations a run for their money in terms of breaking news. If a story broke at 7:00pm, a news website could have published it within 10 minutes, whereas by the time it has reached traditional news outlets like the 10 o’clock news, it is already 3 hours old. Or when it reaches the newspaper the following day, it is 12 hours old. So citizen journalism clearly has its advantages.

User Generated Content (UGC) invites the audience to participate by sending in their views, photographs or video clips. It is opening new horizons for news websites, giving insight into major news events that conventional reporting is unable or unwilling to comment on. Several major mainstream news websites have already begun to include UGC, including the BBC who last year hosted video clips on their website sent in from the public of the 7/7 London Bombings. The clips, taken by mobile telephones on the underground trains, revealed the extent of the tragedy. It was immediate, insightful and it gave us something that a television camera never could.

Of course, citizen journalism also has its disadvantages.

We saw the downside of UGC when some members of the public began to bombard the website with racist comments. Citizens are also, of course, only human and often get it wrong. Wikipedia is a web-based, free content encyclopedia that is written by volunteering members of the public from all over the globe. But in June 2005, the LA Times posted an experimental ‘Wikitorial’ - a 1,000 word comment piece on the Iraq war and invited readers to add, re-write and delete comment as they wished. Two days later they were forced to pull the plug after the article was bombarded with profanity and hardcore pornography. There is also the famous incident when Wikipedia credited musician Ronnie Hazlehurst with having written S Club 7 hit, Reach. This was cited by several newspapers when they wrote obituaries for the late Hazlehurst. It was a hoax and showed that citizen journalists can get it wrong. The sloppy journalism of the professionals wasn’t much better.

Professional journalists seem to hold low opinions of the citizen reporters. “Salivating morons” and a “lynch mob” is how Steve Lovelady, online editor of the Columbia Journalism Review, describes citizen journalists. And Jonathan Klein, CBS Executive says, “Bloggers have no checks and balances...It’s a guy sitting in his living room in his pyjamas.”

It is also the general consensus of professionals that citizen journalism does not pose that great a threat to traditional media.

Herald Sun online editor John McDonald says, "I still think the overwhelming majority of stories read and produced in the future will be written by journalists who are employed as journalists." He suggest that professional journalists are likely to be taken more seriously than the amateurs; “It's nice to know the average citizen can have their say and do that effectively, but people who are paid to do it for a living are more likely to be read and acknowledged than those who do it on a one-off basis." (2006, Citizen Journalism).

Sydney Morning Herald blogger, Julie Robotham, agrees and says that citizen journalism is a, “drop in the ocean” compared to the concentrated power of massive global media enterprises. She stresses that the professional’s role as prime mover is more important to journalism than audience participation; “Interaction with readers via web has so far had very little impact on the way news is gathered, reported or delivered.” She says efforts by mainstream media outlets to increase audience interactivity doesn’t represent part of the ‘citizen journalism’ movement (2006, Citizen Journalism). So what does the future of journalism look like?

“Tomorrow's news reporting will be more of a conversation, or a seminar. The lines will blur between producers and consumers, changing the role of both,” says Dan Gillmor (Gillmor, 2006, p.XXIV)

In an era when anyone can be a reporter or commentator on the Web, “you move to a two-way journalism,” according to John Seeley Brown, Silicon Valley think tank. The journalist becomes a “forum leader” or a “mediator” rather than a lecturer. He audience becomes not consumers, but “pro-sumers,” a hybrid of consumer and producer, he says (Kovach and Rosenstiel­, 2003, p.24).

Mark Potts, co-founder of the Washington Post, muses on the future of journalism; “In the years to come, all these changes and more are going to churn through journalism. Time-honoured brand names and media types will wither and die; new ones will rise up to take their place, creating fresh opportunities” (De Wolk, 2001, p.88).

He offers advice to the mainstream media; “The best journalism requires a good deal of flexibility, and journalists will have to employ that same sort of agility in dealing with the changes around them.” Citizen journalism: A threat or an opportunity? An ally or a rival?

Some see the bloggers as an outlet for free speech, a counterbalance to media arrogance and a much needed call for greater transparency in the media. Others view them as vigilantes bent on discrediting the media. One thing’s for sure, they’re going nowhere.

We are in the midst of a digital revolution and although citizens have an important role to play in the reporting process, I would argue that true journalism will always require professional journalists.

