Camelford Poisoning Water Plant Photos

I went to the water works to take photographs of the site, though was unable to gain entry. This was a shame but I managed to get some good shots. 

It was a shame the shot below has a wire going through the top half, though on photoshop I could edit this out and crop the picture to also remove the windmill. This is one of the few that I might chose to use. 

I like the below shot, though I have to be careful of not slipping into the realms of too creative. The works stand out, and there is depth to the photo. 

This is the same shot as above, though in landscape format. 

This is a wide angle shot, or establishing shot of the treatment works. I managed to get part of the wing mirror into this photo and would have to either crop or edit this out for it to be used. The wire again is a problem. 

This is a much better shot than the other few because it uses a wide angle to gain depth and sets the scene, but also I have no glare from the sun, no wing mirror from the car, and no wires in the upper half. I am very pleased with this photograph. 

I wanted to gain a more industrial photograph and therefore chose to place the large fence in the foreground. It gives the feeling that the photo should not have been taken; that the place has something to hide. This fits in with the tone of the story. 

I went for a more creative shot here, using the height of the windmill to give depth to the photo. The sun creates a flare on the lens which creates a very slight silhouette. I had to be careful on not getting too much lens flare.  

This is a prime example of what I did not want to get in my work. I chose to shoot with the sun in the left hand side of the photograph. I will keep this in mind not do be doing this again. 

I then headed to Crowdy Reservoir and managed to take some photographs of the water, along with the horses that went grazing there. This gave the photograph a professional feel combined with aesthetic pleasure. I personally like the photo below because it combines all the mentioned above.

This below is another favourite of mine because of the water leading the eye into the photograph. The next few do this and I am considering using these on the website, where a computer screen will bring out the resolution better than being printed off. 

Overall I am happy with the shoot and I know that it meets my target audience because the images are unique, and are more creative than normal conventions of newspapers. If I were to do this again I would go earlier in the morning or later at night when the sun is not so high in the sky.

Three Little Pigs

This was recently published by the Guardian as a way of advertising their newspaper. It is very modern and attracts a young audience. It is noticeable that the Guardian are very interested in peoples views and want people to become involved in the media. This would be a great way of advertising my product if I was making it for real. 

The Guardian use new technologies, such as android phones and tablets such as iPads to show how many different ways the news could reach the intended audience.  The fast pace keeps the viewers attention, and to be able to follow a well known story with a twist is entertaining,

Camelford poisoning

Below is my first draft on the Camelford poisoning story I intend to run as one of my secondary stories. This is another topical local story in which the local people are loosing faith in Cornwall County Council and South West Water for not telling them the full consequences of drinking the contaminated water.  Reporting this story is important for my target audience because this will effect those that live in the local area, and those that know people who live in the local area. Both parties will be interested in finding out the full report. In terms of specifically representing my target audience I intend to interview young Cornish people about their opinion concerning their views on the topic along with a local environment agency worker.

RECENTLY the Camelford water contamination, which happened in 1998, might have claimed another life.

Camelford's drinking water was poisoned on 6 July 1988, when a relief delivery driver mistakenly tipped 20 tonnes of aluminium sulphate into the wrong tank at Lowermoor treatment works and the chemical, which is used to treat Cloudy Water, went straight into the town's mains supply.

Despite being inundated with nearly 1,000 complaints, the then South West Water Authority (SWWA) insisted the water was safe to drink and advised customers to disguise the "foul" taste by mixing it with orange juice to make it more palatable. Shortly after the incident, people in the area began reporting a range of health issues, including stomach cramps, rashes, diarrhoea, mouth ulcers and aching joints. Some residents even said their hair turned green from copper residues.

A woman has passed recently and post-mortem tests revealed very high levels of aluminium in her brain, levels described at the inquest by expert Professor Chris Exley from Keele University as "beyond belief”. “The water authority responsible for the UK's worst mass water poisoning was "gambling with as many as 20,000 lives", Mr Rose, a coroner, commented.

Recording a narrative verdict, the West Somerset coroner said she had been exposed to "an excessive amount" of aluminium in the contaminated water. While there was a "very real possibility" the ingestion of aluminium contributed to her death, he said there was "only a slight possibility" it caused her death. Mr Rose went on to say that even 24 years later people who lived in Camelford at the time of the poisoning should drink a litre of mineral water with high silicon content every day as this could help flush aluminium from their bodies.

Following the verdict, South West Water, the current body which took over in 1989 when the industry was privatised, said rigorous regulation and heavy investment had "transformed" water treatment works. “Continual monitoring and quality alarm systems now provide real time information which can be acted upon within seconds to tackle any problem which might arise and if necessary shut down a works."

As a first draft I think this is starting to take shape because I have followed the basic rules of reporting (who, what, where, when and why) and have started to represent the needs of my target audience in terms of mode of address, language and interviewees. To improve this in my final draft I need to add in the local quotes and take representing photographs.

Rock Oyster Fest

Logged below is my first draft of the Rock Oyster Festival I reported on as a secondary story. This is a local story at the moment following the outrage of local people at the Council since the festival might be cancelled due to noise issues. Covering this story is important for my target audience because my primary target audience are liberal young people who want to read about issues that could effect them. In terms of specifically representing my target audience I intend to interview young Cornish people with their opinion about the 'CCC' and what could be done to improve the situation. This represents the target audience because the age of the interviewees will show them the publication is for them while the fact I have given it a local slant will draw more interest.



A food, music and arts festival in Cornwall, which had been in doubt, will go ahead this summer. Ticket sales for the Rock Oyster Festival were suspended last month after organisers said new licence conditions made it "unworkable".

The conditions were noise limits, imposed by Cornwall Council after a complaint about late-night noise. However, the council said issues had been resolved in a way that would allow the festival in St Minver to go ahead. Last year about 3,000 people attended the festival, which includes an oyster-shucking competition and demonstrations by local chefs. 

Allan Hampshire, the council's head of public health and protection, said: "We have worked hard to support the festival and ensure that it can still go ahead in a way that both protects the neighbours from excessive disturbance and enables a full and exciting event.”

Festival organiser Charlie Anderson said the support from the local community had been overwhelming and he was delighted the weekend event would go ahead from 22 to 24 June. “We will make every effort to work with all our neighbours to ensure that the full benefit of the festival can be enjoyed by both local businesses and residents."

As a first draft I think this is good because I have followed the basic rules of reporting (who, what, where, when and why) and have started to represent the needs of my target audience in terms of mode of address, language and interviewees. To improve this in my final draft I need to make sure the information is up to date and have images that will represent the needs of my target audience. 

Website Flat Plan

Two Page Flat Plan

New Poster Flat Plans

I began drafting my new poster by drawing rough ideas on a piece of paper (shown below). I wanted something to link a local theme and merge it with a unique and interesting idea. I drew the Cornish flag along with Cornwall and thought about using a word cloud to create something unique to my newspaper. 

I kept the idea of Cornwall coming in from the top left. I added words around the outside to create a broader and my masthead up the top left. The tag line will create a sense of symmetry by being down the bottom right. I like this idea because its really simple but will stand out. The only problem is, its landscape rather than portrait which will affect where it can be placed in the real world. 

This was my last idea, to use the Cornish flag and fill the white with text from my articles and responses from feedback about my newspaper. I again used the masthead and tag line to create a sense of symmetry. I prefer this idea overall.