In a black void trying to reach the news story

Here's an interesting take on print v digital by, of all people, South Park studios. 

Josh wins Australian newsquiz

This week I have been with the Daily Mail Australia trainees in Sydney. They had sessions with editor Luke Mcilveen, news-editor Barclay Crawford and former trainee Jen Smith, who is now a showbiz reporter. The trainees spent some of their time writing and pitching exclusive stories. Well done to Josh Hanrahan (story here), Steve Trask (story here) and Aneeta Bhole who all brought in stories that were published on the website ... the first of many bylines. As usual we finished with the newsquiz. Well done to Josh who was top scorer with a respectable 13.5 points out of 25. If you have been keeping up with the Australian and world news agenda, you might be able to do better. Give it a go and let me know how you get on.

Ice cream topped with bugs: Aneeta's story can be read here.

1. According to an Institute of Economics and Peace report on global terrorism which was the most brutal terrorist organisation in the world last year, killing 6,664 people? 

2. Who wrote non-Muslims want women to walk around 'exposed as a piece of sweet pastry... devoured by the eyes of men’?

3. What was the name of the French police dog killed in the Paris siege?

4. In which area of Paris were three terrorists killed during a police raid?

5. What are the three Stay Safe things security chiefs in Britain have advised you should do if caught up in a Paris-style attack? 

6. How was Mohammed Emwazi better known to the media (and world)?

7. What is the name of the woman who was convicted of terrorism offences at Sydney's Downing Centre Court on Monday?

8. A farmer and three of his employees died in a bush fire in which town in Western Australia?
9. The three farm workers who died in the farm fire all came from different countries. One was from Britain where were the other two from? (Half point for each)

10. Announcing his retirement from international cricket, fast bowler Mitchell Johnson revealed that an incident forced him to change his aggressive style? What was it?

11. Former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke and his wife Kyly announced the birth of their daughter this week. What is she called?

12. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been attending the APEC summit in which city?
13. What does APEC stand for?
14. Which Californian singer was played loudly to disperse protestors at the APEC summit?
15. Where will Jess Dunbar, Matt Price, Louise Adams and Cyrus Villanueva be appearing?
16. In which city did Prince Charles celebrate his 67th birthday?
17. What is the full name of the award won by social media star and personal trainer Kayla Itsines this week?

18. A class action that could top $100 million has been launched in the Federal Court on behalf of the owners of what?

19. Jonah Lomu was suffering from which kidney disease?
20. In which year did Jonah Lomu have a kidney transplant donated by his close friend Grant Kereama?

21. Why was nurse Amanda Bruce in the headlines?

22. A 14-year-old boy pleaded guilty at Perth Children’s court to a number of sex attacks on women. What did he wear during the first attack?

23. Why was Kate Armstrong in the headlines this week?

24. Which brewery boss died aged 82 after serving 'the beer drinkers of Australia' for 50 years?

25. What rules did Bunnings Warehouses introduce after a five-year-old girl was hurt in one of their stores?

Answers here

  

Chilling front pages cover the Paris massacre

It was a sombre night in the newsrooms across the world. Here's a glance at what the mornings newspapers look like.

The Independent on Sunday adopts a simple under-stated design and asks the key question 'what happens next?'. 

I wonder, though, if it was tempted to lead with Peter Shrank's powerful and poignant cartoon.

The People goes for a compelling image - a single rose in a bullet hole with a card asking Au nom de quoi, in whose name?

The French paper Liberation printed a special edition which also goes for an understated, yet powerful floral tribute image.   

The Sunday Herald in Scotland uses the most graphic of images. It carries a justification underneath the picture that reads 'this is a disturbing image but we feel it must be shown to reflect the reality of terrorism'. Editor Neil Mackay also took to Twitter to reiterate the point. 'We thought long and hard about using this disturbing image. But it must be seen. This is the reality of terrorism.'

The American newspapers, including the New York Daily News, also used the image.

The Mail on Sunday also uses a harrowing picture from the scene - people hanging from the ledges outside the Bataclan to escape the killers. It also shows a picture of the covered body of one of the terrorists. I might have been tempted to dispense with the André Rieu CD blurb.

The same image is used by The Sunday Telegraph.

The Sunday Mirror and The Sunday Times choose to go with pictures of the victims - images that bring home the real human cost of the story. The Mirror's main picture is of Briton Nick Alexander who died in the concert hall.

The Mail on Sunday also has stories of some of the young people who were murdered.

The Sunday Post in Scotland tells the story of two Scottish women who hid in the cellar at the Bataclan while the killers slaughtered dozens of people only a few feet away.

Scotland on Sunday uses an image of shocked survivors in the aftermath of the shooting and headlines on the fact they were an act of war.