Citizen journalism may pose a threat because it takes away from the traditional role of journalism. The media elite’s role as gatekeeper has been diminished, for instance. Blogs and amateur websites are also providing more immediacy, participation, rationality and customization than the mainstream newspapers, TV and radio currently do.

Citizens are providing a free news service and are voicing their opinions on a whole host of issues. More importantly, people read it. I would also argue though that citizen journalism can be an opportunity if mainstream journalists use it to their advantage.

"The growth of citizen journalism will shape the direction the media takes and broaden the pool of sources used by journalists. This can only be a healthy trend because we are now getting more voices and perspectives," says Leon Gettler, a journalist with The Age. And Kovach and Rosenstiel say, “The interaction with the audience becomes an integral part of the story as it evolves” (Kovach and Rosenstiel, 2003, p.24).

Figures show that 75,000 weblogs are created every day (technorati.com). They also reveal that newspaper sales are dwindling at a rate of 4% every year. It’s hardly difficult to link the two.
I would argue that true journalism will always require a true journalist. It seems the solution for mainstream journalists is to work alongside citizen journalism and incorporate it into their work. UGC is a good example of this. If the mainstream media used citizen journalism to their advantage, they might be able to keep their heads above water. For the meantime, at least.

Have You Got The Edge?

Some do it to improve their health. Others do it to follow the crowd. But for many straight edgers, there’s a deeper meaning behind their decision to stay free.

Alex Bentley, 23, has been straight edge for five years.

He has seen first-hand what drugs can do to people’s lives. He worked with young offenders where he witnessed how alcohol and drugs can cause destruction in the lives of youngsters.

A relative who became a drug addict and ripped the family apart also spurred his decision to become straight edge. He tells me what happened.

“When I was at school, everybody talked about their big brother but I haven’t got one. I used to talk about my cousin instead. Then I found out that he was a drug addict and I remember feeling so let down by it. Now my little brother looks up to me and I don’t want to be a letdown in the same way.”

It was only when Alex started going to hardcore shows that he uncovered straight edge and learnt that he didn’t have to drink and take drugs to be accepted by his peers.

“There’d be kids wearing t-shirts with three X’s on them. I didn’t really know what it was so I spoke to my mate and he told me. I stopped drinking for six months and I’d never smoked. I did it to see if I could. And I could.”

“One of my mates said, ‘You’ve gone all straight edge on us,’ and I just laughed. Then I kinda thought, ‘You know what, this is for me.’ I figured if I went straight edge, it’d be better for my wellbeing.”

“It’s definitely changed my life for the better because I remember a night out. I don’t wake up on weekends with a hangover and it doesn’t cost me as much when I go out.”

As well as keeping him healthy, Alex enjoys the straight edge lifestyle for another reason.

“I’m always in control. Everything I do is something I have consciously chosen to do. When I’m in the pubs and I see people on coke or speed, I’m just not interested. I prefer being sober because I know I can get away from it all, especially the pub violence. It’s not just push and shove these days.”

He finds that people are always impressed to discover he doesn’t drink. He is proud that he hasn’t given into peer pressure.

“People are surprised by the fact I don’t drink and that’s because of the expectation in society. I hear on the TV all the time about a binge drinking nation but to know that I’m not a part of that feels good. I think no matter what I’m doing with my life, at least I’m not doing that.”

“My parents are pleased as any parent would be knowing that their kids aren’t coming in at all hours throwing up or asking for money to pay off drug dealers. I get a lot of respect from people outside the hardcore scene.”

Alex is the front man of North Wales hardcore band MLB but says you don’t have to be into hardcore to be edge.

“You don’t find many people outside hardcore that are straight edge, mainly because it’s rooted in hardcore music. But there are lots of people out there who are tee-total who don’t call themselves straight edge.”

Hardcore music isn’t the only thing we associate with straight edge. More and more people are getting their drug-free declarations tattooed onto their body. Alex has three straight edge tattoos and says that they’re a symbol of your dedication to the lifestyle.

“Tattoos are something else that go hand in hand with straight edge. Straight edge is supposed to be a lifetime commitment, like a tattoo. It proves that you’re going the distance but I’d definitely recommend people give it some thought before you go ahead and have one.”

He offers advice to anyone who is thinking of becoming straight edge.

“Don’t call yourself edge when you’re not even old enough to drink. And don’t call yourself edge because you haven’t had a drink for a week. Research it, talk to people. Go awhile first to see if it suits you. Don’t just do it because it’s cool.”

