Friday, 6 July 2012

The Great Barr and Sutton Coldfield Observer (2012)


Companies: Great Barr and Sutton Coldfield Observer

Editor: Nicola Robinson (Head of Group News)

July 2012 – Freelance contribution


Two Birmingham fitness fanatics raised over a thousand pounds for charity by climbing three mountains in less than 24-hours.


Exhausted, but it's job done
featured in the Sutton Coldfield Observer
Mountainous mission completed for charity
featured in the Great Barr Observer



Saturday, 30 June 2012

MSN Sport (2012)


Company: MSN Sport

Commissioned: Jamie Frier (Freelance journalist for MSN)

June 2012 – Freelance contribution


This was a one-off for the MSN Olympic Torch blog recording the journey and atmosphere experienced by those witness the synonymous flame.

The review of the day amassed an unexpected positive reception boasting over 33 likes, one retweet and nine social media shares.

Read the full piece at:
http://sport.uk.msn.com/olympics-2012/inside-track/blogpost.aspx?post=e569b708-e42d-4c5c-9483-0a171342afef

Along with some snaps of Birmingham's big day, for the full a supplementary piece visit:  http://joshua-saunders.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/olympic-torch-relay-birmingham-for-msn.html

The Birmingham Bull bathed in Olympic fever
Uncanny replication of Churchill from Gerry George



Spot the Olympic Torch in the distance




Tuesday, 1 May 2012

The Guardian (2012)


Company: The Guardian, Kingsway London

Editors: Jeevan Vasagar (Education), Mark Oliver (Assistant News Editor)

April, May 2012 – One week placement

The Manchester Guardian's initial sign
The Guardian's Headquarters near Kings Cross St Pancras












 



The majority of my work for the Guardian was behind the article in a role similar to a researcher.

Chelsea Fringe Flower Show

·      Covering the underground sister of the Chelsea Flower show
·      Interviewing key horticulturists in the guerrilla gardening movement
·      Attending the press conference and fashioning a concise piece with recommendations of where to visit



Don't let the grass grow beneath your feet
Click to read full review


Brief review of the Chelsea Fringe Festival
Click here to read on the Guardian
Click here to read full piece
Chelsea Fringe featuring work
from the Guerrilla Gardener












Activism in public spaces

·      Contacting endless amounts of privately owned location that could be accessed by the public
·      If yes, finding out the rules of the site and what types of campaigning was permitted – i.e. camping, marches, leaflet distribution amongst others
·      The compiled information was then added to a map detailing the activism approving sites.



Research work for the Guardian's Map of privately owned,
publicly accessible locations
Read more at http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/jun/11/privately-owned-public-space-map

More can be found at: https://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?docid=1lrNKscwda7NNc9rrq_Si9dhBqZAbv1Cv2Bx-o7shttps://www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?docid=1lrNKscwda7NNc9rrq_Si9dhBqZAbv1Cv2Bx-o7s


1952 – 2012: Sixty years on from the Queen’s coronation what’s changed?


·      Top headlines from 1952 and 2012
·      Analysing mentally challenging legislation from the last century to translate into readable information. Specifically concerning who was included on the Civil List and how much they were entitled to across the years.
·      Putting in and pursuing requests to find details about the vehicles both privately owned and part of the royal fleet.

Wednesday, 1 February 2012

The Bournemouth Rock (2012)



Company: The Bournemouth Rock, Bournemouth

Editors: Vikki Hutton (Features), Oliver Hill (Opinions), Sam Thomson (News)

January 2012 – two-month freelance contributor






















Contributing to three of the fortnightly student paper’s four sections.

Features

The idea for my contributions commenced as a biweekly ‘living in the life of…’ section. But due to time-constraints amongst other things it led the intended series only lasting for two entrees.


Yes Man

Imagine a world where you can’t utter the word no. This is the curse of the Yes Man. Joshua Saunders recalls his tales living the yes-lifestyle for a week as he confronts Scientology, nearly strips off in public and witnessed things he’d rather forget…

Initial idea taken from Danny Wallace, writer of Yes Man as a way of picking his life up; I thought it could spice up my own, what an understatement that would turn out to be.



Yes Man: How three letters can change your life
CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

Yes Man: How three letters can change your life






















Meet the Bournemouth's nude swimmers...

Joshua Saunders bears all to infiltrate Bournemouth’s colony of nude swimmers.

Ever up for a challenge I approached David, founder of the NudeSwim group, asking to write a piece about their uncommon hobby. Openly he agreed, but under the one condition that I’d join in the session and share in the experience.

Baring all with Bournemouth's Nudists. CLICK FOR FULL STORY
Baring all with Bournemouth's Nudists





Opinions

Having always been a man who preffered to entertain rather than astound, my columns tended to be a little less news-orientated and more unconventional as you’ll see below.

The day the ad-man stole your best friend

Bakers Complete brought out the world’s first advert specifically targeted at dogs. Employing high-pitched whistles to draw your canine companion’s attention at key moments could the ad-man have stolen your best buddy?
 
The day the ad man stole you best friend. CLICK FOR FULL STORY

The day the ad man stole you best friend






 

 

 

Frankie Cocozza saint or sinner?

With a nationwide split of besotted fans and enraged hatemongers Joshua Saunders asks how bad is ‘our Frankie’? And is his hedonistic life sexual conquests, drug use and excessive party-going any different from anyone else from his generation?


Frankie Cocozza Saint or Sinner? CLICK FOR FULL PIECE





Frankie Cocozza Saint or Sinner?





 

 

Flatworms could the secrets to human immortality

Scientists believe that they could have discovered qualities of immortality within the humble flat worm. If one is cut into ten sections the sections will regrow into individual worms. But as Ben Parker from Spiderman once stated: “With great power comes great responsibility,” and are we ready for it yet?


