A tribute to a true British heroine

Dr Karen Woo was one of 10 members of a medical team shot and killed by militants on August 5th during a health care mission to remote villages in northern Afghanistan.

Like many, I was saddened by the news of this cowardly attack on the unarmed group of aid workers.

Much can be said about the groups extraordinary efforts in their attempts to help those men, women and children, who've been let down by their own people - courageous, selfless and loving.

Left in their remote towns and villages to battle poverty and disease, whilst their countries so called leaders distract themselves with fighting in tribal regions and martyrdom in the cities.

Dr Woo's quest in Afghanistan was fraught with danger. Anyone who knows anything about the war-torn country will understand that a nomadic aid mission across the region presents a valuable target for those considering westerners Infidels. The miserably poor valleys of Nuristan, one of Afghanistan's most remote, beautiful and dangerous provinces is where the group were stopped and taken to a quiet woodland to be killed.

We should be immensely proud of people like Karen and her fellow team members. Instead of honoring overpaid celebrities and football players we should be paying tribute to the selfless people and charity organisations who care enough to make a difference in this world.They are the real modern days heroes. I hope  that one day, I can be at least half the person she was.

A lasting thought which family and friends can find solace in is the fact that Dr Woo and her team were leaving the region when they were attacked. Meaning, they had successfully achieved what they set out to do. Provide care to those who need it most.

In her last blog post before her death, Dr Karen Woo. 

"Ultimately, I believe that the provision of medical treatment is of fundamental importance and that the effort is worth it to assist those that need it most."

R.I.P

Reporter Shift - Friday 6th August - Assignment 2

I readied myself and packed up the equipment for my second lead story assignment of the day - by this time the girls on Sales had dubbed me the "Death Correspondent".

In brief, just under two weeks ago from the day, a family of four had been found dead at their home in Fordingbridge - Mum, Dad and their two daughters aged 1 and 2. Although speculation pointed to the father as the killer, not alot had been proved. All we knew was he had died from hanging and the mother had died from stab wounds - the postmortem results on the two young girls were returned inconclusive.

We'd reported on the tragic event from day one and it was only right to continue following the story closely, even if we didn't think any new info would be turned over. So I went to the funeral of the mother and her two girls that rainy afternoon on August 6th.

Unlike the ceremony for Major Bowman I wasn't allowed into the procession, the media were instead herded into what I've come to call a "cattle pen" outside, across the street - not that I wanted to go inside anyway. By this time I'd pretty much accepted that this day wasn't really going to cheer up! By the days end I'd tripled the amount of funerals I'd attended in less than 24 hours.

What did make this assignment exciting was the fact that I was working LIVE and on location. Just how news reporting should be, no mater how big or small your station. Gathering what little info I could find from people in the local area, people at the post funeral gathering in the hall, and from what I'd absorbed with my own eyes.

A generous sprinkle of rain continued to fall on us, rather appropriate to the sombre mood which had blanketed this usually busy market town. Whilst absorbing the atmosphere and spectating on the procession I was constantly making notes, scribbling words down on my pad and thinking about the tone and feel of my upcoming reports. I'm a rather messy worker and tend to jot down all my thoughts on pieces of paper with speech bubbles and arrows doodled all over the page! I like it :D  

Anyway, once I'd drummed together my rough scripts the work experience and I retreated to a local pub to use their power points. As I aforementioned this assignment was so exciting because of this "working from location" dynamic of the story. Racing the clock and working wherever you could - hood up and huddled over my pad opposite the church, squatting and scribbling, in the pub. This is how real journalists work, and I was loving it! ... Back to it, laptop on, script recorded on location, wireless dongle on, audio sent, call made to let the presenter know "it was in!"   .. One done, next, an extended update for the next news bulletin! It was all go! ..

I wish I had a photo of me from this day to add some colour to this post. But here's someone I greatly admire and I hope one day I can fulfill a similar role as a news reporter in conflict zones - Sky News Middle Eastern Correspondent Dominic Waghorn.

Reporter Shift - Friday 6th August - Assignment 1

A day to remember.

For a while I'd known what awaited me on this Friday in Salisbury. But little could prepare me for the two funerals I was attending for people I'd never met.

A while back my colleague asked if I'd feel OK covering a Military funeral at Salisbury Cathedral. Despite a few curious questions running through my head after she asked me I happily obliged and agreed to attend and report, like news reporters do.

