Friday 27 October 2017

Here's the newsquiz - 25 questions on the week

There were some good scores in last week's newsquiz - notably 19 by both Jake Hurfurt and Ellie Rewcastle. The top teams were the Penmans on 18 and Adam Batstone and Lucy Thorpe with 17. The Daily Telegraph trainees were on project work today so weren't around to do the quiz. They will be back next week when they will be training with me. Here's this week's 25 questions about the week ... give it a go and let me know how you get on.    


1. Martin Selmayr took to Twitter to deny what?
2. Labour MP Jared O'Mara apologised and resigned from which committee after making misogynistic and homophobic internet postings 15 years ago?
3. Rory Stewart, an international development minister, said the only way of dealing with most British Islamic State fighters was what?
4. Downing Street said forecasts indicated Britain’s population will pass what figure before the end of the next decade?
5. Michael Bloomberg, in London to open a new European headquarters for his media company, said of Brexit: 'I thought it was the single stupidest thing any country has ever done but then we _____ _____.' What are the two missing words?
6. The Spanish Prime Minister has called on senators to approve direct rule over Catalonia amid an escalating crisis over the region's push for independence. Name the Spanish Prime Minister.
7. What title was offered - and then withdrawn - to Robert Mugabe by the World Health Organisation?
8. One Premier League team sacked its manager, another appointed a new one. Name both men. Half a point for each
9. The success of Premier Inns was a major factor in which group recording a rise in its six month pre-tax profits by a fifth to £316million?
10. David Clarke was charged with false imprisonment and possession of a sawn-off shotgun and a samurai sword in connection with a siege where?
11. She played Queen Victoria once, Queen Elizabeth II three times, Laurie Lee’s mother in Cider With Rosie and David Essex’s in That’ll Be the Day. Who is she?
12. Lewis Hamilton is poised to win his fourth world championship on Sunday at which country’s Grand Prix?
13. Magazines including Vogue, Glamour, Wired, Vanity Fair and GQ decided to stop commissioning whose work?
14. What did Highways England say it wanted to introduce to 'as many roadworks as possible’?
15. Who was named the UK’s most influential black person in the 2018 Powerlist of 100 people. 
16. Jacinda Ardern was elected as the 40th prime minister of which country?
17. Fats Domino, who died aged 89, had only one top ten hit in the UK. Name it.
18. Which high street chain announced it is to close 190 branches as a result of government cuts?
19. Why was 38-year-old adventurer Tom Morgan from Bristol in the headlines?
20. Christopher Lythgoe, alleged leader of banned neo-Nazi terrorist group National Action, was charged with calling on followers to murder which MP?
21. A memo released by the US National Archives said that which British newspaper received an anonymous call about 'some big news' in the US, 25 minutes before President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963?
22. Who described Mandip, Tosin and Bradley as ’the dream team’?
23. Little-known distance runner Eyob Faniel won which city's marathon after the favourites took a wrong turn down a cycling path and had to dodge oncoming traffic?
24. France is experiencing the worst shortage of which product since the second world war?
25. Karon Grieve was the only passenger on a Jet2 flight from Glasgow to where?

Answers here

Friday 20 October 2017

This week's newsquiz - 15.5 to beat

The top online score in last week’s newsquiz was 16 by Miles Dilworth. This week’s newsquiz is below. It was done by The Daily Telegraph trainees this afternoon in Howden during their session with Tim Fenton. The winner was Jamie Johnson with 15.5. Izzy Lyons scored 14. Here is the quiz - 25 questions about the week. Give it a go and see if you can beat Jamie's score.