Sister papers the Sunday Express and Daily Star Sunday also use grieving pictures and bring the story closer to home with a report the SAS is on the streets, ringfencing UK terrorist targets. 

The Observer has a picture of a soldier guarding the Eiffel Tower and some detailed witness accounts.

Wales on Sunday changes its titlepiece colours to those of the French tricolour.

Here's a selection of Australian papers. In Sydney there were tears, French flags and a rendition of the Marseillaise and the Opera house was lit up in the colours of the tricolour. 

The German paper Bild simply goes with the word Krieg - War.

Zaman, a Turkish daily, uses the headline We condemn terror and set it in Turkish, French, English, Spanish, German, Russian and Arabic.

What happened on Friday was one of those rare stories that also leads off the sports pages. Here is a selection from the Mail on Sunday, the Independent on Sunday and The Sunday Telegraph.

There is a different perspective in some of the Arabic newspapers. This one from Iran has a chilling image of the ISIS flag at the top of the Eiffel Tower and a progression of events climbing the tower, starting with genocide in Syria and Iraq, moving on to the Russian airline crash, last week's bomb attacks in Beruit and finishing with Friday's events.

Thanks as always to #tomorrowspaperstoday and @suttonnick.

This week's newsquiz - 25 points to be won

Last week’s top newsquiz scorer was Chris Lennon with an impressive 14. Other notable individual scores included 13 by Damon Wake and Phil Lambell. On the team front, my mates in The Plough scored a remarkable 15 on Friday night. Well done Nicky and Les Castell. The Batstone Collective, distracted by Lucy’s big birthday, scored 12. Here is this week’s quiz … as usual 25 points to be won. Let me know how you get on.

Headline of the week by the Mirror on the Olympics scandal (Q1)

1. The London Olympics were 'sabotaged' by Russian athletes involved in state-sponsored cheating, according to a report by WADA. What does WADA stand for?
Bonus: The former International Association of Athletics Federations president is being investigated by French police over allegations he took bribes to cover up positive drugs tests when in charge of the IAAF. Name him?
Bonus: Where did Russia come in the London 2012 Olympic medal table?

2. The first storm to be officially named by the Met Office was upgraded from yellow to amber. What is its name?

3. Why was 59-year-old Jackie Baker in the headlines?

4. What is the name of the political party led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi that won the Myanmar elections?

5. Paramedics, police and firefighters attended a Remembrance Day service as 40 pupils were treated for complaints including nausea and dizziness brought on by ‘anxiety’ at a school in which city?

Bonus: An impromptu rendition of which song at an Armistice Day ceremony at Stormont caused a political furore?

Bonus: What item of clothing was designed by 25-year-old Tabinda-Kauser Ishaq?

6. Who married business consultant and polar explorer Jason De Carteret at a church in Soho?

7. Which company apologised to six black schoolboys after asking them to leave a shop in Melbourne for fear they would shoplift?

8. Nathan Matthews and his girlfriend were found guilty of killing teenager Becky Watts? Name the girlfriend.

Bonus: At which court did the trial take place?

9. He was crowned champion jockey 11 times and won four Prix de l'Arc de Triomphes. Who is he?  

10. Why did students Phil Shepphard and Peter Lyons set up the company Lyon Shepphard Webb Solutions?

11. Former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, who died this week, was reported to have stockpiled 38,000 of which item?

12. Who said: 'Let us cast aside a common misconception. Everyone out of work is not an idler. Everyone in receipt of benefits is not a scrounger.’?

13. A man was killed and two seriously wounded in a shooting at which New York City station?

14. David Cameron was accused of hypocrisy after he protested about cuts to public services suggested by which Conservative council?

15. Asda announced it would not be taking part in which event due to 'shopper fatigue’?

16. Michael Cheika, Eddie Jones, Warren Gatland, Joe Schmidt and Jake White were all linked with which job?

17. Benedict Cumberbatch received which honour from the Queen at Buckingham Palace?

18. An inquest heard how musician Nick Cave's teenage son took LSD before he fell off a cliff in which city?

19. Shares in which company fell by 20 per cent after a profit warning, concern over the prospect of £650m of 'headwinds next year and a review likely to involve job losses among its 2,000 senior managers?

20. Stafford Borough Council is equipping wardens with hi-tech £200 goggles in an attempt to catch out who?

Answers here

Try your hand at this week's newsquiz

Last week's quiz proved a toughie for the departing Telegraph trainees but the online quizzers did much better. Former MailOnline trainee and one-time winner of the Champagne Lydia Willgress was top scorer with an impressive 15. Others in double figures included Chris Lennon with 13, Damon Wake 11 and the Batstone Collective which weighed in with ten. Here are this week's questions. As usual there are 25 points up for grabs. Let me know how you get on.