Flatworms could give mankind immortality, but are we ready?
Flatworms could give mankind
immortality, but are we ready?














News

This was one of the more challenging sections to write for, eagerly trying to find original stories to directly compete with local rival The Bournemouth Echo. Many of our stories ended up falling through; nonetheless a close friend and myself were appointed Chief Reporters. 

Boscombe in bid for a revitalised high-street
Boscombe in bid for a revitalised high-street


Oyster Card could be set for Bournemouth



Thursday, 1 December 2011

Nuts Magazine (2011)

Company: Nuts Magazine, Southwark, London 

Mentored by Pete Cashmore (Editor-at-Large)

December 2011 - Two week placement


During my fourteen-day placement at Nuts Magazine, I helped contributing jokes, pub facts and even a story. As well as traipsing around London with a giant polar bear (Frozen Planet footage-faking joke), meeting Captain Morgan or Morgan Spice and not forgetting chatting to the beauteous glamour-models Holly Peers (Manchester's Sexiest Woman) and Rhian Sugden.

Below are the covers from the three editions my work featured in:



On a glamour shoot I was lucky enough to speak to these two lovely ladies, work... what work?

Life could not have gotten any better that day,
with Holly Peers and Rhian Sugden on a glamour-shoot.

Poor Paul Travis had his finger chopped off by a sheet of metal unleashed after becoming caught in scaffolding. Nuts readers love a gory tale and by all accounts that's what they got.


A man who lost had his digit decapitated, we gave it
four-and-a-half on the pain scale; sorry Paul.
CLICK HERE TO READ FULL COPY
Byline for my piece in Nuts Magazine


























Nuts Pub Ammo Section

Some of the most intriguing facts included Buzz Aldrin may not have taken the first step on the moon but he was the first to urinate on it and David Bowie founding a society for 'The Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men'.


CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL
CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL


Shared byline shared for the Pub Ammo section
with Pete Cashmore
Shared byline shared for the Pub Ammo section
with Pete Cashmore







Nuts Jokes & Advice from a Fit Lesbian Sections

Both parts of which I contributed to:
Compiled by yours truly.
Compiled by yours truly.
Several contributed 'problems'


Nuts 'Stuff I Like!' & 'Would You?' Sections

In the 'Stuff I Like' fragment of the magazine I contributed by helping attach QR codes to Nuts, a recently added feature to the magazine. As well as being stitched up for my mini-crush on Katie Price. Guilty as charged.

Plan B revealed his
favourite possessions
Ratted on by my brother Jacob
'Phwoar,' thinks Josh


 Finally the page detailing the names of everyone who contributed to the magazine, including one for 'workie Joshua Saunders'.


Joshua Saunders 'workie' at the back of Nuts Magazine


Monday, 14 November 2011

BHBeat Magazine (2011)

Company: BHBeat Magazine, Bournemouth

Mentored by Charis Webster (Editor)

November 2011 - Freelance contributions


Fish Pedicures: Novelty health treatment or life-endangering risk? BHBeat investigated how safe the UK's popular enrichment of the moment actually is.

During this investigation I spoke to pediatric surgeon Dr Mike O'Neill and Sophie Dack-Stainer an entrepreneur from Poole who started a Fish Pedicure business.



Sadly BHBeat gradually grounded to a halt after December 2011, ceasing to exist shortly after.

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

Bournemouth Echo (November 2011)

Company: The Bournemouth Echo, Bournemouth

Mentored by Darren Slade (Chief Reporter)

November to December 2011 - one month placement


Having worked at the Bournemouth Echo previously, the newsgroup generously took me on for a one-day-a-week freelance basis.

Children's TV legend Neil Buchanan spoke about being a failed rockstar, rumours about his 'death' and inspiring a whole generation to be more creative. This is Art Attack's presenter speaking to Joshua Saunders reminiscing about his career so far.

I managed to clinch this interview after contacting his PR agent about coming to Bournemouth to launch his new collection Hope Street.


Neil Buchanan displaying his new art collection.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY
Featured in the print edition of the Echo         






Great fella Neil, happily posed for photographs
with both visitors and over-eager journalists...







Swearing: Is it best to be secretive when using an expletive? A feature considering the debate after Hon. Mr Justice Bean challenges the illegality of verbally abusing police officers at the Court of Appeal. The Bournemouth Echo poses whether 'foul language' can be part of today's society?



Do we need swearing? Joshua Saunders asks.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY
Gordon Ramsay swore 243 times during
TV show Gordon's Great British Nightmare.


For an abbreviated version on the
Bournemouth Echo website CLICK HERE.












Controversial comedian Frankie Boyle announced a turnaround tour after vowing never to go back on the road again, with dates including the Bournemouth International Centre.



Frankie I don't give a damn. CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY
Frankie announces new tour
The Last Days of Sodom


Shortened version appeared in the online
edition of the Bournemouth Echo
CLICK TO READ

















































 NIBS
Story summaries:
  • Every hour more than 100 people go into hospital and more than 40 people die from alcohol-related problems. The Solent NHS Trust Drug and Alcohol recovery service and other local agencies offer their support to help people with drinking problems to control their addiction.
  • Local dance school Steppin' Out Academy of Dance debuts their Christmas performance 
  • Tips for looking ten years younger were shown at a charity event
  • Bournemouth Choir unveil their comeback show
  • A hospice was looking for bags to trade and sell at a nearby event
  • Artwork to be shown by artists in the area

A selection of NIBs.
READ THE SELECTIONS HERE
Alcohol related problems dominate the United Kingdom local
Bournemouth organisations are there to help.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL PIECES