Writing & Storytelling for news lecture

Writing is subjective although key points to help with the reading of your story are;

• Alliteration
• Avoid repetition
• Avoid saying what the person in the interview is about to say
• Wordplay
• Rule of three
• Similes and metaphors
• Make the writing relatable 
• Personify your writing but avoid cliches 
• Exaggerating can help emphasising things
• Relatable comparisons 

Page 'F' test

P recise 'exactness and accuracy'

• use language correctly 
• S.P.A.G
• Make sure you speak clearly and concisely

A ccurate 'correct in all details; exact'

• Present facts accurately
• Check facts with RELIABLE sources
• Check names or titles etc.
• Ensure information is up to date 
• Beware of statistics MAKE SURE THEY ARE CORRECT

G ermane 'relevant to a subject under consideration'

• Are all facts relevant, ensure your story is tight and doesn't waste time with unnecessary elements
• Know your story, through well executed research
• Clarify thoughts on the story by distilling it into a single top line-headline which would effectively sell your story

E quitable 'fair and impartial'

• Making sure a story is objective and gives equal priority to all parties concerned. 
• It should be a given that you consider representation in your piece 
• Tackle subjects with sensitivity 

F low 'move steadily and continuously'

• Consider;
• Logic- the natural order of the elements within the story
• Structure- walk the viewer the story
• Tie-writing- use the script to link or corner turn from one point to the next

Write in the correct order

Write the intro of the story first read by the news anchor
Then the package and your tag
Don't repeat the lead in within your package, beware of wordy writing, and overkill on facts and figures

How to write a good lead and/or tag

Make your news anchor/tag line

• ATTENTION GRABBING 

Putting your idea into a clear top line is a good way to clarify the purpose of the story. The audience can therefore decide whether it's relevant to them and if they want to watch. 

• CONCISE AND NOT OVERLOADED WITH FACTS 

The facts belong in the main body of the news report so hold them back, don't put them in the intro. Use your leads to draw people into the news again in that ‘gossip-style’. 

A good rule of thumb is ONE SENTENCE, ONE THOUGHT. 

• SHOULD SOUND FRESH/”NEW” 
• BE WRITTEN IN AN ‘ACTIVE VOICE’ 

An active voice will enhance and drive your narrative.

Use the SVO method;

• Subject
• Verb
• Object

• BE CREATIVE 
• CONVERSATIONAL IN TONE 

Write as if you are imparting some important news to a friend almost a ‘gossip’ voice write as you speak. This allows you to TEASE your audience and draw them in with an ‘IT COULD BE ME !!!!’ rather than ‘I don’t live there and I don’t care!’ 

• USE NARRATIVE TO TELL THE STORY 

Things to avoid

‘Journalese’ – artificially exaggerated or embellished writing 
Or overly clinical references 
Additionally avoid generally used cliches 
Slang and overly familiar language, keep it on the side of formality and professionalism 

Write to pictures, words should help the images/show don't tell

Writing for live news/studio content

The producer is responsible for overseeing and much of the writing and creation of the running order for the studio script. They are then in the gallery to oversee the programme as it goes live and make editorial decisions whilst it is on air. 

Don't forget the viewer

Use words such as ‘You’ to connect with the audience and again answer the ‘Why should the audience care?’ 
Try to write in a way which not only engages the viewer, but allows them to see the relevance of your story to them and therefore heighten its impact.

Headlines and comings up

The other important tool in writing for news is creating headlines these are the initial selling tool for your stories. 
It is a menu of the main stories and delivers them in an order which usually reflects the level of newsworthiness of each story.
The ‘coming ups’ tell the viewer what’s still to come.

Scripting OOV/SOT n 

Out of vision/sound on tape requires the ability to discern good sound bites from interviews and script in and out of them. 
The studio script must indicate when and where the video is supposed to start and it’s duration so that the director has an idea of when to finish filming or when to put a package up.
Additionally, you need to ensure that the presenter is aware of when to stop reading the VO and allow the SOT to take over. When the they've nearly finished reading the presenter should be in vision as they finish reading the report directly to camera. 
either by : 

• Direction through the ear piece from the gallery 
• Put the SOT on a separate source to play out so that the sound is separate and can be mixed to in the gallery. 

SCRIPTING A NEWS PACKAGE 

Work out your shot list and scripted elements such as the PTC, before filming allowing you to be sure in what you want to film. Make your reporter active in what they are reporting on in your film. Doing something relevant on camera , getting them involved in some way with the subject (if they're talking about cooking maybe get them involved in cooking), means that we as an audience can feel vicariously connected to the piece and have a greater understanding and empathy with the subject.


