To be fair or not to be fair, that is the question

As a journalist, I know that it is my job to see both sides of a story and report both sides without showing prejudice towards one more than the other. I can in most cases complete this task and fulfill my duty.

There is however one subject that I will never be able to report both sides for and that is animal abuse cases. I will never be able to represent the side of the abuser because in my opinion each life is sacred and for any human being to hurt an innocent animal is just plain wrong.

Beautiful Innocence

Yes, you can say that animals are vicious, but they were not born that way. Human actions and the way the animal gets brought up is the only reason they would ever resort to violence. Being brought up in an environment where you are abused from birth, or being trained and forced to partake in dog fighting is a sure fire way to damage an innocent creature. Dogs, cats, no matter what the animal is they are forced to live in fear and then blamed for being angry, you only have one person to blame. The owners.

What reason would you have to stab an innocent puppy, to throw them into a bin and just leave them there, to stomp on the animal within an inch of its life...all because it peed on the floor? When you take an animal into your life, you expect these things, you need patience and love to take care of an innocent creature.

It makes me feel physically sick to think about the people who do this stuff to animals, they deserve the same done back to themselves. In my mind, a life is a life, and for people that harm and even kill animals just because they make one mistake, they should bring the maximum penalty down on these people. Websites like: http://www.animaladvocates.com is a prime example of hundreds of animal abuse cases. Granted this is an american site but it is also a country that needs the most help. Here is the link to one of the most recent cases found in America of horrendous animal abuse: http://www.examiner.com/animal-advocacy-in-national/horribly-abused-and-injured-puppy-needs-help?CID=examiner_alerts_article. Please tell me no one agrees that the person who did this is humane in any way, shape or form. The people who do this are sick and are showing some of the worst abuse possible.

That is why I will do everything possible to support those who are fighting these horrific incidents of animal abuse all over the world.

Have respect for the people who work day in day out to find animals that are being abused and that go beyond the call of duty to protect their innocent lives. The RSPCA is a prime example, protect those who cannot ask for help.

Animals cannot speak out for themselves when being abused, it is down to us to put a stop to it!

Victoria V.L. Walker

New ideas

I was asked by Louise Elliot of Staffordshire Life magazine to write a piece for them based on weddings. I was thrilled, not only do I love weddings, but I have also wanted to write something for Staffordshire life so when this opportunity appeared, I was quick to accept.

True love in all it's beauty

The request was only emailed to me three days ago and I had a week deadline on the piece which was fantastic. I know that on journalism articles I work better with a small deadline purely because it means I have to write constantly or I will not finish in time. I had to write a 1,000 word piece based around a local couple's wedding. I had the phone number of the couple, so I had set up an interview the day I was offered this fantastic opportunity. The bride was more than happy to assist me with my article and I got to listen to a lovely story about how the couple met, how they got engaged, how the planning went for the wedding and the honeymoon. It was a fabulous job that combined two things I love. Weddings and Writing.

I had to follow a specific style which was always good because I like having a free flow to write articles and having to write to a specific structure helped me understand more about readership and writer styles. It was all in the Bride's words and it was my job to structure the piece in a logical order and to pick from all the information the best bits to tell a wonderful story of reunions and love.

Ain't love grand?

With permission from the photographer and the bride to use photos from the wedding, I am now all set to submit my article to Louise, three days before the deadline. In three days I was able to carry out two interviews, create, structure and organise a 1,000 word article and ensure that the text flowed and was coherent throughout without losing the bride's tone throughout the piece.

This was a wonderful experience for me and has opened my eyes to how much I enjoy writing for bridal publications and may have opened my eyes to a future career path. I am a big fan of magazine designing also and know that if I had to choose any job right now, it would be writing for and styling for a bridal magazine.

I shall post my article when it is available. I am feeling like a competent journalist ready to make her mark on the world one wedding at a time!

Victoria V.L. Walker