{"id":82,"date":"2016-11-14T11:55:07","date_gmt":"2016-11-14T11:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/theedit\/?p=82"},"modified":"2016-11-14T11:55:07","modified_gmt":"2016-11-14T11:55:07","slug":"the-dream-job-mark-mcfadden-broadcaster-and-journalist-with-itv-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/theedit\/2016\/11\/14\/the-dream-job-mark-mcfadden-broadcaster-and-journalist-with-itv-news\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dream Job – Mark McFadden Broadcaster and Journalist with ITV News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mark<\/a><\/p>\n

What course did you study at\u00a0<\/b>Queen\u2019s?<\/b><\/p>\n

I went to Queen’s University in 1984, studying for a Degree in English & French<\/b>. I’ve always been more of a words person than a numbers person, so I was naturally drawn to the Arts and Humanities<\/b>.\u00a0 Literature, language and expression offer us the chance to explore our very humanity.\u00a0 They allow us to discover what makes us ‘us’, to delve into look into our reason, our creativity and our imagination.<\/p>\n

Were you concerned about your \u2018limited options\u2019 regarding careers as an AHSS student?<\/b><\/p>\n

Not at all.\u00a0 I believed then and I still believe today that there exists a world of opportunity<\/b> for those whose skills and ambition can be channelled towards language and literature.\u00a0 There isn’t a major business or government department that doesn’t rely on communication and social connectivity<\/b>. The message is important, and how it is said is equally<\/b> important.\u00a0 As a young student I had a fascination for news and journalism, and I felt that I could carve out a career in this area.\u00a0 I started out in local newspapers then moved into television news with UTV.\u00a0 In broadcasting where pictures are sacred, the spoken word must support and complement.\u00a0 However, TV journalism actually makes great demands on one’s writing<\/b>: conveying the maximum information with clarity and interest, and in a form that should be easily understood <\/b>by young and old alike.<\/p>\n

\"the-power-of-words\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What does your job really entail?<\/b><\/p>\n

I am news correspondent with UTV, one of the senior journalists.\u00a0 My role involves reporting on a variety of topics<\/b>: it may be politics one day, and the economy the next.\u00a0 Often I find myself reporting on serious court cases or attending crime scenes.<\/p>\n

At all times, however, the requirement is for accuracy<\/b>, and stories that involve tragic incidents must be handled with sensitivity and care<\/b>.\u00a0 I believe it is a role where it is absolutely essential to be a natural communicator – not simply because one must be a story-teller, but because one must build up relationships and trust<\/b> with the viewer.<\/p>\n

Some maintain you have the \u2018dream job\u2019 \u2013 but is it really as glamorous as many believe?<\/b><\/p>\n

Those who think being a television journalist is glamorous clearly haven’t stood in the cold lashing rain for hours<\/b>, waiting for a story to develop.\u00a0 Nor can they have visited the scene of a bombing or a murder and watched people’s lives being torn apart.\u00a0\u00a0 It is always a difficult part of the job – seeing the horror at first hand but having to filter out the truly dreadful images because they are simply too gruesome for a television audience.\u00a0 Thankfully such incidents are rare (and increasingly so), but they are indelibly imprinted on my memory and they inform my reporting.\u00a0 There are, of course, many enjoyable moments.<\/p>\n

Television journalism may not be glamorous, but it is nevertheless a huge privilege.\u00a0 I get to be an eyewitness to extraordinary events, I get a ringside seat on history<\/b>, and I get to meet remarkable individuals<\/b> – US presidents and UK prime ministers, Nobel prize-winners, movie actors and pop stars, artists and scientists, international footballers, the list goes on.\u00a0 But it is the courage and dignity of those battling illness or disability that always impresses me most.<\/p>\n

\"journalists\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Any particular highlights of your career?<\/b><\/p>\n

I have been lucky to work with very many talented people – technicians, producers, journalists.\u00a0 I have been lucky to win regional, national and international awards<\/b> for my work, but the highlight of my career was having the chance to enjoy several meetings with Seamus Heaney<\/b>.\u00a0 This great poet has always been my hero, and to get the opportunity to talk face-to-face about his life and work was something I shall always cherish.\u00a0 Heaney was the man who instilled in me a love of language, writing and place.<\/p>\n

\"Seamus<\/a><\/p>\n

For those aspiring journalists, do you have any advice you\u2019d like to offer?<\/b><\/p>\n

Never give up.\u00a0 If you have the drive and the ability, then keep on trying and your break will come.\u00a0 Don’t do it because you “want to be on TV”.\u00a0 Do it because you are interested in your world, your community and your fellow humans.<\/b>\u00a0 Do it because good journalism is important: it is vital to hold governments to account, to expose wrong-doing, to challenge and to question.\u00a0 Do it because you love writing and you have an inquisitive mind.\u00a0 Do it because words<\/b> matter. (KMcF)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What course did you study at\u00a0Queen\u2019s? I went to Queen’s University in 1984, studying for a Degree in English & French. I’ve always been more of a words person than a numbers person, so I was naturally drawn to the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[19,23,29,45,53,100,108,112,116,130,134,146,151,153,165],"class_list":["post-82","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-careers-stories","tag-ahss","tag-arts-and-humanities","tag-broadcaster","tag-communication","tag-determination","tag-itv","tag-journalist","tag-love-writing","tag-mark-mcfadden","tag-opportunities","tag-power-of-words","tag-queens-university-belfast","tag-seamus-heaney","tag-social-connectivity","tag-television-journalism"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa93kd-1k","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/theedit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/theedit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/theedit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/theedit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/theedit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/theedit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/theedit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/theedit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/theedit\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}