Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt has a great reputation, and it’s very well deserved. I never worked especially closely with him, but you just knew that he had what you might call ‘contacts’. He has a face, and a manner which suggests he knows the dark side.
And, it turns out, he also has a great sense of humour. He’s been writing a blog called ‘Life of Crime’ since last month, and so far it’s been great fun to read. Lots of cute ‘behind the scenes’ stories explaining the days of effort in producing a two-minute TV report; and a very interesting take on the curious relationship between journalism, policing and justice. Postings are sporadic, but well constructed and always worth reading.
I’m afraid I can’t say the same for their baffling ‘Sky News Insider‘ blog, which seems to be a blog written by someone different every week. Last week, it’s a researcher in the Antarctic. This week, it’s presenter Kay Burley’s involvement in the latest ‘reality TV’ series. I can see the concept: variety being the spice of life, and all that. But it doesn’t fit with my experience of ‘blogging’: as I’ve described before, it’s at its best when it’s a view of a specific person’s stream of consciousness.
(Of course, the ‘Insider’ blog now lives at jeremythompson.typepad.com – which, I guess, means that the star presenter has given up on the idea.)