Test yourself with this week's newsquiz

Last week's newsquiz was clearly a toughie with not many double-figure scores submitted. In fact veteran quizzer Ian McCulloch sent a message saying 'my score was so dismal that I will not disclose it!' I suspect there are a few more who felt the same. So well done Janet Boyle who was top scorer with a very impressive 16.
This week's is a bit easier I reckon. Let me know how you get on.

The Daily Mail reports on the Shoreham air crash (Question 1)

1. What type of aeroplane crashed on to the A27 at Shoreham during an air show? Bonus: What was the name of the pilot? Bonus: Three of those killed played for which football team?

2. A heavily-armed man opened fire in a terrorist attack on a high-speed train travelling to Paris from which city? 

Bonus: French President François Hollande awarded his country's highest honour to three Americans and a Briton who tackled the gunman. Which medal did they receive?

Bonus: At what train station was the train stopped and the gunman arrested?

Bonus: Following the attacks, Belgium called for a review of Europe's passport-free travel zone. What is the name of the agreement that allows people to travel without border checks?

3. What was the name of the 24-year-old journalist shot dead on live TV in Virginia?

4. Who said: 'Nick should be stripped of his anonymity and prosecuted for wasting police time and money’?

5. What will be illegal in a car in the UK after October 1?

6. On September 9 the Queen will become the longest serving monarch in British history, passing the record of 63 years, seven months and two days, set by who? 

7. Name Britain’s three Gold medalists in the World Championships in China? (Half a point for two, nothing if you get only one) 

8. Why was 64-year-old Bob Semple in the headlines?

9. Who said: 'I have my conscience and I know I'm an honest man. I am clean. I am not a worried man'?

10. How did Sheffield-born Justin Wilson die?

11. Which new word, which means sitting with legs wide apart on public transport, was added to the online Oxford dictionary?

12. Where will you find Natasha Hamilton, Daniel Baldwin, Gail Porter and Sherie Hewson?

13. It is the tenth anniversary of the hurricane which devastated New Orleans. What was the hurricane called?

14. What is the name of China’s currency that plummeted to a four-year low against the dollar?

15. Darren Walsh won the prize for the funniest gag at this year's Edinburgh Fringe. The joke starts: 'I just deleted all the German names off my phone.' What is the punch line?

16. Academics in Oxford said that there are now more than 8 million what in the UK?

17. Who went surfing on matching blue bodyboards at a beach in Polzeath in Cornwall?

18. Donald Trump asked a woman at a rally in South Carolina to come on stage and do what?

19. Which company claimed that one billion people, one in seven on earth, used its service on Monday of this week?

20. Who advertised for a £60,000-a-year executive personal assistant to grow his global brand, produce iPhone apps, stock his fridge and make sure his house is kept clean?

Answers here

Death on the front page: Right or wrong?

The Guardian goes with a file picture

The Times uses the moment of death

Our newspapers are divided this morning over whether putting a photograph of the last minute of a 24-year-old girl's life on their front pages is justifiable. It is pretty much a split decision. The Guardian, the Daily Express, the i, The Independent, Metro and the FT choose not to use the picture. The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Daily Mirror and the Daily Star all decide to use it. 

The Scottish Daily Mail uses a file picture, whereas its sister paper uses the moment of death. 
Inevitably Twitter has been awash with outrage this morning. Worryingly, most of the vitriol is levelled at the journalists rather than the man who pulled the trigger.
So, is the use of the photograph justifiable? On the one hand the picture is undoubtedly shocking, it tells the story, the event was live on TV and it has been all over the internet. It is definitely in the public domain. On the other hand, the picture is primarily there for its sensationalism.  Gun deaths in America often barely make it on to the world news pages. And although it happened publicly, it is still a private moment for a young woman and her family. It is an intrusion into grief and it has no real public interest justification.
That these kind of pictures exist reflects the fact that cameras are everywhere. We live in a world where just about every event, including births, explicit sexual activity and death, is recorded. Editors have to make daily decisions on whether to publish or not. 
When I was an editor - long before digital cameras were recording every detail of life - we would still get pictures of death. There were bodies pulled from rivers, car crashes, suicide victims etc. The instinct to publish would often take over and I would have to stop myself and ask why. What would the justification be? 
I am no stranger to death on the front page. I used the harrowing picture of the fans being crushed to death at Hillsborough in 1989 on the front of The Northern Echo. I used the controversial 'road to Basra' picture of the charred corpse of an Iraqi soldier still holding the wheel of his truck. To me, both were justifiable. The Hillsborough picture told the story and identified perfectly what the problem was. 

