As the editor for SR News, a regional news platform based at the University of Sunderland, I am responsible for running the website. I communicate effectively with the news team through weekly meetings which we use to forward plan content and ensure that the quality of news we provide remains high and continues to compete with larger established news platforms.
I am also responsible for sub-editing stories prior to publication and for regulating our social media.
Since becoming the editor I have taken it upon myself to increase the flow of traffic towards our website through strengthening the brand that has now become better known throughout the region. As a result of my efforts, in my second month as editor, our stats for website clicks had nearly doubled to 30,000 in between November and December 2015.
Here is my author profile for SR News, which lists some of my contributions to the site: http://www.sr-news.com/index.php/author/alisha-jackson/
Since becoming a news reporter at SR News in September 2014 at the start of my degree in Journalism, I have tightened my online skills with sharper writing, more engaging angles and stronger interviews.
My interview portfolio consists of Green Party Leader MP Natalie Bennett, reality tv star Alison Hammond, notable British actor Terence Maynard, Dancing On Ice star Andrei Lipanov and Northumbria Police & Crime Commissioner Vera Baird, to name a few.
One of my most prominent news stories to date is an exclusive story that I broke in December 2015. It is a story that touched readers, making it go viral on Facebook; it was shared more than two-thousand times within its first day of publication. It played a significant part in increasing our readership.
Find the story here: http://www.sr-news.com/2015/11/20/sunderland-mum-leaves-warming-offer-homeless/
This is one of three video reports that I produced on the day of the October 2015 Tyneside/Wearside derby. It illustrates the post-match celebrations of Sunderland's 3-1 win.
This football match was particularly notable because it was the first derby game to take place under the management of Sam Allardyce, a former Newcastle United manager.
In addition to the video report, I produced a radio package to be broadcast on-air at Spark FM. It was used as part of Monday morning's in-house hourly news bulletins.
In May 2015, I reported on the General Election. Here is one interview that myself and another reporter carried out at the Sunderland Count, which was attended by Fiona Bruce reporting for BBC and Eammon Holmes reporting for Sky News.
In December 2015, myself as SR News editor, partnered with Spark FM's Broadcast News Editor Ethan Lowerson Marshall to create a two-hour long news review of the year which was broadcast on Spark on News Year's Eve 2015. We reviewed the year in news with a chronology of reports from SR News and interviews with the corresponding reporters.
I currently news-read for Spark FM's hourly bulletins, covering five bulletins a week.
Here are two demos:
I am Deputy Head of Broadcast News at Spark FM, which involves ensuring that all news stories get shared across both platforms: online (SR News) and on air (Spark FM). It also involves training new news readers and maintaining a high standard of latest news bulletins.
For pre-recorded interviews, I edit the best clips of audio to be used in the news bulletins using Adobe Audition.
Outside of my passion for news reporting, I also enjoy writing for other genres such as travel, fashion, entertainment, culture, lifestyle and public affairs.
I have contributed to Fashion North, Northern Lights and Spark Magazine.
Here are my author profiles:
Fashion North - http://www.fashion-north.com/author/alisha-jackson/
Northern Lights - http://www.northernlightsuk.co.uk/author/alisha-jackson/
I created my most recent blog, Desert Rose, as a personal writing outlet. The idea of it is inspired by the type of blog that I myself want to read most in my leisurely time. I find that many mainstream bloggers publish content about themselves that does not engage, entertain or inspire potential readers. Desert Rose is less about myself; it aims to motivate the reader.
https://desertroseme.wordpress.com/
In November 2015, I was invited to take part in a news-writing work experience weekend at Metro Radio, arranged by The Bauer Academy. I, along with other trainee newsreaders, was trained by Metro's bulletin newsreaders Ruth Aiken and Alex Booth.
Here is the bulletin that we produced. My report begins at 4:50 minutes into the audio.
Skills:
Editing and copy-writing
Strong communication and interpersonal
News reporting and news writing
Effective formatting
Production skills in print, online and broadcast
Radio, video and photograph editing
Foreign languages:
Spanish - working proficiency
Turkish - intermediate level
Shorthand
Research
Photography
Social media
To contact me, please send an email to alisharosejackson1@gmail.com
Find me on Twitter: @alisharosy
Or LinkedIn: uk.linkedin.com/in/alisharosejackson
