November would usually be one of Cardiff’s busiest times of the year, with the Autumn International’s attracting thousand of visitors from across the U.K and beyond.
With all live sporting events being cancelled or played behind closed doors, some businesses are fearing the financial impact this could have.
Lucy Kettlety is the ‘activities co-ordinator’ at Island View Residential home in Barry Island. She started the role in March, just before the U.K went into lockdown.
The home has 24 residents who all suffer with dementia.
With the lockdown in place, friends or family were unable to visit their loved ones living in the home, so Lucy was forced to adapt to her new role quickly, whilst keeping all of her residents happy and entertained without the added pressure of being in a global pandemic.
Students will not be prioritised for the new COVID-19 vaccine, despite evidence that under 25’s are the biggest spread of the virus.
The announcement was made at last week’s Welsh Government briefing, led by the Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr. Frank Atherton and the Co-Chair of the coronavirus vaccine programme board, Dr. Gillian Richardson.
When asked why the decision not to prioritise students for the vaccine was made, especially when university students will be travelling to and from Wales over Christmas, Dr. Richardson said she could ‘sympathise’ with the question, but those who are younger often have a milder case of the virus and would be less likely to need hospitalisation.
NHS staff, people over 50 or with existing health problems, and care home workers are all top of the list, but there has been no news on when the vaccine will become available to students.
Instead, the government has said there will be staggered start dates for university students to return to campus after Christmas, as well as a lateral testing programme put in place to lower the risk of transmission.
The Welsh Government has said university students studying in Wales will be invited to return to campus over a four week period, starting from the 11th of January.
A phased return to in-person teaching will follow.
Those studying in healthcare professions, on placements or who need access to campus facilities will be prioritised.
Students will also be asked to take two lateral-flow tests; the first when they return to their university accommodation, and the second three days later. During that period those taking the tests are asked not to meet anyone socially.
Anyone who chooses not to be tested will be advised to isolate for 14 days.
The Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr. Frank Atherton, discussed the plans at the Welsh Government Coronavirus briefing.
Asked if he could reassure university students they wouldn’t have to follow the same isolation process as when they arrived in September, Dr. Atherton said: “We need to make sure students – as well as everybody else – try to keep their risk of transmission as low as possible.”
Co-Chair of the COVID 19 Vaccine Programme Board, Dr. Gillian Richardson, was also at the briefing.
She explained why students haven’t been prioritised for the new vaccine, which has now been approved in the U.K, despite evidence under 25’s are spreading the virus.
But for international students like Lucyna Polok, the last-minute planning isn’t good enough.
The second-year student, from Poland, said: “International students have to book their plane tickets months in advance otherwise they get too expensive or flights are fully booked.
“I think the government need to make their decisions quicker because if I’d booked my flight back to Cardiff then had to change it, I may not have been able to return which would make it almost impossible for me to complete my studies.”
Neath Port Talbot (NPT) has the highest case rate in Wales – 621.7 cases per 100,000 people.
Blaenau Gwent – almost 530 cases per 100,000 people.
Newport – 423 cases per 100,000 people.
Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) – 418.2 cases per 100,000 people.
Lateral flow tests are devices used to detect the presence of a substance in a liquid sample. They are commonly used for home testing as they don’t require specialised medical equipment. Results usually show up within 5-30 minutes.
The Welsh Government has announced they will be using lateral flow testing when students arrive back to universities after Christmas, as part of a plan to stop the transmission of COVID-19.
Students will be asked to take two of these tests; one when they arrive to their accommodation, and another three days later. During that period they will be asked not to meet anyone socially.
Anyone who wishes not to take the test will be advised to isolate for 14 days.
The Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, said: “I know students will be eager to return to their university campus after the Christmas break, but will want to do that safely.
“The lateral-flow testing programme will also play a role in the safe resumption of learning on campus.
“It’s important that, in addition to accessing the testing programmes, students continue to act responsibly to keep themselves, and others, safe.”
Hundreds of people have gathered in Cardiff to protest against the closure of a hospital’s A&E department.
The Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantristant is facing closure of their A&E due to a shortage of staff.
It has been reported that the department will either be closed completely or just throughout the night.
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board said serious action must be taken to avoid “unacceptable risk to patient safety.”
Around 550 people protested against the decision outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay today – including Plaid Cymru and Labour MP’s.
Welsh Labour Party MP for Rhondda, Chris Bryant, addressed the crowd and said: “I believe if you only go over to 12 hours a day of A&E, people will die.