NARRATIVE STORYTELLING 

 Typically narratives are structured in the following ways:
 Chronologically – Don’t mess about with the timeline too many times. Use the most up to date info/pix first then return to recount the story entirely.
Story told through strong central character – what makes it have meaning, context and perspective
Answer the 5 W's 

• WHAT
• WHEN
• WHY
• WHERE
• WHO as well as SO WHAT?

PREPARE FOR THE EDIT ! 

Prior to editing you will need to; view, log and transcribe the interviews.
The essentials of storytelling; who, what, what, when, where, why & how
But it is key to know how to sift the information for the story essentials – avoid an information overload or you risk loosing you audience's attention. Remember WIIFM= What's In It For Me?
This should make sure your story will feel relevant to the audience and therefore they have a reason to watch it.



From this lecture I learnt how we can effectively write for our news report in a professional and concise way. I also learnt how to prioritise stories to keep our audience interested in our report , as well the importance of extensive (where possible) research so that the interviewee feels you know what your talking about.

Panasonic DVX 200 camera tutorial

We had a tutorial from Ferg about the new Panasonic DVX cameras getting used to using them and learning all of the capabilities of them.

SHOT IN 4K

The first thing we wanted to experiment with was the camera's slow motion abilities, we shot an 'action scene' (me hitting Zak) first in normal speed and then slow motion. We learnt the higher the frames per min the slower the footage would be, as well as the camera cannot shoot slow motion in 4K.

We then experimented with light and angle of camera on footage. We found that back lighting worked very well for the shot we wanted, as well as having the subject of the film at an angle too.

Over all from this tutorial I was able to get to grips with a camera my group would like to use for our shoot, we liked the 4K video quality and believe it would look good for a news report.

Sourcing stories and story types lecture

Lecture w/ Jo- Ideas lab

Google the associations of things for example; sports associations
In regards to the psychological effects of child beauty pageants email the authors of articles.

To do 

• Contact pageant organisers
• Contact ex champions of pageants 
• Contact authors
• Look into more pageants; Junior Miss + Mr Worldwide, Miss Diamond SW Heat
• Search for organisations

People to email:

Rosy Mary Roche author of 'Ugly side of child beauty pageants'- possibly contact David Carey who is referenced in the article

Zawn Villines author of 'Beauty pageants and children: it's not always pretty

Jane Graham author of 'Child beauty pageants: A psychologically damaging catwalk of vulgarity'

Martina M Cartwright author of 'Child beauty pageants what are we teaching our girls'

**Look into press releases although it's news they want you to have-contact papers??**

Sourcing stories and story types w/ Helen

How journalists find stories with news value

-Prioritising sources= some dominant= for example politicians come above general public

Where the newsroom finds it sources

PRIMARY SOURCES 

Your own direct contacts 

Original sources direct from source material eg archive material from libraries etc such as Kew (National Archives) 

PUBLIC APPEALS 

PRESS RELEASES/STATS/OFFICIAL STATEMENTS 

SECONDARY SOURCES 

STRINGERS (FREELANCERS) 

OTHER PLATFORMS/MEDIA 

Wires

Newsrooms often look through 'the wires' for up to the minute tip offs on stories such as;

P.A. (Press Association) – provide a range of news stories and content for print and digital media for the UK and Ireland. 

Reuters – international news agency - Link to website

Correspondents

Subject specialists work in newsrooms have in depth knowledge and well honed contacts, often invited to confidential 'lobby' (groups of journalists and other relevant people) briefings with politicians and on the mailing lists of important relevant people.

Foreign news sources

Journalists, editors and correspondents based permanently abroad for news networks. They're valued for their local contact and on the ground knowledge and access. 

Archives

Many broadcasters have their own archived material which is a good source of pictures, as well as independent archives which sell on their material under license.

Fake news

The difference between selling and story telling. Fake news looks and sounds like real legitimate news packages, the stories are very often propaganda. 

It's more often then not UGC=user generated content. Blurring the lines between marketing and news.

Communication

However you source your information and stories, you need to be a good communicator in order to access these. You need to know the essentials before you call contacts and know what questions you want to ask. Emails are good for exchanging information and more functional tasks, build a rapport with the person.

