In at the Deep End
Enthusiastic: Dominic is always on the trail of a good story.
May 2006
It was while waiting outside the home of Declan Donnelly’s new girlfriend, hoping to get an exclusive interview, that Lambeth College Journalism student Dominic Tobin got the call. “Here’s the number,” said a voice from the National News Press Agency. “Give him a call and ask for his views on the Kember story.” Nervously Dominic dialled the number and after two or three rings was greeted by the unmistakable voice of Terry Waite. Dominic spoke in-depth with Mr Waite, a former Beirut hostage, about Norman Kember’s kidnapping ordeal and subsequent rescue by Special Forces in Iraq.
This is just one of the many tasks Dominic has been required to do as part of his work experience with the National News Press Agency. He has been working each Friday on a range of different projects which have included interviewing public figures, researching news and writing articles for national and local newspapers.
Recently he has had an article published in the Daily Mirror about the hoards of camper vans from around Europe on-route to Germany for the FIFA World Cup finals. He has also written for the Daily Mail - a feature about the girl pictured in a Sunday newspaper being injected with what appeared to be heroin by rock singer Pete Docherty. He contacted and spoke to the parents of the girl and got their opinion about the real story surrounding the controversial photograph.
Says Dominic: “The agency have certainly thrown me in at the deep end. This is the best way of learning the journalist’s trade in my view. I have worked on all sorts of stories so far and I love it. I’ve wanted to be a news reporter ever since I set up a student’s newspaper for my school. The course at Lambeth College has helped me focus on the practicalities of becoming a journalist and given me loads of confidence.”
Dominic’s tutor Wendy McClemont said: “Dominic is so enthusiastic about his course. He is ideally suited to journalism with a keen eye for detail. I know he will do very well in his career.”
Dominic plans to get a job at a local newspaper when he’s completed his course and work his way up to the nationals.
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