The Road to Basra

The Basra picture showed the reader what was really going on. There were lots of gung-ho pictures of Tornado jets and brightly lit skies, but this was the gruesome reality of war. We had a duty to show that to our readers. 
When Gaddafi was killed in 2011 there were pictures of his death all over the front pages. I argued they were justified. Simon Ricketts from The Guardian, and a former trainee of mine, disagreed. We had an interesting debate which you can read here. 
So, would I have used the picture of Alison Parker's last seconds of life on my front page? I am not sure. I would have agonised over it, I would have consulted senior staff and done some inner soul-searching. I would, inevitably, have related it to my own family. And in the end I probably wouldn't have used it. But it would have been a very tough call.

Footnote: I had wondered whether the American tabloid might be more sensitive with the shooting being closer to home. They weren't:

 Thanks as always to the excellent #tomorrowspaperstoday and @suttonnick

Layout: Don't clutter the Page 1 picture

There were some incredible images of the Hawker Hunter which crashed into the A27 at Shoreham at the weekend. There is an ethical consideration in using them of course. The pictures show moments of death and are harrowing to most people, let alone those whose loved ones were involved. But having made the decision to use them, the pictures needed to be displayed well. The simple rule is 'if you have a stunning image, let the reader see it.' Page layout is about hierarchy ... what you want the reader to see first, second, third etc. One of the best examples of effective hierarchy was the wraparound of Princess Diana's coffin in The Sun in 1997. 

The paper normally wipes out its front with big Tempo Bold Condensed caps but on the biggest story of the decade it changed to a smaller, lighter headline font which it relegated to the bottom of the page? Why? Because the photograph is stunning and the headline - good though it is - comes second. It shouldn't interfere or compete.

Eighteen years on and some newspapers don't appear to grasp that basic layout principle ... or perhaps they simply don't agree. The Sunday Express, for example, had a powerful picture from Shoreham. But it chose to push it down page, under two dominant blurbs, and then overlaid a huge (and not particularly inspired) headline that obliterated half of the photograph. The result: clutter.

The Sunday Mirror, on the other hand, dispensed with its blurbs and wrote a first person headline which didn't interfere with the main area of the photograph at all. It might have been tempted to sky the picture - and put the headline at the foot of the page. Nevertheless, it is a very powerful front.

It isn't the first time the Express has cluttered up a stunning image. Here is its front page from 9/11 ... with a crop that is too tight and an index running over the exploding twin towers. 

Compare it to The Sun, which again reduced the headline size and gave the picture space to breathe. Two similar pages, the same image and the same space ... yet the simple layout rules put them worlds apart. 

Poll: Do newspapers understand pie charts?

Weekly poll: Does the Westmorland Gazette understand how pie charts work? Yes or No? 
Hat tip Lydia Willgress.

Clever splash by the Indie

Lovely (and clearly deliberate) juxtaposition of splash headline and picture on the front of today's Independent.
Hat tip to Chris Lennon.

Valerie wins final US newsquiz

I said farewell to the DailyMail.com trainees in New York yesterday. They had a good final week with sessions by head of video Lisa Snell and former trainee Kelly Mclaughlin. They wrote stories around video, covered a breaking story, did some forward planning stories and submitted full packages to the website. They also had drinks with some of the senior journalists at Swifts Bar. Next week they will be going through the second stage of training in London. I look forward to seeing them on the other side. As always we finished with the week with the newsquiz. Congratulations to Valerie Edwards who was this week’s winner with 14.5 points out of 25. See if you can do any better.