Alex muses about the future of this movement.

“I see it growing because of the internet. Hardcore shows used to be for hardcore kids but because of the internet, people hear about them more easily.”

“I also see it getting more violent because people’s attitudes are changing. The image is very alternative with the black hoody’s and the tattoos and whatnot. You’re making yourself a target and there is only so much of that you can take before you start fighting back.”

“But for the most part in the U.K, straight edge is generally a positive thing.”

A Nation Constructed By The Media?

A ‘nation’ mourns, a ‘nation’ in crisis, a ‘nation’ rejoices. It is a term branded by the media on a daily basis but its definition has divided many people. Some have described it as a social community who are brought together by their history, origin and descent. Others have merely called it a body of people that we associate with a particular territory. Anderson (1983: 6) describes nations as ‘imagined communities’ because, “even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion.”

The media has been accused of building an imagined, impenetrable community. Ethnic minorities, illegal immigrants and even the EU are the main targets of social exclusion by our press. An advance in technology in the way of blogs, podcasts, and 24-hour news feed now means that we are consuming more journalism than ever. I am going to examine the role that the language of journalism plays in the construction and maintenance of these imagined communities. I will explore the linguistic devices that newspapers employ to build this sense of community. The focus will be on how the media creates a ‘them’ and ‘us’ attitude with a look at how ‘us’ the insiders and ‘them’ the outsiders are represented to readers.

Newspapers, although tabloids are most accountable, are dominated by a language that favours certain groups of people and persecutes those it feels do not belong. We read it so much every day, that we have become immune to the level of racism intertwined in our news. Conboy (2007:150) says; “Nationalism has two faces, one benign, all face-painting and national anthems, the other malignant, characterized by hatred of outsiders to the national community and a narrow-minded certainty that one nation is superior to all others.”

We can identify this in the way that newspapers report news that is specific to Britain but choose to overlook international news (Conboy 2006). It could be argued then that the media take a biased approach to events outside of our nation. By minimising the coverage of international news, the media minimise the chance that our community is extended to outsiders. It seems the only exception to international news being reported is when there is an obvious connection to the British news agenda.

Conboy (2007: 163) agrees, “News coverage of non-elite nations reinforces the centrality of the national narratives of the news. It does this by continuing the normative assumptions that most news is national news or at least has a direct and immediate national interest.” In the case of international news or even an affair of national interest, ‘Brits’ and ‘Britons’ are used as common collective tags to reinforce the national community. One Daily Star article reads,

“Forget the rugby, football and motor racing- there are plenty of sports where Brits hold the world title”
(Oct 23, 2007)

The Star acknowledges the sports success of other countries by telling us to “forget” them. Instead, it makes it relevant to Britain by pointing out thirteen other sports that we are “best at.” The use of ‘Brits’ as a common collective tag reminds the reader of who they are and where they belong. The punchy abbreviation is almost a term of endearment or a team name, the ‘Brits.’ Conboy (2006:49) says that its “usage is overall a strong indicator of news-worthiness in the tabloids.” The accompanying headline with its assertive language, “We ARE the champions,” confirms the newspapers belief that Britain is a superior nation.

Fowler (1991: 189) argues that the pronoun ‘we’ suggests a union of the newspaper and its readers in an ‘implied consensus’ of national community. De Cillia, Reisigl and Wodak (1999: 164) share a similar view; “The connotations and persuasive force of the ‘national we’ are so strong that even those participants in the discussions who critically address national motivated generalization cannot avoid its usage.” Newspapers use this term as an automatic assumption of a relationship between itself and readers. The effect of this is that it readers feel they belong to a community. One Sun column it reads,

“If we’re paying, we should be entitled to decide WHEN we see a doctor and WHERE we are treated”
(Jan 8, 2008)

The Sun writes on behalf of the readers when it criticises the government which once again reinforces the ‘them’ and ‘us’ mentality.

