New website: heatherbrooke.org
Mar 28, 2010 Freedom of Information
My new website is now up and running: heatherbrooke.org. All new posts and future blog updates will be posted on the new site along with information about my new book The Silent State.
Information from the YRTK site will be moved across with re-directed links in the coming weeks.
Please check out my new site and [...]
Investigation journalism – Norwegian style
Mar 23, 2010 Freedom of Information
I attended the Norwegian SKUP conference of investigative journalists this past weekend. There were about 560 journalists from all across Norway in attendance plus a handful of international speakers including myself, the Guardian’s investigations editor David Leigh and one of the founders of Wikileaks: Julian Assange.
I was blown away by the sheer number of [...]
British Press Awards tonight
Mar 23, 2010 Freedom of Information
I’ll be attending the notorious British Press Awards tonight. I say notorious for two reasons:
1) There’s always the chance of a punch up between some rough-and-ready type from the tabloids.
2) Journalists have to pay to enter and so the awards are not so much about merit as the marketing spend of the newspaper.
I’m [...]
Book serialisation in Mail on Sunday
Mar 23, 2010 Freedom of Information
Sections from The Silent State are being serialised in two editions of the Mail on Sunday. The first excerpt was published 20th March 2010. How I blew up the Duck House is a condensed version of the final chapter in the book which tells the story about my epic battle to disclose parliamentary expenses.
But [...]
Calls for a web re-design
Mar 2, 2010 Freedom of Information
I’m looking to radically re-design this site and would love to hear from any interested web designers.
In brief, I plan to keep the blog on wordpress but want to re-brand the site as heatherbrooke.org (I have purchased this domain name). I’d like to see more graphics and better navigation and more streamlined hierarchies. I’m [...]
Tonight’s the night!
Feb 23, 2010 Freedom of Information
Hope you’ll all tune in tonight to watch On Expenses at 9pm on BBC4.
Great to see it’s made pick of the day in most of the newspapers (even if my character was described by the Times’ parliamentary sketch writer Ann Treneman as ‘this side of loony on the bus’).
Well, if the shoe fits…
Drama will be broadcast Feb 23rd
Feb 15, 2010 Campaigns, FOI in Parliament, FOI in the news
The dramatisation of my campaign to open up Parliament now has a date.
On Expenses (formerly Bringing Down the House) will have its first broadcast on BBC4 at 9pm on Tuesday February 23rd. Don’t miss it!! I’ve done an interview with Martin Bell for the Radio Times and will be in tomorrow’s (Feb 16th) Woman’s [...]
Passing the Duchy on a Cornish Holiday
Feb 15, 2010 Environment, Freedom of Information
I’ve just returned from a week’s holiday in Cornwall. It was my first time along the Atlantic Cornish coast and I absolutely loved it. I did some epic walks along the cliffs of Crackington Haven then headed down past Tintagel, Rock, Padstow and on to St Ives with a few trips out to Penzance and [...]
Book edits DONE
Jan 29, 2010 Freedom of Information
You wait months for a new blog post and then three come along at once!
I’ve been neglecting the dear old YRTK blog while I thundered through all the research and writing necessary to complete the manuscript of The Silent State. It was stressful but intensely exciting and I turned in the book on deadline. [...]
Bad-mouthing FOI
Jan 29, 2010 FOI in the news, Freedom of Information, Law Enforcement
I notice the naysayers are peeping their heads over the parapet again. I’m serving notice that any public servants moaning about having to account to the public under the Freedom of Information had better be prepared to undergo some intense investigation on their spending. I’ll be keeping my eye out for any FOI bad-mouthers in [...]