Trainees Valerie Edwards, Jessica Chia, Clémence Michallon, Kalhan Rosenblatt and Alex Genova in the DailyMail.com newsroom in New York

1. Who was allegedly looking for 'conventional sex, experimenting with sex toys, one-night stands, sharing fantasies, sex talk’ on the Ashley Madison website?

2. What was the name of the group of hackers who released data from the Ashley Madison site?

3. According to the Ashley Madison data, which state is 'by far the most adulterous place in the US?’

4. New York mayor Bill De Blasio is trying to clampdown on topless women who pose with tourists in Times Square. How much do the women charge per photo?

5. What is the name of Cheryl Fernandes-Versini's new perfume?
6. Who said 'I’m totally pregnant' during a performance in Los Angeles?
7. The Bangkok bombing took place at which shrine?
8. Andy Murray went undercover this week in Ohio and pretended to be what?
9. Which tournament was Murray playing in?
10. Why was Heather Leavell-Keaton in the headlines? 

11. Who pleaded guilty to charges of travelling to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and the distribution and receipt of child pornography?

12. Who was hoping to attract a record crowd at the Ladd–Peebles football Stadium in Alabama?

13. The staff at Platte River Networks, the IT firm which managed Hillary Clinton’s server, posted pictures of themselves on Facebook posing as characters from which film?

14. Whose LA home was searched by police as part of an investigation into child pornography?

15. What is the name of the new art exhibition ‘theme’ park built by Banksy in South West England?

16. Mansur Ball-Bey was shot dead by a police officer this week in which town?

17. The site of the Burning Man festival has been overrun by bugs. In which desert is the festival being held?

18. Who posted a video of herself wearing a t-shirt with 9.99 written on it?

19. Who was found in the house of Steven Sheerer, a convicted heroin dealer?

20. Regular sackings to keep workers on their toes at Amazon were described by one HR manager as ‘purposeful ………….’. What is the missing word?

21. If you are being bullied at Amazon, who should you email?

22. Rapper Lamar Davenport was charged with the murder of Morgan Freeman’s granddaughter E’Dena Hines. What is Davenport's performing name?

23. Treasure hunters say they have discovered a legendary Nazi 'ghost' train packed with loot in a mountain tunnel in which country?

24. Why was ten-year-old Kaley Szarmack in the headlines?

25. Name either of the women who were the first to graduate from the US Army's prestigious Ranger School?

Answers here

Test yourself with this week's newsquiz

Last week's top score in the newsquiz was Alex Richman with an impressive 17, closely followed by Janet Boyle on 16. Here's this week's quiz. As usual 25 points to be won. Let me know how you get on. Good luck.

Cilla's last ta-ra (see Q1)

1. Cliff Richard opened the dedication at Cilla Black’s funeral. What gospel song did he sing?
Bonus: Where did the service take place?

2. What was the name of the group of hackers who released data from the Ashley Madison website?

Bonus: Which MP’s email address appeared among details leaked by hackers?

Bonus: The Mumsnet website has also been hacked and all users asked to reset their passwords. Who has claimed responsibility for the hacking? 

3. The Bangkok bombing took place at which shrine?
4. Andy Murray went undercover doing what this week in Ohio?

5. Which police force’s chief constable has been asked to resign after being found guilty of misconduct?

6. What is the name of the new art exhibition ‘theme’ park built by Banksy in Weston-super-Mare?

7. When will the result of the Labour party leadership election be announced?

8. Regular sackings to keep workers on their toes at Amazon were described by one HR manager as ‘purposeful ………….’ What is the missing word?
Bonus: If you are being bullied at Amazon, who should you email?

9. What is the name of Cheryl Fernandes-Versini's new perfume?
10. Whose LA home has been searched by police as part of an investigation into child porn?
11. Treasure hunters say they have discovered a legendary Nazi 'ghost' train packed with loot in a mountain tunnel in which country?

12.The British embassy in Tehran is to reopen. How long has it been closed?

13. Why was Sarah Chesters in the headlines this week?
14. Who was appointed President of the International Association of Athletics Federations?