Another way in which newspapers construct this ‘imagined community’ is through the constant support of British soldiers. Conboy (2006: 50) says, “They all swear allegiance to the virtues of patriotism and are unequivocal about the bravery of British soldiers abroad.” The tabloids, especially, do this in jingoistic style. One Sun article reads,

“Tears of joy and salute to heroes...Afghan troops praised...The most battle-scarred British unit to fight the Taliban...Six bitter months of intense combat...Proud dad Jason Birch...”
(Oct 25, 2007)

Newspapers worship these soldiers. In every community all over the world, an individual or a group of individuals act as leader and sets an example to others. For instance, a sports team looks to their coach as a classroom looks to their teacher as government looks to the Prime Minister. By putting these soldiers on a pedestal, we are compelled to look up to them. The media then have replicated the archetypal structure of a community and have thus created a community of their own.

The headline on the article is surrounded by a border of poppy flowers which brings the focus to symbols. Symbols are used on a daily basis in the media but their regularity does not mean that their effect should be overlooked. Symbols are a reminder, a representation and a cue to feel a certain emotion. For example, a crucifix prompts us to think about the death of Jesus. A heart is symbolic of love. Conboy (2006:53) argues that tabloids draw upon a certain set of images enthusiastically. He says, “The flag of St George appears in a variety of relatively banal, everyday contexts in the contemporary tabloids. It is a common sight on the front pages accompanying stories about the EU as it is on the back pages when following the fortunes of English sports teams.” The flag, in particular, is how the media maintains the British ‘imagined community’ because it is a constant reminder of the country we live in.

Listing is also used to build these ‘imagined communities.’ On major sporting events or occasions like St George’s day, readers are often bombarded with ’10 Reasons to be Proud,’ a physical list that reminds us to feel glad that we belong to the community. Conboy (2006: 50) argues that, “The tabloid mnemonic of listing can contribute to the portrayal of national identity as part of the direct address to the imagined community.” This clever device works to maintain our ‘imagined community’ by making us feel as though we ought to be grateful to be a part of it. Polls are also a popular means of creating a community with spirit. A community with a voice that approves or objects to a new government policy for instance, implies that we are an educated and opinionated nation. Conboy (2007: 157) says, “Newspapers can conduct their own polls of their own readers to take a highly selective reading of national sentiments and report them back to that same readership.” Polls serve to construct our ‘imagined community’ and act as a realisation to the audience that there are real people in the community with real views. It creates a real sense of spirit and integration when a large section of the community is united for or against a particular cause.

But newspapers do more to build our ‘imagined communities’ than make us feel patriotic. They act as the bearer of bad news and often highlight a state of national decline but this has a contrary effect. Although it alerts the public to the gloomy state of Britain, it also gives us determination to rise above it. Hall (1992) argues that stories of national decline provide a marker of hope in the transcendence of the nation through adversity. Conboy (2006:59) says, “Alerting the collective community to anxieties of decline fits with a sort of progress or a desire for it as fundamental to the continuity of the narrative of a nation with all its peaks and troughs.” One Daily Star article reads,

“Brits eating more burgers than ever: The Government is trying to tackle soaring obesity levels with its “five-a-day fruit and veg message.”
(Jan 8, 2008)

Once again, ‘Brits’ reinforces the national community but this time for the wrong reasons. The thought of the Government “tackling” the problem tells us that it is a serious matter. The fact that obesity levels are “soaring” suggests that we are a nation in danger. The Star’s uses exaggeration in order to alarm readers into acting on the problem. Articles like this come with so much regularity that the media have created the idea that the community is under attack from forces within and without. Conboy (2007: 168) says, “One aspect of the nation itself is that its discourse survives only to the extent that it is perceived to be under threat. It is at this point that enemies, real and imaginary, need to be marshalled in order to remind the insiders of the national group what exactly is at stake.” While the media is constructing this community of decent, hard-working British people, it oppresses what it perceives to be a threat to the nation. By doing so, the media has managed to make their imagined community tighter and more indestructible than ever.

The media has successfully constructed a community for its nation. The majority of news is national news, it uses ‘Brit’, ‘Britons’ and the ‘national we’ to reinforce our relationship, it worships our soldiers, uses symbols, lists and polls to create a sense of community spirit and alerts readers to states of national decline to boost our determination to succeed. However, the more that journalists use these devices, the more we may become immune to their impact. The media maintain our ‘imagined community’, therefore, by excluding the ‘outsiders’ even more.

