Statement of Intent

Last week I had a careers meeting. In this meeting I was informed (by a very nice and very helpful careers officer) about the steps I need to take in order to get into journalism.

I have had a strange relationship with journalism since I was at school. Throughout primary school I was stuffed with feelings of jealousy and shame when other lads took it upon themselves to make their own football magazine. Then when I went to big school I twice got lumbered with doing the newspaper during a week of activities we had each year – other people did ‘Circus Skills’ or went on trips, but no, not me, I did the paper.

It was depressing…at first.

When I got going I found it quite exciting; putting together stories and all that malarkey. From then on I liked English a lot more and did quite well in it at school, going on to scrape through sixth form to get to university where I now do English Language with Journalism.

However, when I got to Huddersfield and started studying journalism, looking into the media in more depth than I ever have had to before, I hated it. I was struck by feelings that this country’s media is a severely broken system which needs a nice wrecking ball to crash straight through it, so that people (hopefully like and including myself) can rebuild it brick by brick, making it harder, better, faster, stronger.

But I slowly realised that the media is a horrible weed, and like a weed it would grow back just as bad as it was before if anyone tried to pluck it out of its position. So, where does this leave me?

Well it leaves me here, now, writing this little blog that I have entitled ‘Statement of Intent’. I have given it that melodramatic heading to try and lull myself (and maybe yourself) into the belief that this is the start of something new.

This is supposed to behave like a speech act; a piece of language with enough force to change the world somehow. Although whether or not it does that will have to be left to me and the clocks, because we both have a lot of work to do between now and the time in which I achieve my goal.

‘What is your goal Joell?’ I hear you say without replying ‘You’re a poet and you didn’t know it’. Well, my dear friend(s). I have reconciled myself with the media of this nation; I have done so by convincing this brain of mine that the only way to bring about change is from within. That’s how the Trojans did it, and that is how I will do it, although I have to stress that I have no plans to rape and pillage my way through the media in a fashion similar to the sacking of Athens.

This is the day I start. I am going to build up a portfolio to be used as an advert of my journalistic abilities, or lack thereof. In this fair day and age where the internet provides us all with the ability to be journalistettes I plan to utilise this most obvious and accessible resource as my primary stomping ground.

I aim to write one blog per week, an aim that will be hampered by coursework deadlines and maybe even a social life which could be resuscitated when I get some bloody money (not to be mistaken with ‘blood money’, I definitely don’t want any of that).

I hope that you can help me achieve my goal, even if it just by reading the blogs and giving a thumbs up or thumbs down – more in-depth feedback would be hugely appreciated.

So there you have it guys and dolls; my ‘Statement of Intent’ – to become a successful journalist.

Peace and fucking yeah?