Always be ethical in finding ways of negotiating obstacles to access what you need, be prepared to push to a story and find a new way of telling you story in order to make it work.

When people are reluctant to take part, sometimes with good reason, it is useful to explain that this is their chance to put their side of the story. Identify key contacts through research.

Deadlines

Ultimately you will always have DEADLINES so at some point you will have to deliver, however some stories take TIME so make sure you give them what they need to ensure your story is as good as you can get it.

Find your angle

The news ‘angle’ is key to developing your story. The angle can be defined as the main significance of the story to your particular audience. There will inevitably be several angles on any story, your job is to decide the angle which best suits and sells your story and will engage your audience. 

What makes a story 'newsworthy'?

Choosing the ‘lead’ story is key in determining the ‘most newsworthy’ story of that particular bulletin. The lead story might vary at different times of the day, for example water shed etc

Newsworthyness

Deciding what’s important and putting it in order for the programme. Typically you will see 10-15 news stories per 30min news programme.

Part of the task is balancing the tone of the range of stories offered. Journalistic instinct plays a strong part in this decision. Key areas which determine this decision are: 

• LOCATION 
• TIMELINESS 
• IMPACT 
• PROMINENCE/’IMPORTANCE’ 
• CONFLICT 
• SIMPLICITY 
• BROADCASTER’S ‘VALUES’ 

Developing you story

You need to do a lot research and match it with a lot of detailed and accurate note-taking. Be organised and ensure you keep contacts and relevant information somewhere you can easily access it.

Setting up your story

Proof of your journalistic skills is when you try to set your story up to shoot it. By the time you set it up you should be clear about: 

• WHAT YOUR STORY IS (and is not) 
• WHO IS IN YOUR STORY (ditto) 
• WHERE IT IS (location/s) 
• WHEN IT IS TO BE SHOT (schedule) 
• HOW YOU WILL TELL IT (treatment/style/angle) 
• WHY you are making the story! (it’s raison d’etre)

Following up leads

The contacts you make in the early stages of research should lead you to the final elements which you will include in your news story. Choices you make will be made on the basis of availability, location, cost etc. Be sure you are including elements which are a fair and reasonable representation of the facts. MOST IMPORTANTLY STAY OBJECTIVE. 

Do not burn bridges be; open, fair, honest, direct and be aware that you are making an intrusion onto their time. Thank contributors and let them know when/where the piece they feature in will be aired/ published.

Television news story forms

5 BASIC TYPES: 

READERS (“tell” stories) 

OOVS/VO (Out of Vision/voice-overs) 

VO/SOT (voice-overs/sound on tape) 

REPORTER PACKAGES

Readers

A short story which the presenter reads out with no video to accompany it or any full screen graphics Usually used for shorter stories and possibly refer to a story which might have video at a future time as available, because it's breaking news.

OOVs and Vo

These are stories which the presenter reads which also includes video material. They're often quite short. If the presenter is reading over graphics it might be annotated as VO/g. (Voice Over w/ graphics)

OOVs add variety of pace to the newscast, they're especially useful when covering an event and it is not necessary to hear from someone at that event.

They are also used if there is a late-breaking story which has been sent through and there isn’t time to produce a full package. 

It may also depend on whether there are many other more ‘important’ full packages already in the bulletin. 

How to make an OOV

Source your story and relevant information. 

Expand and script information to produce a crafted story. 

Boil down to the essentials of the story and find your ANGLE. 

Can use archive or stock shots/Graphics also useful (usually for statistics and other data, quotes, charts and graphs, maps, to aid explanation to detailed concepts)-keep the graphics simple and be careful of copyright of source material used for graphic images, such as maps. 

Add sound – natural atmos is important to avoid a ‘flat’ report.

OOV/SOT

Good for varying pace of the programme and allows a more in-depth news report, but not as in depth as a full news package. Useful when covering an events and need someone there to comment (preferably someone directly affected rather than ‘official spokesperson’) 

News package

News packages are fully formed self contained news pieces. Unlike OOVs and OOV/SOTs the news presenter is not involved in the storytelling itself, but rather in introducing and wrapping up the story the reporter takes the lead on the story. There are a variety of elements available in a news package. These include: 

• Interviews 
• PTCs (pieces to camera) 
• Sequences & actuality 
• GVs/cutaways 
• Set ups 
• Graphics 

Therefore the story needs to be worked out before the shoot to include elements such as the piece to camera. This can be done either on paper or if time pressure does not allow (incase there is a quick turn around of the story) then it will have to be worked out on the spot prior to shooting. 

