Thursday, November 29, 2007

Fairness, accuracy and the rewards that follow

Me and Neil Tague hot footed it to London yesterday to the RAC on Pall Mall (we're not members). The occasion was the BVCA's media awards. Blow me if we didn't win again. So chuffed to have won for the cover story we did about the collapse of Music Zone, which explored the way private equity backed businesses are at risk from their bankers.

The full list of winners is here.

I'm not going to pretend I'm not bothered, I am SOOO chuffed, but there's a human element to this story that hopefully is winding its way towards a happier conclusion. The MD of the company, Steve Oliver, has now picked himself up and has started a new venture - Music Magpie - which I hope is a success. I'm sure he won't stretch the borrowing this time.

And however pleased I was to have won, the phone call I had from a very choked and emotional Steve Oliver, after I published, saying that reading the piece was difficult for him, but that it was fair, meant more than anything. Journalism can be a rough trade, you can print things that aren't comfortable. You can be lively, colourful, be prone to exaggeration for effect, but always be fair. I worked for editors as good as John McCrone, Scott Howlett, Kate Bulkley, John Flint and Nick Masters who are such good people with good solid values and decency running through them. They all gave me a hard time at one point or another and I'm so grateful they did.

And do you know what? I am also blessed to work with a graphic designer as talented as Damien Wiehl. His cover was one of the best I've ever seen. Anywhere.

Check this out:

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