Today, freelance journalist Sabuhi Gard discusses her areas of expertise, her recent change to freelancing and her 17 years of experience in journalism.
About your journalism:
What do you write about?
I write about residential property, personal finance and general business issues.
Where are we likely to see your work?
Lovemoney.com, Independent on Sunday. I have only started freelancing a month ago after taking a year off for maternity leave.
What’s the most memorable work you’ve done?
I have been a journalist for 17 years now. Scary really. I started when I was at university on the student paper so it is difficult to narrow down my favourite work. I wrote a news story about Pop Idol for the Financial Times which I really enjoyed doing, as well as obituaries for 1980s pop icon Robert Palmer and 1970s punk icon Joe Strummer (ex-Clash frontman) for FT.com – morbid, I know! More recently I wrote an article on a Facebook property app for the Independent on Sunday which I got quite excited about.
What interview or feature would you love the chance to do?
I would really like to interview George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer. I would like to ask him when he thinks the UK economy is going to approve, amongst other questions.
About you and PRs:
Where do you source ideas for articles?
Press releases, news websites, discussions with family and friends.
How can PRs be useful to you?
They can send me relevant press releases.
How and when do you like them to get in touch?
I would like them to get in touch when I am on deadline.
Do you find press conferences, trips, parties and other events useful or an interruption?
I find press trips, events and conferences very useful and a good excuse to get out of the office. However, as I am freelancing at the moment and living outside London it would be a bit of a hindrance and an expense to go to these events. I also have a nine month old baby so I doubt I can take him to a press briefing!
If you could make one change to the way PRs deal with you, what would it be?
My one or two grumbles about PRs is that they almost always call at the wrong time, the second grumble is that some PRs pitch a non-story!
About you:
How would you pay the bills if you weren’t a journalist?
If I wasn’t a journalist I would be a property developer or an entrepreneur.
If we gave you £1000, how would you spend it?
If I was given £1000 I would put it towards a Junior ISA.
What books are on your bedside table, magazines in your bag, or blogs on your screen?
I rarely get time to read, but my husband bought me a beautiful leather-bound copy of Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ for Christmas which I dip into occasionally, and Annabel Karmel’s book on weaning – both are on my bedside. On my screen, Sky News HD!
[lnk|http://www.journalistdirectory.com/journalist/QATii/Sabuhi-Gard|_blank|Sabuhi Gard]
[img|jpg|Sabuhi Gard]