“We in the Rhondda will never give up.”
According to online reports, staffing levels at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital are well below the UK wide standards.
Plans for the closure have been sped up after the recent resignation of the hospital’s only full time A&E consultant.
Amongst the protesters was Katie Edwards, who informed me that if the plan was accepted the nearest A&E department would be Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr – a 40-minute drive away.
She added: “With two small children, the safety and security of knowing we’re minutes away from an A&E means everything.”
Tracey John from Williamstown in the Rhondda told me: “I’ve heard of people regularly dying in the ambulances on the way down from Blaencwm to this hospital because of the distance, and this is their nearest A&E – can you imagine what would happen if they had to travel further?”
Women’s activist, Gwendelune from Newport, also joined the protesters there today.
Although she won’t be hugely impacted from the closure, she wanted to show her support to those closer to the hospital who will be.
She said: “We are very much entitled to our free healthcare, but how can people access that if hospitals are closing their departments?”
More than 9,000 people have signed an online petition against the proposal.
As so many signatures have been collected, the matter has automatically been considered for a debate at a meeting in the Senedd – which took place today.
Councillors have made it clear they want a 24-hour A&E department kept at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital and so the debate will focus on how that can be made possible without causing a risk to the safety of their patients.
May 19th, 2018, the day the British Monarchy changed forever when Prince Harry married mixed-race American actress, Meghan Markle and the whole of the UK came together to watch an event so highly anticipated ever since their engagement was announced.
From newspapers across the country describing the pairing of the two as being ‘magically modern,’ to Meghan apparently being the reason there’s a ‘rift’ between the royals, The Duchess of Sussex told ITV anchor, Tom Bradbury, in his recent documentary that her first year of marriage has been a “struggle” thanks to the swift change in treatment from the media. The same change in media treatment that is said to be the reason behind both Meghan and Harry deciding to leave the royal family.
So, have the British media really turned on her? And if so, are they right to?
According to ABC News, Markle was a ‘darling of the press’ from the moment it was announced she was engaged to Harry, but as soon as they were married the media coverage became more ‘critical.’
For example, in December 2016, she made headlines in The Daily Mail for being ‘all smiles’ after a ‘whirl-wind’ few days with Harry. And in November 2017, The Sun joined in being pro Meghan Markle, using Harry’s bold statement of her being “the one” as another positive headline.
However, the positivity quickly turned into negativity once Markle was married as she faced scrutiny from tabloids due to her estranged father, Thomas. He was allegedly working alongside paparazzi for a large sum of money to stage photographs of him with pictures of the royal couple, despite claims by Markle her father was being “followed and harassed,” according to The Daily Mail. More recently, an official statement was released explaining legal action against The Mail on Sunday was being taken after they leaked a private letter from Meghan to her father.
Not only that, she’s also been blamed for causing a ‘rift’ between Harry and his brother William, because she allegedly doesn’t get on with Kate, William’s wife.
So, yes, I believe the British media has turned against her. And is it fair? The answer in my opinion would be no. Obviously, we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors and for all we know she could be this terrible character the British press have made her out to be, but to me it seems she’s faced backlash due to situations that are beyond her control. More specifically, the actions of her father. Yes, she was used to the world of fame, but she wasn’t used to the world of fame as well as the world of the royal family. She’s human and she’s going to make mistakes.
Nevertheless, from a journalist’s perspective, Meghan is not your ‘traditional’ member of the Royal Family and so naturally she is going to gain more media coverage – whether that be good or bad – as people have become obsessed with the modernisation she has brought to the British Monarchy, and therefore journalists know any articles about her will sell.
It’s January and we’re all very much suffering from the post-Christmas blues. We’ve ate a bit too much, spent a bit too much and Saturday night TV has become as entertaining as watching paint dry; but fear not, ITV’s newest addition is here to save the day – or is it?
Branded ‘TV’s best kept secret’ by the host and comedian Joel Dommett, The Masked Singer combines the anonymity of The Voice together with the inclusion of celebrity contestants like on Stars in Their Eyes to spice up your typical talent show.
Each episode 6 celebrities battle it out and perform a song of their choice whilst hiding their identity behind extravagant and very expensive costumes. It is then up to the panel of judges – Rita Ora, Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall and Ken Jeong – to guess who the celebrities are. The audience vote for who out of each pairing they want to go through to the next round, before those not chosen are put into a ‘bottom 3.’ Two out of the three acts go through and remain anonymous whilst the third is sent home and their identity is revealed.