The Mirror reports on the Sharm el-Sheik crisis (Question 1)

1. What was the flight number of the Russian MetroJet flight that crashed in Egypt?
Bonus: How many people were killed on the flight?
Bonus: Passengers hoping to fly home from Sharm el-Sheik were emailed by EasyJet to say what would not be allowed on the flight?

2. What was the name given to the anti-capitalist protest organised by Anonymous in London on Guy Fawkes night?
Bonus: An effigy of David Cameron was burnt at the famous Lewes Bonfire night event. He was depicted sitting on a throne and holding what?

3. How much will Gatwick airport charge for its ‘premium passport control’ service which will fast-track travellers through immigration?

4. How many women are featured in the new British passport?
Bonus: Name one of them

5. Why was baby Layla Richards in the headlines?

6. Amazon opened a bookstore (made of bricks and mortar rather than a virtual one) in which city?

7. The Bank of England froze interest rates again … at what percent?

8. Serena Williams sprinted after a thief who stole her mobile in a San Francisco restaurant while she was on a date with Alexis Ohanion. Which company did Ohanion found?

9. Vauxhall announced the recall of 220,000 cars following a series of fires. What is the name of the car model?

10. The John Lewis Christmas advert is intended to raise awareness of which charity?

Bonus: The song used in the advert is Half The World Away sung by Norwegian artist Aurora. Who wrote it?

11. Who lodged an individual legal claim against a former boss citing victimisation and discrimination?
12. Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush apologised to which country after implying its workers were lazy?

13. What is the name of the prison in County Antrim which, according to a damning report by inspectors, is 'unsafe and unstable' for prisoners and staff?

14. Why was former soldier Rob Lawrie arrested?

15. Which county’s police force is considering raising cash by fining every motorist caught over the speed limit - even if only by one mile per hour?

16. Which football team has been rocked by a sex-tape blackmail scandal?

17. Who was accused in court of refusing to listen to a colleague unless she 'spoke with her breasts’?

18. He was born in Northumberland, played 79 tests for England and scored 11 centuries, was awarded the OBE while still playing and became the first professional cricketer to hold the post of president of the MCC. Who is he?

19. The Environment Secretary Liz Truss said she was quite happy to eat what?

20. What has Twitter changed this week?

Answers here

This week's newsquiz - Harry's 9 to beat

The Daily Telegraph trainees were pretty busy on their penultimate week in Howden - with a law exam, a project to prepare, a visit to the Liverpool Echo and sessions with Andy Drinkwater, Paul Francis and Martin Keene. So they were clearly distracted when it came to the newquiz - or maybe it’s just a tough one this week. Anyway the top scorer was Harry Yorke with 9 points. Well done to him (although the overall performances were by far and away the worst of their seven weeks so far). 

Last week’s top trainee Sam Dean fought off all scores submitted online and remained that weeks top scorer with 15.5. The closest online player was Mike Lowe with an impressive 15. Here are this week’s 20 questions (with five bonus points). Let me know how you get on - someone surely has to get better than Harry’s nine!

Down the pub: The Telegraph's front page shows David Cameron enjoying a pint with President Xi - but which pub? (Q1)

1. David Cameron took Chinese President Xi for fish and chips and a pint at a Buckinghamshire pub where he once left his daughter. Name the pub.
Bonus: Name the daughter?
2. In which constituency will there be a by-election following the death of veteran Labour MP Michael Meacher?
3. Bank of England governor Mark Carney made an important speech on the UK’s place in the EU this week. In which city was he speaking?
Bonus: What nationality is Mr Carney?
4. John Kennedy dos Santos Gurjao died on board an Aer Lingus flight that was scheduled to travel between which two cities? (half a point for each)
Bonus: A post-mortem reportedly found Gurjao had ingested 0.8kg of suspected cocaine with an estimated street value of £40,000 in how many pellets?
5. Former BBC journalist Jacky Sutton was found dead at which airport (airport name and city required)?
6. Why was Craig Joubert in the headlines?
7. Mollie Muetzel and Kathleen Lowndes, both 89, thought they boarded a train at King’s Cross that would take them home to Knebworth near Stevenage. Where did they end up?
8. Which famous politician was a dinner guest in Sunday’s blood-spattered episode of Downton Abbey?
9. The shadow business minister says Britain’s steel makers are unable to operate on a level playing field. Name him.
10. Coral the bookmakers have cut the odds of something happening this year to even money. What is it?
11. According to Public Health England (PHE) the consumption of sugary foods and drinks are costing the NHS how much a year?
Bonus: Who welcomed the PHE report, saying: 'Let’s tackle this like parents not politicians.’?
12. Why has Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger consulted his lawyers?
13. Which town is holding a 'Christmas in October' for a terminally-ill seven-year-old Evan Leversage?
14. Which golf club has asked members for a £100,000 debenture?
15. Former England footballer Gary Neville has paid for showers, toilets and hot meals for homeless squatters living in a building he owns with Ryan Giggs. What is the name of the building?
Bonus: The activists group that Neville is supporting go by the name of the Manchester _____. What is the missing word?
16. What was the name of the town in Sweden where a man stabbed teachers and pupils with a Samurai sword?
17. One of Britain's biggest communications companies suffered a 'significant and sustained cyber attack' in which the bank details and credit card information of customers may have been accessed. Name the company.
18. What do hoverboards, flying cars and self-tying laces have in common?
19. More than 100 refugees arrived at which RAF base in Cyprus?
20. The new film SPECTRE features Monica Bellucci as the oldest actress to be cast as a 'Bond girl’. How old is she? 

