Does this man have the best job in the world? (Part 1)
Part 1
Har Martin Spinks världens bästa jobb eller är det svårare som alla tror? Han är nämligen journalist på Stoke-on-Trents lokala tidning ”The Sentinel”. Martins jobb är att följa och skriva om Stoke City, vecka in och vecka ut. Ett drömjobb anser många men hur är det egentligen? Redaktionen har varit i kontakt med honom för att kunna ta reda på det.
1. Could you tell us a little about your background and how long you have been working for the Stoke-on-Trent newspaper?
I started as a reporter in Swansea in 1986 and moved to Stoke-on-Trent in 1989. I worked for 5 years as a freelance covering news and sport (Stoke and Port Vale home games) before joining The Sentinel in 1994.
2. Could you tell us a little about the newspaper “The Sentinel”?
The Sentinel has been the region's premier newspaper for well over a century now and sells something like 70,000 copies each day (Monday to Saturday). There was also a Sunday Sentinel from 2000 to 2007.
3. What exactly is your job? Is it “just” following the events around Stoke City?
About 95 per cent of the job is covering Stoke City, particularly now they are in the Premier League, but I am joined this season by my colleague Michael Baggaley because of the greater workload in the top flight.
4. Is the website “whydelilah” connected to the paper?
Yes. It was launched at the start of the season and is run by an avid Stoke City fan/journalist called Dave Knapper, who looks like Russell Brand's older brother!
5. You are not from the area of Stoke-on-Trent, which team(s) did you follow as a kid?
Originally from Birmingham, but always a Manchester City fan for some masochistic reason.
6. How helpful is the club in your work?
Pretty good. The PR department is much bigger and better organised now the club is in the Premier League and I have to say the staff there are always doing their best to help. The food they lay on has also improved!
7. Are there certain days when journalists can interview players/staff?
We are very lucky in Stoke as we can access the players every day. Sadly, it is a lot more regimented and distant at bigger clubs and I dread that ever happening at Stoke City.
8. Are the players open with you or are they wary towards journalists?
They are more trusting towards journalists they know on a day-to-day basis, but they still know what not to say when it comes to speaking publicly.
9. Are players/staff paid to do an interview?
Not by me they don't... they get paid enough as it is. The manager gets a bottle of wine at Christmas if I'm feeling generous.
10. Is Tony Pulis easy to work with?
He is terrific for us, he really is. He values the local newspaper because he knows most fans probably read it and he knows the importance of communicating with them.
11. Do the club have any say on what you can print?
Never. They respect the fact that the local newspaper is independent and not an extension of their press office. However, if they tell you something for information only, not for publication, that's different. You always respect what is and what is not for public consumption.
12. Do you get a better “deal” as a local journalist or do the national newspapers get all the main stories?
We do pretty well, by and large, simply because we are more in contact with the club, manager, players etc. They probably respect the fact that we'll always be there, while the nationals will be off like a shot if Stoke are relegated.
13. How do the nationally well-known media journalists treat you local journalists? Is there much snobbery?
There's probably one or two that look down their nose, but I haven't come across anyone daring to show that kind of attitude to my face. In the main, they are a good bunch that respects the fact we are all in the same (precarious!) business.
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