15. Prime Minister David Cameron was spotted eating what on an Easyjet flight to Portugal?
16. Mary Berry accidentally revealed the name of the person going home from the Great British Bake Off during an interview with Chris Evans. Which baker went home?
17.  What did Harry Clarke refuse to do?
18. Which former England footballer has put his house – with an indoor football pitch – on the market for £3.6 million?
19. Michelle Mone has resigned from the lingerie company she founded 19 years ago. What is it called? Bonus: How old is she?

20. A best-selling bedtime book for children promises to get them nodding off in no time. What is it called?

Answers here

Jessica wins the US newsquiz

I have enjoyed another good week with the DailyMail.com trainees in New York. They have been writing stories for the website and had sessions with managing editor Andy Abrahams, photo director Jolie Novak and journalist Annabel Grossman. They also went for drinks with some of the senior staff. It was a particularly good week for trainee Clémence Michallon who gained her first byline for DailyMail.com. The first of many no doubt. She brought in and wrote a story on the dangers of politicians eating on the campaign trail. You can read it here.  

As always we finished the week with the newsquiz. The trainees found it tougher this week so the scores were a little lower than last time. Well done to Jessica Chia who was top scorer with 12 out of 24. Let me know if you can do any better.

1. What is the name of the tech company that maintained Hillary Clinton's secret server? 
2. Fox News chief executive reportedly phoned Donald Trump with an ultimatum: 'Resolve this now or we can go to ____.' What is the missing word? 
Bonus: Name the CEO of  Fox News. 
3. Jeb Bush declined to rule out resuming what if he was elected as president?

4. Dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured after two huge blasts rocked a warehouse of explosives in which Chinese city?
5. Former US President Jimmy Carter has had cancer surgery on which part of his body? Bonus: How old is Jimmy Carter?
6. What are astronauts growing and eating on the International Space Station?

7. Why was 32-year-old Ian Jones in the headlines?

8. Who used Instagram to hit back at critics, saying: ‘You have no right to criticise me as a parent?’

9. A Jack Russell dog called Uggie died this week. Why was he famous?
10. According to the NOAA's Climate Prediction Center what is the chance (in percentage) that a strong El Niño will hit California this winter?
11. Where is Sesame Street going?
12. Whose $1.3 million home and Hummer is to be sold to meet the compensation claim brought by the family of the man he murdered?

13. Why was 29-year-old Jennifer Caswell in the headlines?

14. Google has a new parent company. What is it called?
15. Pictures have emerged of dentist Walter Palmer with a bear he shot in 2006 in which state? 

16. A man was killed when he was struck by a roller coaster at Ohio’s Cedar Point amusement park. What was the name of the ride?

17. Where is the PGA Championship being played?

18. Who is expected to be released next week after serving 304 days in jail? 

19. Bank of America Merrill Lynch reported that the US dominates the globe's market capitalisation with $19.7 trillion in shares. Which country is second with $3trillion?

20. Who gave birth to Poppy Louise and said the name was a tribute to her grandfather?

21. Secretary of State John Kerry attended a symbolic ceremony where the American flag was raised at the US embassy in Havana for the first time in how many years?

22. Who said: 'I'm probably never going to be the face of a traditional beauty company unless they want a weed-smoking, liberal-ass freak’?

Answers here

Test yourself with this week's newsquiz

Here’s this week’s quiz … posted a little later than usual as I am in a different time zone. Last week’s top scorers were Alex Murphy and Enid Shelmerdine who both scored 16. The Batstone Collective scored 13 -  pretty impressive given that they are on holiday in a far flung place. This week’s quiz is slightly different. There are 23 questions, with two bonuses. So, there are still 25 points to be won. Let me know how you get on.

Labour at war (see Q1)

1. Who said of Jeremy Corbyn’s policies: 'They aren't radical and they aren't credible. And they won't change the world. They will keep us out of power and stop us changing the world'?

2. Dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured after two huge blasts rocked a warehouse of explosives in which Chinese city?

3. What do soap actress Kellie Bright, celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott and broadcaster Jeremy Vine have in common?
4. An inquest in West Sussex heard that a celebrity tried to talk a suicidal man out of jumping from a bridge above the M23? Who was the celebrity?