**From this lecture I learnt the various elements of a news report such as 'News Package' and 'Voice Over', this allows my group to consider we could and could not use in our report. As well as this I learnt the short hand for all these terms 'VO' etc, this will be helpful when my group writes our script as it will prevent us re-writing the longer names over and over again**

*Story development and research* Initial idea research- child beauty pageants

Initial idea: Look at child beauty pageants and how they either; sexualise young girls or harm the mental health of young girls. Either look at it from the view of the parents or the children.

History of child beauty pageants:
Child pageants were started by a man called John Ruskin (an english art critic in the Victorian era) the first one was held in England in 1881, with the idea to honour the young girls innocence. 1.((HilaryLeveyFriedman'TheEvolutionOfAmerican-StyleChildBeautyPageants'20/09)) 
The baby pageants that later became popularised from the original pageants became an American sensation in 1893and drew in 30,000 spectators. The idea of these 'better baby contests' was to measure the health of the babies, it had the primary aim to educate parents on new ways to raise and protect their children.
"Scorecards included analysis of such physical characteristics as height; weight; symmetry; quality of skin, fat and bones; length of head; and shape and size of ears, lips, forehead, and nose, psychological measurements included disposition, energy, facial and ocular expression, and attention"
These better baby contests ended in the 1950s from fears that polio would spread in larger groups of children.
2.((GabrielleMoss'What'sTheHistoryOfChildPageants'14/09))
'Historians of eugenics also use these competitions to illustrate the supposedly benign side of a movement whose other activities are now largely regarded as abhorrent'-'...attractive but toothless face of 'positive' eugenics, the effort to increase the production and survival of healthy babies as distinguished from such 'negative' eugenic measures as sterilisation, intended to prevent the reproduction of those who were judged hereditarily inferior'-'...reward middle class rural whites for successful reproduction'
Eugenicists were often angry with the government had social welfare systems to help treat sick people as it allowed them to reproduce, passing on their 'defects'.
3.(( MartinPernick'TakingBetterBabyContestsSeriously'05/02))

Modern day beauty pageants 
Opinions of mothers:
Generally there is mixed opinions from mothers online, they range from people calling it child abuse to others saying it is their daughter's choice and they enjoy doing it.

Thread on 'mumsnet' from 'Child beauty pagents-right or wrong?'

They're more common in America then England but they are slowly making a big appearance such as; 'Miss Diamond United Kingdom', 'Junior Miss Galaxy UK' and 'Junior Miss British Isles' to name a few.

For my idea I would look into local beauty pageants in and around Maidstone, as it's now September and there aren't many that are currently running I would have to take a new angle. I'll either look into the parents of the kids entering the competitions with an ideal audience of middle aged parents with children, therefore it'll be relatable for them. If that didn't work I'd look at winners of the competitions, this would be more difficult to gain access but would give a 1st hand view of the competitions too.


Examples of pageants:
www.missengland.info/regionals/kent
pamspageants.com/pageants.html
www.crownglorypageantsuk.co.uk/

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1.www.huffingtonpost.com/hilary-levey/the-evolution-of-american_b_860261.html
2.www.bustle.com/articles/183975-whats-the-history-of-child-pageants
3.ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.92.5.707

Testing ideas

We tested some ideas in terms of shot framing and size as well as props.

We started with Zak in the centre of the screen however this meant he had a lot of blank space behind him so we moved him back which would allow the graphics to have more room.
We would have rolling news along the bottom, the graphic Zak was talking to in the centre and the title of the news channel along the top.

We practiced with different props and placements (computer, mug and phone). 
We found that the framing worked better without the computer as it was big and bulky covering most of Zak, without it he had a open body language. 
We'd have rolling news along the bottom and the title along the top.

We also tested out a two shot framing wise, we started with them centred and then moved the frame slightly higher. The higher frame allowed more headspace for the actors and also centred eye line wise.

We used this to help us with shot planning and encouraged us to do forward thinking in terms of where we want graphics to go and things like headlines and rolling news.

