- This topic has 25 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 21 years, 7 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Not all media organisations fill their post based on who you know.
Our company has started off plenty of people into a career in racing journalism straight from school/Uni – Matt Chapman etc. Racenews – first home to the likes of Lydia Hislop, Tony Smurthwaite etc – has also taken young people at face value.
An enthusiasm and knowledge for the whole sport (not just tipping) and the willingness to work long hours, especially at weekends, often brings its reward.
Racing Review – also dead. Or maybe it went to Australia :biggrin:
Racing journalism is my main career option, although news/political journalism and politics itself (yep, God help you all when I’m PM) are other options. But whatever the outcome I want to go into racing through some door or another.
It’s more of who you know, I’m sure. My journalistic career for one is at a kind of halt while I’m still in the educational process. Then there will be Uni for the next three years, followed by hopefully, a stint of some sort of journo training or another.
ATR is looking like the main source of talent, but we need more than that. That’s why I moaned about the BBC and John Parrott.
The way some on the forum post seems to tell me the racing journalism world must be lacking! There are plenty out there but only a few it seems, will be able to get their foot in the door.
For wannabe racing journos, the Martin Wills memorial racing awards provide a chance to show off talent, although it’s pretty tough to win and get publicity. Even then, not everyone who wins that wants to be a racing journalist, or even ends up as one. The best thing to do, apart from getting to know the who-you-knows, is to be controversial, and very (very) pushy.
It was just a friendly greeting Dung. Although the image I seem to have created of you means I don’t want to get too close for some reason!
Racing Forums like this could be a great place for young writers to develop their talents. I think Daylight ran a competition a while back, where the winner had an article (or maybe it was a letter) published in Raceform Update.
Blunote, if you are whom I think you are; as a complete co-incidence I’ve got your old book (with an even older picture on the front) on my desk at the moment. Your speed from the traps thingy on the ATR is saving me hours of working out where the pace is in races, thanks. I’d strongly recommend that to anyone, it’s a shame I have trouble with the rest of the ATR site. I still can’t get into the research section.
(Edited by Colin Little at 9:41 pm on April 7, 2003)
It is nice to hear of few "outsiders" who have made it into racing journalism.
Mesh, Did you win an award or competition for writing?<br>If so, how about telling us about it?
Hi Colin, I won the U19 section of the Martin Wills last year….no luck this year unsurprisingly though!
The racing press could certainly benefit by some fresh, young talent coming through the ranks. Many of the feature writers / columnists on the Racing Post (with the exception of Alastair Down) almost seem to revel in the failings of the industry and don’t appear happy unless they’re slagging some aspect of it off. Not only is this depressing to read, it does the sport a disservice.
Would entirely agree Ian but there often appears an ingrained and tired cynicism within many sections of the racing press that always seeks to highlight the worst case scenario and seems to take a perverse delight in so doing.
A classic recent example of what I’m talking about was the recent Channel 4 lunchtime programme debacle.  Alright it had its flaws and the quality of the racing was sometimes abysmal but this was a real opportunity for racing to sell itself on a wider stage (and, perhaps more importantly, convince Channel 4 that its vast investment in the sport was potentially justified).  Right from the off, however, it was clear that a large section of the racing press (and the RP in particular) were itching to put the boot in and seemed to waste no opportunity in which to slag both the programme (and the concept behind it) off.  For whatever reason – Mark Winstanley has suggested it was essentially petty jealousy on the part of those not invited to take part in it – the programme didn’t stand a chance.  If racing’s press weren’t prepared to give it the benefit of the doubt and promote the programme, why should we have expected Channel 4 to have persisted with the format, even in a modified/improved manner.  As a result the prophecies became self-fulfilling and the programmes fate was effectively sealed within a few days of its first show.
Of course if there is a scandal/issue within the industry that needs addressing, then strong criticism from the racing press is entirely proper (and ultimately beneficial).  From reading the Racing Post, however, you are often left with the impression that the sport is on its knees and one step from becoming obsolete.  I can’t think of another sport (or, indeed, another racing nation), whose specialist press are so consistently pessimistic or downbeat.
Don’t get me wrong, it is not the Racing Post’s job to pretend all is rosy when it’s not.  As the sole remaining trade paper though it should accept a degree of responsibility to ensure that the impression it conveys of the sport is balanced and, whenever appropriate, that the good things in the sport are given the exposure they deserve.
<br>Marling,
Do you not follow cricket or rugby?
Both have been persistently and constantly criticised in the press, by people from inside and outside each sport.
Rugby has torn itself into pieces over turning professional and the subsequent debates on promotion and relegation have been used to run down the administration of the sport.
And the cricket press is almost entirely nergative about the England team, county cricket, one day cricket, the structure of the game, the authorities and anything else you care to name.
One of the great difficulties of writing about racing is that every interest group (owners, trainers, breeders, racecourses, BHB, even ATR) has their own agenda. They all use propaganda and spin as relentlessly as the government, leaving the journalist to try to sort out the truth.
As for youngsters breaking in, is it really any more difficult than with any other sport – after all we’ve only just got rid of the BBC motor racing and rugby commentators who were both about 80 years old.
Alan
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.