5. Who had a very public disagreement with her boss and then said on Facebook: ‘I would like to thank the general public for their overwhelming support. Really very much appreciated’?

6. The British ambassador in Quito made a formal protest to the Ecuadorean government over what?

7. Former US President Jimmy Carter has had surgery on which part of his body? Bonus: How old is Carter? 

8. Who posted a recruitment advert this week that said: 'Our aim is to exceed expectations at every level ­so we're now looking to recruit the best production talent out there'?

9. Why was 32-year-old Ian Jones in the headlines?

10. What are astronauts growing and eating on the International Space Station?

11. Google has a new parent company. What is it called?

12. Who used Instagram to hit back at critics, saying: ‘You have no right to criticise me as a parent?’

13. Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre is a 'place of national concern', according to the chief prisons inspector. Which county is it in?
14. Actor Stephen Lewis died this week at the age of 88. He was most famous for his role as which TV character?

15. BBC radio presenter Alex Dyke has been suspended over comments he made on air about breastfeeding. Which words are missing from his quote: 'I blame the earth mothers, you know the ones I mean, the ones with the .........., the ones who work in libraries, the ones who wear ..........'? Half point for each word.
16. Which country has demanded that London’s Natural History Museum return the skulls of freedom fighters killed by British colonisers?
17. Which struggling bank was excused a £120 million fine by regulators this week?
18. ITV has axed a comedy duo's daytime chatshow after its first series. Name the pair. Half point for each
19. Two British police officers been sent to which Spanish resort?
Bonus: Which county’s police force are they from

20. A Jack Russell dog called Uggie died this week. Why was he famous?

21. Who is expected to be released next week after serving 304 days in jail?

22. An American flag was raised at a US embassy for the first time in 54 years. In which city?

23. Who said: 'I'm probably never going to be the face of a traditional beauty company unless they want a weed-smoking, liberal-ass freak’?

Answers here

Well done Kalhan, winner of US newsquiz

I am in New York this week, working with DailyMail.com trainees. They have had a good week and enjoyed sessions with editor Katherine Thomson, managing editor Andy Abrahams, assistant editor Hugh Dougherty, deputy social media editor Chris Lawrence and reporters Sophie Jane Evans and Wills Robinson. We finished the week, as we do on all courses, with a newsquiz … to make sure the trainees immerse themselves in the news agenda. Well done to Kalhan Rosenblatt who won this week with a respectable 16 points out of 25. Give it a go - and let me know how you get on.

Editor Katherine Thomson (front centre) with the trainees

1.  It was the first GOP televised debate this week. What does GOP stand for? Bonus: Where did the debate take place? Bonus: During the debate who said 'They call me Veto Corleone... because I vetoed 2,500 separate line items in the budget'? Bonus: Debbie Wasserman Schultz said it doesn't really much matter who the Republicans nominate because they're all the same. They’re as interchangeable as … what?

2. Why was Kaiser Carlile in the headlines?

3. Which celebrity broke up with her long-standing partner, saying: 'Dating moi is like flying close to the sun. It was inevitable that (he) would drop down to the ground while I stayed in the heavens'?

4. What has been sent for analysis to a military base in Toulouse, France?

5. A ceremony was held at Hiroshima's memorial park to remember the 140,000 people who died when a uranium bomb was dropped on the city 70 years ago. What was the name of the US plane that dropped the bomb?
6. Who broke off his engagement via a text message?
7. Who did a Turkish bride and groom invite to eat with them at their wedding feast?
8. New York buildings with water cooling towers must disinfect the units due to an outbreak of what?

9. Why was New York taxi driver Baqir Raza fined $25,000?

10. Who, it was revealed, refused a demand for $30 million from the mother of his eldest daughter because he felt she was blackmailing him?

11. Australia has confirmed it sent 46 asylum seekers back to which country after intercepting their boat last month?

12. Who played the musical send-off to Jon Stewart on The Daily Show this week? Bonus: Who is replacing Stewart?

13.  Who is reported to have been Jennifer Aniston’s maid of honour at her wedding to Justin Theroux? Bonus: Where did the couple marry?