Red October on the front of Metro. See Question 25

1. President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani said Britain was 'not realistic’ in its approach to the Brexit financial settlement and used what word to describe the figure of €20billion?
2. Who tweeted 'I regret I used a poor choice of words’ and added the hashtag ‘#noenemieshere’?
3. A motion demanding a pause to the introduction of Universal Credit was passed in Parliament by how many votes?
4. Inflation rose to its highest level in five-and-a-half years. What per cent is it?
5. How does Conservative MP Tim Loughton kick off his day, saying it is like 'going to the gym for the mind’?
6. Which Hollyoaks actress claimed Harvey Weinstein raped her at her London home in 1988?
7. Actor Robert Lindsay claimed he was blacklisted for which film after a run-in with Harvey Weinstein?
8. Former Pussycat Doll singer Kaya Jones said this week: 'My truth. I wasn't in a girl group. I was in a ____ ____.’ What are the two missing words?
9. The parent company of Madame Tussauds and Alton Towers blamed tough trading caused by terror attacks in the UK and poor weather for its cut in profit expectations. What is the name of the company?
10. Which country’s government threatened to invoke article 155 of its constitution for the first time in its history?
11. What is the name of the English footballer who appeared before a parliamentary select committee and accused the FA of actions 'bordering on blackmail'?
12. Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb in which country?
13. Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz is set to become the world's youngest head of state and the first millennial to lead a European country. How old is he?
14. Why did Hillary Clinton say she was delayed for the filming of the BBC's Graham Norton Show?
15. American novelist George Saunders won the Man Booker prize for which book?
16. Devoted Christian Lidia Dragescu, 23, died with two suicide notes in her hand after falling 100 feet from her 'favourite place.’ Where was it?
17. New guidelines by the NHS are advising that from April 2019 GPs should ask patients who are over 16 for what information?
18. The family of murdered toddler Jamie Bulger said the BBC’s decision to do what was 'utter madness’?
19. Who said he pushed his body to 'extreme hedonistic limits’ and likened his drinking 'to the kid who opens all his presents too early on Christmas morning’?
20. Which UK football club announced it was up for sale ‘to give the club the best possible opportunity of securing the positioning and investment necessary to take it to the next level’?
21. Who was trolled on social media after being pictured wearing jeans and heeled boots on her first day at university?
22. Colonel Richard Kemp, the former commander of the British Forces in Afghanistan, said the sale of what in schools was ‘misguided’?
23. Who cancelled concerts in Asia after 'a bit of a bicycle accident’?
24.  Lady Somerleyton lost a gold, diamond and emerald art deco pendant in which supermarket?
25. According to the Met Office, the red sun seen by many people in the UK was caused by winds pulling up dust which was reflected and refracted in longer wavelengths. Where dd the Met Ofiice say the dust was from?


Answers here

Wednesday 18 October 2017

MailOnline looking for trainee journalists

This year's MailOnline trainees before heading off on their placements
I said goodbye to the latest MailOnline trainees last month ... and now we are looking to recruit more. Next year the website will be running two courses, one in March and one in September. If you are interested in applying for the March course we need applications by November 17. 


The successful trainees will embark on a year-long programme that involves intense training, assessment and on-the-job experience at regional daily newspapers and agencies. We are looking for journalists with broad interests - who are interested in popular journalism - who want to work for the world’s biggest English-language newspaper website, with more than 229million unique browsers.

It is a great opportunity and many of those who have passed through the scheme now hold editing positions. Many are working in the Mail's offices in New York and Sydney. But trainees need to know what they are signing up for. They will need to be prepared to work for a round-the-clock operation. There are nightshifts and regular weekend work. They will be covering national and international news at a fast pace. Most of the work is office-based, preparing stories from agencies and other sources into MailOnline style, writing headlines, bullets and captions, adding extra information and ensuring everything is accurate. If you want a job roving the streets looking for stories, this isn't the one for you. 

The successful applicants will probably have a degree and will have shown a commitment to journalism by writing for their student newspaper/website and gained work experience in newsrooms.