Answers here

This week's newsquiz: Sam's 15.5 to beat

I have been in Howden with The Daily Telegraph trainees this week. They are six weeks into their course and had a good few days with the head of PA’s diploma course, Paul Jones, Telegraph lawyer Adam Cannon and my colleague Mike Watson. Drinks were taken in the Tailor's Chalk, a new, tiny and first rate addition to Howden's long list of pubs. We finished the week, as usual, with the newsquiz. Top scorer was Sam Dean with an impressive 15.5 points out of 25. Here are this week’s questions, see if you can do better … and let me know how you get on.  

The Telegraph's front page picture shows the reconstruction of flight MH17 (Page 16) 

1. 258 MPs voted against the Government’s Charter for Fiscal Responsibility but how many voted in favour?

Bonus: How much Corporation Tax did Facebook pay in 2014?
Bonus: The number of jobless people in the UK fell by 79,000 in the three months from May to August. How many people are now officially unemployed?
2. What were Alison Sharland and Varsha Gohill given the go-ahead to do?

3. The official watchdog has rated three-quarters of NHS hospitals as unsafe. What is the body called? 

4. Stephen Fry announced he is to stand down as presenter of TV programme QI. Who is to succeed him?
5. In which hospital is nurse Pauline Cafferkey being treated?

6. What is the name of the virus which cyber attackers have used to steal £20m from British bank accounts?
7. Permission was given to build a new 450-pupil grammar school, the first in the UK in 25 years, in which town?

8. What was Boris Johnson playing when he knocked over ten-year-old Toki Sekiguchi

9. Who took over from Nick Hewer in the Apprentice?

10. Which record did England cricketer Adil Rashid achieve?

Bonus: New Zealand are favourites to win the Rugby World Cup but who are the outsiders with odds as long as 100/1?

11. Two male veteran broadcasters died this week. Name them (half point for each).
12. Where was Lamar Odom, the ex-husband of Khloe Kardashian, found unconscious? 

13. Why did senior Labour MP Helen Goodman apologise?

14. According to the Metropolitan Police, how much has it cost in total to guard Julian Assagne at the Ecuadorian embassy?

15. The early arrival of a Siberian swan has been taken as a sign of a hard winter ahead. What kind of swan was it? 

16. What is the name of the Russian-made missile that Dutch authorities claim hit flight MH17?

17. What did Marlon James win?

18. What was the name of the cafe said to be a fertile recruiting ground for Islamists in the Turkish city of Adiyaman where hundreds, including the Ankara bombers, are said to have joined Isis?

Bonus: The Fatah movement and Hamas declared a day of what across the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem?
Bonus: British mother Shukee Begum, who has left Isis in Syria said the 'gangster mentality' among the women was not her __ __ __ . What are the missing words?
19. In which river has the wreck of one of Henry V's warships been found?

20. What record did 977 people set in Spitalfields, London? 

Answers here

Have I got rude news for you

I have posted many times on the need for subs to have dirty minds and good taste ... so that they keep all things dodgy out of the paper and off the website. 

It's advice that should have been heeded by the Bismarck Tribune's caption writer last week. If you can't read it, this is what it says: Waterfowl hunters, from left Darrel Spencer, Alex Spencer and Auston Crist, all of Duluth, keep an eye out for fucks during a hunt in Grand rapids, Minn., on Sept 30. Oops! At least hunt was spelled correctly. Thanks to Wills Robinson for that. 

There was also a dodgy bill poster doing the rounds on Twitter this week. But my friends at the The Courier in Dundee assure me it's a fake. Apparently some wag with a pair of scissors switched the words 'jobs' and 'blow' on a bill outside a newsagent in the city.

This is the original bill ... and the Courier has posted a piece online to say 'while we welcome, and indeed champion, creativity, we just wanted to let you know – it wisnae us.' Good to know.