14.  Kim Jong-un has ordered what to mark North Korea's liberation from 'wicked Japanese imperialists'?
15.  Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick attended the opening of which musical on Broadway on Thursday?

16. Experts have warned of 90,000 immediate deaths and a 'nuclear winter' if what was to happen in North West America?

17. Anthony Costner and his 22-year-old wife, Catherine, were found shot dead in their car. Where?

18. A 29-year-old man was  shot by police armed in a Tennessee movie theatre which was screening which film?

19. Why is teenage tobacco heir Patterson Inman being sued by his personal bodyguard?

20. Doctors told a teenage couple in Claremont, California, that doing what helped them survive being hit by a lightning bolt?

Answers here

Have a go at this week's newsquiz

Last week's newsquiz generated some high scores. Was it easier ... or are you all getting better? Chris Lennon weighed in with a PB of 19 - claiming that, as he was on holiday, he had more time to read the papers. He just pipped Janet Boyle, Michael Brown and Damon Wake who all scored 18. Emily Jamieson scored 17 beating her sister Sophie by two points. Blaise Tapp also scored 17 and Dan Williams and Alex Murphy notched up 16. The top team score was by my pub mates in the Plough with 19. A special mention goes to Kevin Fleet who carried the others. The Batstone Collective (Lucy and Adam) scored 17 from Nandos in Gatwick as they headed off on holiday. I suspect I won't hear from them this week. Here's this week's effort. As usual there are 25 points up for grabs. Let me know how you get on. 

The Australian newspapers react to their cricket team's collapse (Question 8)

1. What is the name of the brothel keeper at the centre of the Ted Heath child abuse investigation?
Bonus: She ran her brothel a mile away from Heath’s home in which town?

2. Cilla Black died at her luxury villa in which Spanish resort?
Bonus: How old was she?
3. Former trader Tom Hayes, found guilty on eight counts of conspiracy to defraud, was jailed for how many years?

Bonus: The charges related to the manipulation of Libor. What does Libor stand for?

4. Why was Abdou Diouf in the headlines?

5. Bomb disposal experts were called in following the discovery of a suspect package at a major gay pride event in which city?

6. Benedict Cumberbatch starred at London's Barbican theatre in the fastest-selling play in British history, with tickets being traded on eBay for up to £1,500. Name the play.

7. The Duchess of Cambridge gained her PADI qualification from a diving school in which island?

Bonus: What does PADI stand for? 

8. For the first time in Ashes’ history ‘Extras’ was the top scorer when Australia collapsed at Trent Bridge on Thursday. How many did ‘Extras’ score?

Bonus: How many of Stuart Broad’s eight first innings wickets were catches?

9. The UK government raised £2.1billion by selling 5.4 per cent of its stake in which company?

10. Which celebrity broke up with her long-standing partner, saying: 'Dating moi is like flying close to the sun. It was inevitable that (he) would drop down to the ground while I stayed in the heavens?’

11. Australia has confirmed it sent 46 asylum seekers back to which country after intercepting their boat off the coast last month?

12. Research published in the British Medical Journal said a chemical called capsaicin has anti-obesity, antioxidant, anti-inflammation and cancer fighting properties. In which vegetable is capsaicin found?

13. A pilot was killed when a stunt plane cashed at CarFest North 2015, organised by Chris Evans, in which county?

14. What has been sent for analysis to a military base in Toulouse, France? 

15. A ceremony was held at Hiroshima's memorial park to remember the 140,000 people who died when a uranium bomb was dropped on the city 70 years ago. What was the name of the US plane that dropped the bomb?

16. What controversial decision did 75-year-old retired nurse Gill Pharaoh make? 

17. Who reportedly broke off his engagement via a text message?

18. What is Cristiano Ronaldo reported to have given his agent, Jorge Mendes, as a wedding present? 

19. Who did a Turkish bride and groom invite to eat with them at their wedding feast?

20. He was adopted at ten days old, performed music hall routines as a child, worked as an understudy in a Blackpool musical, sharing his dressing room with two goats and six pigeons and appeared as Flash Harry in the St Trinian’s films. Who is he?

Answers here