TV News introduction lecture 19/09

**To create an online original news channel and produce content for it. Find a brand that will fit an audience, niche rather then mixed. Design your own branded digital online news channel. Appropriate branding/banner at top.**

-Unit Briefing
-Intro to news-the newsroom: structures and mechanisms

Skills to take forward into the unit

-Sourcing stories and contributors 

-Sourcing locations

-Scripting/writing to pictures/'Tie Writing'

-Interviewing skills

-Sequencing and Actuality filming

-S.W.E.E.F

-Coverage/Sound quality

-Factual Accuracy/Fair Dealing/Impartiality and Balance

-Team work/Communication/Time managment

-Interpret information and Finding News Angles

New skills to gain

-Reporting

-Fast reporting (getting stories and access quickly)

-Online platform development/branding and concept development

-Studio presentation/News anchor skills

-Souring talents and presenters outside of the course

Unit Aims

-Promote critical understanding of news and current affairs output

-Facilitate the development of a creative methodology for the production of news and current affairs --Further develop technical and collaborative skills for production and post-production of news and current affairs content

-Develop group presentation and pitching skills

Previous Work

Other example from the previous 2nd years work are:

Link to previous 2nd year work

From watching these videos we were given tips before we started such as; 

• Try not to make our videos too clean cut
• Allow someone to leave the frame before you cut the scene
• If a person looks at something off screen cut to it so the audience can see it too
• Frame up a 'character' with the rule of thirds in consideration
  
• If something is a pre-shot package and not a live piece there is no need for a hand held mic
• MCU or closer for interviews
• blurred non-sync wide where presenter cannot clearly be seen talking whilst there is a voice over prevents it looking out of sync
• Make sure writing is legible
• Slow zoom for a live 2-shot
• Don't be afraid to move things to better light
• If you have move then one person on the same topic make sure they give different things to said topic
• Assume the audience knows nothing about the topic
• W.I.I.F.M=What's in it for me?
• Show don't tell
• Have the reporter taking part in an activity if relevant 

TV NEWS

(Showing the evolution of TV News for the BBC, such as experimental colour shows.)

In 1946 after the 2nd world war TV resumed broadcasting from Ally Pally (Alexandra Palace "Globally known as the birth place of television"-AlexandraPalace.com) after a 7 year break from when it first began in 1936.

78% of adults surveyed in an Ofcom report in 2013 said they regarded television as the most important source for news, opposed to 40% who said it was newspapers. A further 52% used the BBC's website for their news compared to the 19% on Facebook and the 10% on twitter. 

Outside Broadcast (OBs)

Outside broadcasts need a lot of setting up and organisation. There should always be a reason for being live in a location because it's allowing the audience to feeling closer to the events occurring, it shouldn't be done just for the sake of filling a slot.

Live TV allows views to feel involved and has an element of tension to it as to whether it will all go ok, you don't want to waste this opportunity for the audience to connect with the story on a small insignificant story that could be pre-recorded. 

Two Ways (Q&A)

These take place between the news anchor and a reporter live in the field, usually they will discuss what they're going to talk about prior to filming. Because it needs to feel natural and like a real conversation it's very loosely scripted.

Logistic and Technical challenges

As it isn't logistically possible for all stories to be covered live and some times it just isn't necessary, sat trucks (used to transmit video back to production company)  go out with a reporter to get the stories the producer feels warrants the coverage. 

Planning in advance allows the producer to plan where the it needs to go most, when a breaking story comes in though the plans need to change.

Technical challenges

Technical challenges can include things like; sound/picture-quality/lack of, links between the sat trucks and the studio can fail or be busy/weak (tech co-ordinators/live co-ordinators should be ensure that all possible problems are prevented as best as possible.

Live challeneges

Some problems with live TV come simply from being live on location rather then a controlled studio environment this can include; people walking through shots, noises and other interruptions.

Even though a studio is more controlled there are issues that can occur these include; autocue problems, packages can fail to play, noises and general interruptions.

The digital age 

Within a younger demographic (16-24 years of age) 12% found their news compared to only 1% of over 55s. 16-24 year olds are more likely to access news online or via an app, 24% saying it was their first choice, this was 10% more then other age groups.

The TV newsroom hierarchy

Programme Editors- Intake/Input (News gathering)-Assignments Desk, Reporters/correspondents, Ops Organisers (Techs), Camera Crews, Facilities Engineers, Despatch Riders, Diary Planners

Output - (News processing) - Programme editors, Newsroom editorial, clerical staff, Programme presenters, Picture editors, Graphic designers, Video and skills archivists, Studio production/tech staff

News gathering

Assignments Desk- under the control of the news editor/organiser this department assigns journalists and crews to planned and emerging stories. Arranging material to be sent through (though now it's done digitally moved)from reporters and correspondents in the field or from other news sources.

