About me

Scotland-based writer/journalist with experience in writing for regional and national newspapers, magazines and websites. Interests include arts and culture, social issues and criminal justice. Some experience in marketing and copy-writing.

PostsProjectsExperienceTeam

Projects

• Writing sample - travel featureA feature about Look Again festival in Aberdeen, published in the Dundee Courier
• Writing sample: first-person pieceA light-hearted first-person feature on trying out a vegan lifestyle, published in the Dundee Courier.
• Writing sample: human interest/news feature and first person pieceA light-hearted news article and first person column about a charity event held in Dundee in aid of mental health support at Dundee University.
• Writing sample: court reportingA story that highlighted Dundee's issues with poverty and the impact of changes to the welfare system. The story was picked up by some of the national papers and sparked a lot of debate online.
• Writing sample - social issuesOne of a series of articles regarding proposed changes in the way disabled pupils are taught at schools in Scotland. This parent's campaign has now succeeded.
• Writing sample: real-life story/featureThis feature appeared in the Daily Mirror and was based on a real-life story.

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Work history

journalistDC Thomson
May 2014Dundee, United KingdomFull Time
I have held three roles within the company including trainee reporter at the Dundee Evening Telegraph, working up to senior reporter within a year. Duties included working on breaking news, community news, spreads/features and reporting on social issues such as drug abuse, homelessness and poverty within a city with high levels of deprivation. At the end of 2015 I moved on to The Courier, one of the UK's highest performing regional papers, which covers the Tayside and Fife regions. Working as a senior reporter I continued to build on my previous work, while also expanding my duties to include arts and culture news/features, food and restaurant reviews and travel features. As well as writing for the print editions of the Courier, and occasionally our Weekend magazine, I also write for our digital edition. This often includes shooting video to go alongside the written content, which I upload directly to our website.
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trainee reporterClyde and Forth Press
Feb 2013 - May 2014United KingdomFull Time
Working across two sister titles, the Border Telegraph and the Peeblesshire News, I gained a good grounding in all aspects of writing for print and online. I had sole responsibility for creating content for the Peeblesshire News to a weekly deadline. Tasks included sourcing stories, interviewing, reporting on council meetings and court cases, local events and festivals, and writing ad features.

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Skills

• Copywriting
• Journalism
• Article Writing
• Content and Media Writing
• Ad Copywriting
• Digital
• Marketing
• Interviewing
• Teeline Shorthand
• Video

Education

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National Qualification in JournalismNational Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ)
Jan 2014 - Jun 2014United Kingdom
The NCTJ's professional senior qualification (Level 6) that examines all-round competence in a range of essential journalism skills including news writing, interviewing and media law.
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MA JournalismUniversity of Ulster, Coleraine
Sep 2011 - Sep 2012United Kingdom
A comprehensive, NCTJ-accredited media course focusing on practical skills including writing for print, broadcast and websites, interviewing, shorthand, using software such as InDesign, PremierPro and AdobeAudition, media law and Ofcom regulations.

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