The first two shows aired this weekend and Saturday night saw former Eastenders actress, Patsy Palmer, sent packing when she failed to impress by dressing up as a butterfly and performing Florence and the Machine’s ‘You’ve Got the Love.’ On Sunday night it was former Labour Minister, Alan Johnson’s turn to hang up his microphone after his disappointing rendition of The Bangles’ ‘Walk Like an Egyptian,’ dressed up as… yes, you guessed it – an Egyptian. Original, eh?
On paper it shouldn’t work; and that is because to me it doesn’t. Ken Jeong’s ridiculous and over the top performance after literally every act – who he claims he knows ‘exactly who they are’ – is enough to make your toes curl; that’s if the ludicrous celebrity guesses by the judges hasn’t already. I saw a preview of an upcoming episode where one of the judges guessed Meghan Markle was behind one costume. I mean, seriously? I know her and Harry have decided to leave the Royal Family and are looking to find a new source of income, but let’s be realistic here.
8 weeks of giving up an hour and a half of our time to only find out one celebrity’s identity per episode is dragging it out far too much in my opinion. We’re in desperate need for a bit of Saturday night entertainment whilst we have no I’m A Celeb, The X Factor, or Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, but not that desperate. It’s been two episodes and I’ve already lost interest. But weirdly I can’t turn it off until I know exactly who everyone is – and that’s where ITV have won, I guess. Because no matter how much I hate the show I’m still watching it.
Of course, there will be plenty of people who disagree with me and absolutely love it – although my Twitter feed says different – but I’m just not a fan. I think it is up there with one of the worst TV shows ITV has ever made. It would’ve been much better if they scrapped the judges and brought in members of the public as contestants who would have to guess each performer correctly for a cash prize that would increase with every correct answer. That way it would be a lot more entertaining and stop people like myself getting bored after one episode.
The Masked Singer continues Saturday January 11th at 7pm.
The stereotype that journalists have adopted over the years is one of a shady character. However, they are the people we rely on day to day to tell us what’s going on in the world. But are they really that trustworthy? The answer most people would give is no. According to a survey carried out by Press Gazette in October 2017, only 27% of Brits who took part said they trusted journalists.
But what is the actual reason behind this? Could it be the phone hacking scandal which started in 2011? Could it be the fact that people are aware of how certain journalists have good relationships with certain public figures? Or could it just simply be down to the reality that people believe most of the news written by journalists these days is just complete and utter rubbish?
In data obtained by niemanlab.org, the leading cause was that it had a “negative effect” on people’s mood. Whilst comments left on a short piece written by LinkedIn’s senior editor, Isabelle Roughal, claimed that facts “don’t matter anymore” to journalists, instead they “depend” on making their news “sensationalised” and “shocking” so they would rather just use social media to keep them updated as posts are usually written as and when news happens, often with live footage to back it up. It’s also a platform for real people with real stories to have their voice heard.
Tabloids are the main cause of the lack of trust people have for journalists (in my opinion, anyway,) yet they’re still SO popular! At one time, tabloids were known as being smaller and handier than normal newspapers; however, now they’re defined by reporting on celebrity scandals, murders and disasters – ‘normal’ day to day news just doesn’t feature. They’re a prime example of what Roughal said about sensationalising news to make stories they believe will sell. Often, the celebrity/ies at the centre of these scandals use their social media platforms to inform people those stories are fabricated; making the public less inclined to trust these tabloids and instead, rely on social media for the truth.
Having evaluated the above evidence as well as my own research, I’ve come to the strong conclusion that the answer to the question this blog post asks is no, most journalists cannot be trusted. It is clear to me that far too many of them are easily influenced by money in order to climb higher up on the ladder. But that still won’t stop us indulging ourselves in it, though!
I’m a 19 year old first year journalism student at the University of South Wales. I have had a passion for TV, entertainment and crime for as long as I can remember. I’d like to venture into presenting and interviewing at some point, due to my passion for entertainment and fascination of the celebrity world. However, my ultimate goal would be to combine these passions into one and pursue a career as a crime reporter / investigative documentary maker (a bit like Stacey Dooley.)
I have had work experience with ITV News and currently help out with my University’s radio station and newspaper. I have also interviewed a mixture of upcoming musicians / bands , MP’s and members of the general public for various different news stories / feature interviews.
I’ll be using this website as a platform to publish my work.
Olivia Grist 