A Major in the British Army, the occasion would be marked with full military honours at one of the most beautiful locations in England.

On the day - with the work experience girl at my side - it's fair to say I did feel slightly unsettled with a mixed bag of emotions. We turned with plenty of time to spare and we were herded into the media pen opposite the Catherdral doors. A gentle sprinkling of rain seemed appropriate to the sombre mood as mourners gathered outside to pay their tributes.

Funeral etiqutte is something I'm not very experienced in as soon as I've only ever been to one funeral in my life. This lead to me being overly cautious about myself, thus making myself feel a little uncomfortable in my own skin. I mean ... It's a funeral for the second highest ranking British soldier to have died in Afghanistan for flips sake! Anyway, spoke a little softer than usual, walked a little slower and generally toned it down so I'd seem ultra respectful - I don't want this to sound as if I'm not respectful because I am :D. I just wanted to be super calm to avoid nervous gaffs.

It wasn't until we took our seats inside alongside the BBC, ITV and the rest of it, that the beauty of the architecture that held up this magnificent structure grasped my attention. It was simply stunning! And the artwork mind-blowing! Soon it dawned on me ... I was sat amongst heroes and part of something special on this day.

Dazzled by the aforementioned I was soon startled by the sound of trumpets and the peaceful silence which followed as the coffin draped with the Union flag was slowly walked down the aisle to passing eyes. There must have been nearly a thousand people inside, over half in Uniform, looking smarter than anyone else it has to be said. And at the back there was me and the other journalists, impostors, sitting with our microphones trained at the speakers in a rather uncouth manner - candid, but we had a job to do. Safe to say I felt like an awkward sod though, especially due to the fact we had the riflemen sat behind us. Brilliant! I bet they thought we were rude.

Anyway, the ceremony was beautiful and certainly moving. Full of Army humor as close friends, relatives and colleagues took to the stand to pay their tributes. I especially enjoyed the feature of my favourite hymns, Jerusalem and Enigma (Nimrod Var). One pickle which I encountered was whether or not we should actively take part in the procession? Do we sing? Do we pray with everyone else? It seemed slightly inappropriate to do so as soon as were there not as mourners, but on a job. So myself, and the rest of the media teams chose to simply bow our heads during prayer, saying amen at the end. I read the words from the Order of Service and prayed and sang in my head so that the good Lord could see that I was doing my best to remain respectful and honor the dead :D 

As the funeral drew to a close, a moment of silence outside as a troop fired a volley of shots into the clouded sky. Nothing but the snap of escaping bullets and the smell of gunpowder allerted the senses. Complete calm ....... And for a brief moment, Salisbury stood still. Men, women and children taking a minute ............. To say a lasting farewell to one of Britain's finest.

Media whore

So its been a rather busy past few weeks in my camp - mainly due to the fact that I've been accepting freelance shifts left, right and centre without the slightest thought to my own well-being *sob*.

Not that I'm in any position to be declining work anyway because I never know when the work will dry up. Plus, I actually enjoy what I do which is something I'm sure half the population can't agree with - I feel very lucky in this regard. As the saying goes "find a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life'. These words of wisdom make perfect sense to me and I think about them often as I continue to make my first major steps in the world of broadcast journalism.

My busy schedule has tested me in many ways ...... physically, psychologically and financially if we're being honest. The purse - cough, cough, man wallet - strings have had to be loosened for the daily hour commute to the studio. The physical downturn is really due to lack of food, it's extremely difficult to find an opportunity to munch on a sandwich when working the newsdesk. I try to sneak a cereal bar into my gob whilst writing scripts, putting in calls for interviews, answering the phone (usually to someone who wants us to announce they have a missing cat on air), editing audio, making sure the work experience hasn't fallen asleep and all the rest of it. AND psychologically, well ... I guess I don't have much of a case here, just thought it would sound good .... sheer mental strain! haha.

Anyway, in a nutshell I've been running the afternoon drivetime news shift at a couple of local radio stations for a few weeks now - covering for the Head of News who's ill - and I've been loving it. Just goes to show I'm perfectly capable of producing top quality news day after day, and to a high standard. Something which I haven't been able to demonstrate in a full time capacity to date. Soon I hope though.

Bye for now
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