Planners uncover upcoming stories and work out their treatment, arranging access to interviewees and setting up story elements (Upcoming events may have a separate team allocated to plan and prep).

Reporters and correspondents are usually assisted by a team of broadcast journalists who help to research the stories and set them up for the reporters 

Video Journalists – it's becoming more common for reporters and correspondents  to shoot/edit their own material 

World news coverage

Global news coverage is something all national news programmes have to consider. They're more often then not connected through other organisations to be able to exchange news material world wide. The Foreign News Editors organise and despatch their teams as required. However larger organisations (BBC) have special correspondents based in major locations worldwide.

The technical staff who support them ensure their material is received and is available to transmit.

Editorial

News editors- decide which news stories get published

Producers

Reporters 

Broadcast journalists- "research, investigate and present news and current affairs content for television, radio and the internet" (AGASeditors,2017)

Planners 

VJs- video jockey- announcer

Presenters/anchors/newsreaders

 

Production

Camera

crews/studio

cameras & sound 

Clerks, secretaries, assistants 

Production Manager 

Floor Manager 

Graphics 

P.A.s/Broadcast Assistants/Production secretaries

Technical

Studio director 

Engineering staff (transmission manager/ satellite

co-ords/production co-ords/tech coords) 

Picture editors 

Prompter operators 

Vision mixer 

Lighting engineers 

Sound engineers

Technology

ENPS (Electronic News Production System) – A computerised system used in most modern newsrooms, it allows staff to access newswires, write scripts and running orders, check out the diaries and planning options for the future. 

**From this lecture I gained a general knowledge of roles in TV news and went further to find out what some roles were that I didn't already know, for example VJS=video jockey. It gave me a rough understanding of how the News industry works and the hierarchy of people who all come together to make the final product that the audience sees. This will help my group (myself, Zak and Danny) allocate roles to who best suits them as it would be in a professional environment.**

*Story development and research* Initial ideas brain storm

Our group: Danny Lewis, Zak Wilkins, Victoria Simmonds

Who Would want to read/see the stories we're thinking of?
Do we have any shared interests with our potential audience?
Where do we get our news? could that be helpful?

For the possible student angle look into:
BBC news- grants/loans-history in them '5 things that could happen next with tuition fees.
Could possibly be bringing students together to debate?

My role within the group: Primary researcher, sound, logo design and liaison
Danny's role: Camera and Director
Zak's role: Editor, script and liaison

*Story development and research* Idea development

We started with the idea of child beauty pageants however after finding out there was a conference in Maidstone about homelessness we felt this was the more viable option so continued with homelessness.

My group initially made a spider diagram to put down a few of the big stories associated to homeless people and where we could go with them.

After securing the Maidstone conference about homeless people in the area for our live segment, we then prioritised which story we'd like to follow for our package;

Mental health/pets

Our initial plan was to follow up multiple articles we found online about issues that homeless people have with mental health, for example rates of depression are 10 times higher then in the general public. 
We were going to pair this with our pet idea as it is a well known fact that pets can help with mental health, this then would go on to interview vets (Trusty Paws Clinic) who look after homeless dogs for free.

However after emailing charities and vets clinics we did not receive any response from them after calling them to follow up so we left this idea.

www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/item/4192f844-c7d5-469f-b76e-09138800894d
www.thetrustypawsclinic.co.uk/about-us
www.scas.org.uk/mental-health-and-dogs/
www.homeless.org.uk/facts/our-research/homelessness-and-health-research
www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/homelessness-and-mental-health

Periods

We then moved to the idea of how homeless people deal with their periods. We looked at online websites and charities that help women get sanitary products.
I emailed these charities and asked for an interview as well as Paula Sherriff, an MP who supported the abolition of the Tampon tax. After receiving no email reply from anyone Zak is going to call them and try to follow up any leads.

thehomelessperiod.com/
www.pinkparcel.co.uk/help-homeless-women-on-their-periods/
menstrualhygieneday.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Homeless-Menstruation-Report.pdf
www.paulasherriff.org.uk/paula_sherriff_mp_hails_tampon_tax_victory

Soldiers

We've now moved onto ex-soldiers as our final back up story in case our period story doesn't come through, we've started doing general research and emailed local charities such as SSAFA as Maidstone is an army town.

www.ssafa.org.uk/help-you
www.rfea.org.uk/our-programmes-partnerships/project-nova/
www.soldiersoffthestreet.org/