Blog: Timing is everything

The departure of Shrewsbury Town manager Gary Peters yesterday presented us video journalists with a timing problem, writes Video Blogger James Shaw - and showed why turning a story around is never straightforward.

The day began routinely enough - a Shrewsbury Town defeat and the faint whiff of a managerial casualty in the air.

That sniff of controversy was soon despatched, however, when the word reached our sportsdesk that Peters would be remaining at the club.

Indeed, a radio interview with Town chief executive Rob Bickerton appeared to confirm that the manager remained in his post.

So, what to do? The only option seemed to be a vox pop on people’s opinions about Peters staying at Shrewsbury Town.

The main paper edition would be carrying the basic news, so this, I calculated, would offer something different for the website.

Returning to the office, I pulled up with a grin on my face, with a tape full of interviews . . . not all of which were calling for Peters’ head, I should add.

Anyway, that look soon turn to disappointment as my colleagues on the sportsdesk gave me the thumbs-down as soon as I walked through the door. Peters was out.

What to do next? My editing skills were called into action as I removed the interviews about Peters staying at Oteley Road and turned around a piece in just an hour or so.

Quite an achievement, when you realise I have to change the entire emphasis of the piece to ‘Are The Players To Blame?’

I also had to make sure that none of the quotes was taken out of context - again, an essential rule of the written word that should be followed in video.

In the end I managed to upload an acceptable piece that offered something different to - and indeed complimented the main newspaper coverage. You can watch it here.