The course starts in March with an intensive in-house training month during which the trainees are introduced to MailOnline style and culture. It is followed by three months placement – on a regional daily paper or at a news agency - after which the trainees will join the MailOnline newsroom. Trainees will be paid a competitive salary while they train and need to commit for at least a year. Nearly all are offered staff jobs at the end.

The job is advertised on Hold The Front Page here

To apply send a covering letter, your CV and the three best examples of your work to sue.ryan@dailymail.co.uk by November 17, 2017.

Friday 13 October 2017

Jamie wins newsquiz - can you do better?

The top scorer in last week’s quiz was Toby Brown with 18, narrowly beating Mark Hughes on 17. This week The Daily Telegraph trainees have had a good week in Howden with sessions by Chris van Schaick on writing for different formats, Christine Garrington on podcasting, David Banks on advanced media law and Jess McAree on law, ethics and IPSO. They finished, as usual with the newsquiz. This week’s winner is Jamie Johnson with 13. Here’s the quiz - 25 questions about the week. Give it a go and see if you can beat Jamie's score.



1. The 41-year-old wife of producer Harvey Weinstein said she was leaving him following allegations of sexual harassment saying his actions were ‘unforgivable’. What is her name?
2. Labour MPs signed a letter to Theresa May calling for what to be taken away from Harvey Weinstein?
3. TV presenter Myleene Klass said she was offered a 'sex contract’ by Harvey Weinstein while interviewing him at what event in 2010?
4. The hashtag #WomenBoycottTwitter was used in support of which actress, one of Harvey Weinstein’s alleged victims, who had her Twitter account suspended? 
5. The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said at the Brexit negotiations: 'We have reached a state of _____ which is very disturbing for thousands of project promoters in Europe and it’s disturbing also for taxpayers.’ What is the missing word?
6. Chancellor Philip Hammond said it was 'theoretically conceivable’ that what could be suspended on the day Britain leaves the EU?
7. Who said that Philip Hammond was 'very close to sabotage' in his approach to Brexit?
8. A security guard, claiming he was sacked for no reason from Tesco, spent a night protesting on the supermarket's roof in which town?
9. The Food Standards Agency said children, pregnant women and elderly people can now safely eat raw or lightly cooked eggs that are produced under what code of practice?
10. Students at Balliol college at Oxford University stopped which organisation from attending the freshers' fair because they wanted it to be a 'safe and secular space’?
11. Tesco confirmed it would extend which deadline by at least a week?
12. Britain's most wanted female terrorist nicknamed the White Widow, and who also used the name Umm Hussain al-Britan, has reportedly been killed in a drone strike. What was her British name?
13. North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said: 'With his bellicose and insane statement at the United Nations, Trump, you can say, has lit the ____ of a war against us.’ What is the missing word?
14. Which country become the smallest nation ever to qualify for the football World Cup?
15. Gordon Strachan was sacked as Scotland manager after a 2-2 draw against which team ended his hopes of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup?
16. Model Lola Ogunyemi said what was taken out of context and was not racist? 
17. A village pub in Oldstead, North Yorkshire, has been named the best restaurant in the world in a TripAdvisor poll. What is it called?
18. The Met Office warned that a hurricane is crossing the Atlantic and threatens to bring gusts of up to 70mph when it hits Britain on Monday. What is the hurricane called?
19. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse heard that Rochdale MP Cyril Smith was knighted despite knowledge 'at the very highest level of politics' about allegations of his sexual abuse. What year was he knighted?
20. Sophie Stevenson, 24, claimed to have flown to Amsterdam to meet someone only to have been told she was the victim of cruel joke known as what? 
21. How did retired couple Jan and John Pascoe survive for six hours as a wildfire destroyed everything in a five-mile radius of their home above the city of Santa Rosa in California?
22. The chief executive of which company resigned, citing an 'unprecedented crisis’ despite projecting record quarterly profits?
23. Piers Morgan and Alan Sugar agreed a bet on live TV on who could lose the most weight by December with the loser donating £5,000 to which charity?
24. An inquest at Eastbourne Town Hall heard that a tourist who jumped into the air for a photograph fell 200ft from which cliffs?
25. Fashion designer Yuan Li sustained six puncture wounds when she was attacked by what in London?