Van Dijk (2000: 38) argues that news about immigrants and ethnic minorities are often restricted to stories about new immigrants arriving, illegal immigrants, housing and social problems, how they are different, how they are deviant and how they are easily associated with violence, crime, drugs and prostitution. His argument is supported by a poll in The Guardian (14th Nov, 2007) that found 91% of articles in national newspapers about Muslims were negative. The News of the World tells of the,

“Shameful legal lapses that allowed a violent illegal immigrant to stay in Britain and mastermind a terrifying kidnap... Brutal gunman...the gangster... the abduction and torture...crazy immigration scandal...foreign crooks...grisly crime.”
(Dec 10, 2006)

It is clear that the paper wants to exclude criminals like this one from our community. Its graphic and embroidered language serves to shock the reader into a sense of hatred for people that we associate with this man. The article is bias. Although it is only the minority of immigrants that commit crimes in our country, “foreign crooks” is the generalisation the article makes and which prompts readers into making the same assumption. In the same newspaper on the same day, it tells us that,

“Abu Hamza’s female solicitor is being investigated by the Law Society for allegedly kissing an al-Qaeda suspect in JAIL”
(Dec 10, 2006)

Although the solicitor is merely being investigated and has not been charged or found guilty of breaking any rules, the newspaper has decided to report this case. The bold text emphasizes the woman’s alleged crime to make it appear even worse. Finally, the accompanying photograph of the woman laughing is likely to have been a deliberate choice by the newspaper in order to make us believe that the woman may not feel remorse for the offence. As a result of this, we are expected to dislike Muddassar Arani and our ‘imagined community’ becomes more resilient against her and others like her.

The article is clearly one-sided. It states what Arani is being investigated for, gives details into her alleged offence, points out why the al-Qaeda suspect is in jail, quotes the Law Society who condemns Arani and even tells us what she has defended Abu Hamza against. However, it does not give Arani to defend herself. This supports Van Dijk (2000: 39) when he says, “Even in ethnic news, minorities are quoted less, and less prominently than (white) elites. Minority representatives will seldom be allowed to speak alone: a white person is necessary to confirm and convey his or her opinion, possibly against that of a minority spokesperson.” Van Dijk suggests that the British media
adopts a narrow-minded approach to individuals who are outside its own nation and reinforces the idea that Britain, or at least its journalists, try to depict that we are an elite nation.

Van Dijk continues his argument with comment about the language used of ethnic minorities. He says, “Violence and crime of minorities will typically appear in (big) headlines, and prominently on the front page, whereas this is seldom the case for other news about them. Much research has shown that this is a well-known device in the coverage of ethnic issues” (2000: 41). One Daily Star article reads,

“SEARCHING MORE BLACK KIDS WILL STOP GANG WARS:
Stop-and-search tactics need to be increased in black communities to combat inner-city gun and knife crime”
(Oct 23, 2007)

The Star’s choice of words in “black communities” serves to highlight the level of discrimination in the media. To categorize a person by their skin colour is a typical mark of racism and while the newspaper may preach that it takes an objective view (“It’s not racism, it’s just plain common sense!” The Star, Oct 23, 2007), the headline alone contradicts this. It is as though they are a community who are segregated from us and while this may be the case in the ‘imagined communities,’ our physical integration in everyday life tells a different story.

It is not just ethnic minorities who feel the intolerance of the British media. The European Union also comes under heavy criticism on a regular basis. Conboy (2006:56) writes, “Hyperbole concerning the EU is threaded through with emotive language and scripted agendas alluded to economically in a demotic, populist tone of persuasion.” One Sun article reads,

“Britain will be forced to surrender its oil stocks to the EU under the new treaty- costing taxpayers £6BILLION”
(Oct 18, 2007)

The fact that the EU have “forced” us to surrender our oil stocks makes the public feel compromised, but the cost to taxpayers is surely what is meant to outrage readers the most.
The article has a ‘them’ and ‘us’ attitude; taxpayers versus the burden of the EU. Conboy continues, “The language of the criticism of the European Union…includes the weight of corrupt politicians, the EU and MEP’s counterpoised to the plight of overburdened British taxpayers.” By criticising the ‘outsiders,’ in this case the EU, our community can feel more affiliated because we are united against one cause.

Whether we realise it yet or not, British newspapers have a very influential role on its readers. Support for the nation will always be top of the journalistic agenda. Conboy (2006:47) says the “language of representing and addressing a national community” is a very large part of a newspapers appeal. Furthermore, “The ‘them’ and ‘us’ divide defines to a large extent the community which the tabloids are constructing” (2006: 61). It is safe to say then that in terms of the role they play in constructing and maintaining our ‘imagined community’ their role is huge.