So the group blog is almost over. I feel I have learnt a lot from the assignment, not only about regulation and ethics but also about working as a team. This sort of experience is invaluable in the world of broadcast journalism, where working independently is almost unheard of.
Balancing the blog with other parts of the MA course has been challenging. I always knew we would be busy this term (TV in 8 weeks???!!!), and thought that climbing up to sixth gear would not be possible after the Christmas term.
However, Charlotte, Denis and Guy have proved me wrong and I have relished every last minute of it. The pace and content of these past few weeks have mirrored what we will experience in the industry. One example of this is working in groups. I feel our group dynamic has been, at times, difficult as we all get on with different things (including different courses – Sophie and Robert having to contend with yet another medium…print, Scott off to London to collect various awards…). To fit in the regulation and ethics blogging element into the course as we all madly film and edit TV packs each week for Live at Five and The World Tonight has been very demanding. But as I say, with most journalists now having to blog as part of their profession, it has been excellent training for us.
Our complex topic, with no black or white answers but oodles of opinions has also proved a challenge. I still don’t know what I genuinely feel on the issue, I feel as if I have a different answer on it each week! But three things are certain, I know a lot more on the topic than I did before I started, our fiery debates within the group have been thought provoking, and there is certainly more to CJ and UGC than meets the mouse pad.