Answers here

Friday 6 October 2017

Izzy wins newsquiz with 13.5

The Daily Telegraph trainees spent the first half of the week at the Press Association offices in Howden, doing story-finding with Chris van Schaick, data with Paul Bradshaw and Ashley Kirk and longform digital with Giles Wilson. They ended the week at the PA offices in London, doing visual journalism with Martin Keene and Alex Rothwell, social media with Steve Jones and a briefing with Mark Wray. They finished as always with the newsquiz. The top scorer this week was Izzy Lyons with 13.5. Well done to her. Last week’s newsquiz was clearly a tough one and nobody online scored higher than the 15.5 that trainees Jamie Johnson and Huw Oliver delivered in classroom conditions. This week’s quiz, hopefully, isn’t quite as difficult. Give it a go and let me know how you get on.
Theresa May was centre stage of the week's news (Questions 1 to 5)
1. Which two letters fell off the display behind Theresa May while she was giving her party conference speech? Half a point for each.
2. What is the real name of the prankster, also known as Lee Nelson, who was arrested after giving Theresa May a P45 he claimed was from Boris Johnson?
3. In her speech Theresa May said ‘for 30 or 40 years we simply haven’t built enough homes. As a result, prices have risen so much that the average home now costs almost _____ times average earnings.’ What is the missing word?
4. Theresa May paid tribute to student Alexander Paul, who has died age 21, and said his talk at conference three years ago had helped the Tories to reduce what by two thirds?
5. Tory rebel Grant Shapps said: ‘A growing number of my colleagues realise the solution isn’t to bury our heads in the sand and hope things will get better. It never got better for ____ and ____ and I don’t think it’s going to work out here either.’ What are the two missing names? Half a point for each.
6. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said which Libyan city could be the new Dubai, adding that 'all they have to do is clear the dead bodies away’?
7. Stephen Paddock killed 58 people from a suite on what floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas?
8. What did US Marine veteran Taylor Winston return to its owner with an apology for the bloodstains?
9. The National Rifle Association in America called for 'additional regulations' on a device which Stephen Paddock used to turn his semi-automatic rifles into rapid-fire weapons. What is the device known as?
10. A report into claims that former Prime Minister Ted Heath sexually abused children was prepared by which county's police force?
11. The police report said had Ted Heath still been alive he would have been interviewed under caution over how many claims of sexual abuse or rape?
12. What is the name of the Catalan leader who has called for independence to be declared next week?
13. What was banned by the Scottish government after a consultation found overwhelming public opposition and little economic justification for it?
14. Which company announced a first half pre-tax profit of £562million and announced it would pay its first dividend for three years?
15. There were last-gasp goals for Scotland and England football teams to give them 1-0 wins in their World Cup qualifiers on Thursday. Name both scorers. Half a point each.
16. KPMG made 1,858 staff from which company redundant on Monday?
17. Heartbreaker and Traveling Wilbury Tom Petty died this week. How old was he?
18. Archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed a tomb that they believe belonged to whom?
19. Army sergeant Emile Cilliers appeared at Winchester Crown Court accused of trying to murder his wife by tampering with what?
20. Terminally ill Noel Conway, 67, lost his High Court challenge against the law on assisted dying. Which disease is he suffering from?
21. The European commission ordered Amazon to repay €250million (£222million) in illegal state aid to which country?
22. Why was Aaron Barley in the headlines?
23. A fire crew was suspended from community work after a firefighter was filmed at a fire station in Southend doing what?
24. What did British writer Kazuo Ishiguro describe as 'flabbergastingly flattering’?
25. Chizzy Akudolu said she was ‘really sad’ to be the first what?


Answers here