Smartphone video reports – the dirty reality

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http://youtu.be/omHU59vR5M4 Having learned my reporting skills as a print journalist, before the internet got big, I have been trying for years to bolt on some video skills to take account of the new realities of news. This can be an expensive and time-consuming process – which means my output of video reports has been far […]

It’s out there

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After much huffing and puffing, Fraudcast News has finally made it into paperback form – what I have to confess is still my preferred reading medium. Self publishing – whatever people might write  about the death of conventional publishing etc. etc. –  is damn hard work. You can get a copy here.      

Cover drive

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I’m just about to finalise the cover design for the paperback edition of Fraudcast News, so this is the last chance for any budding cover designers to have their say on what it looks like. Having tried various routes to regular graphic artists, I decided to have a go myself. All comments – constructive or […]

Democracy, journalism and film nights

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It’s never been easier to complain about our politicians and our journalists – neither species has covered itself in glory over the last little while. The big challenge is what to do about all the problems they leave unresolved. Rather than railing against the failures, it’s far more uplifting to investigate alternatives. This post, which […]

No jobs, no money – ordinary Afghans pay the costs of war

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(Photo: Traditional market in Herat Afghanistan. 25-5-09 Copyright © Guy Smallman. All rights reserved.) I spent a fascinating evening in London on Thursday listening to two men who have stepped away from mainstream political thinking and policy on Britain’s military adventures in Afghanistan, both of them having experienced the place for themselves. The first was […]

Marrying revolution and transition – can it be done?

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These are two apparently very different films that I see as being totally on the same page. The first How to start a Revolution, is already out, garnering jury prizes at film festivals around the world. I haven’t seen it yet but I love the book on which it’s based, From Dictatorship to Democracy. It […]