A brief introduction...
A traditional news reporter with digital skills
I’ve worked non-stop as a journalist since 2000, covering everything from parish council meetings to major criminal trials. A newspaper reporter trained in print, I’ve acquired – and keep acquiring – digital and filmmaking skills that have been put to use in the real world.
Early days in regional papers
I started in the weekly free press in north-east England for the Whitely Bay New Guardian and News Post Leader.
I then moved on to the Stoke Sentinel where I served my time as a junior reporter, and wrote the story of Laura Buxton who released a balloon found by another girl with the same name (which bizarrely made it into an episode of Fargo 16 years later).
Next, I joined the Newcastle Evening Chronicle, where I worked as a senior news reporter for five and a half years. I wrote a series of stories about the families of six Red Cap soldiers killed in Iraq and their campaign to see their sons’ killers charged, covered a major police corruption trial, broke the story of a dying teenager having his sperm frozen for future IVF treatment, and followed the end of deep coal mining in the north-east.
Middle East years
I worked on the launch of the The National, an English-language newspaper base in Abu Dhabi as an online night editor and multimedia journalist. I kept the website updated with breaking news and supervised a team who in the early days put every section of the paper online.
I also produced numerous online videos, including the launch of the world’s cheapest car, photo and audio slideshows. Special projects included a retrospective on conflict in Gaza and a residents guide to life in the UAE.
Work for Metro
I currently work at Metro the most-read newspaper in the UK, as the deputy chief sub-editor. I rewrite complex stories into a clear, concise and accurate form for busy commuters. To do this well requires a strong grasp of current affairs. Major events have included London’s 2012 Olympics, Brexit, and terror attacks.