A FORMER Melksham News reporter has begun a new and exciting career working for the Daily Mail Online in London as a health reporter.
After two and a half years working for Melksham News, Sam Blanchard, who grew up in Holt, left the news team last year to study a newspaper journalism MA at City University in London. After a successful work experience placement at The Times in April this year, he then began work in May at the Daily Mail Online.
“At the Mail I’m an online health reporter and work full-time at its offices in Kensington,” explained Sam. “Most articles I write are either about scientific studies of disease and medicine, or real-life stories of people who have rare conditions or extraordinary recoveries. And I get the occasional joy of watching videos of cysts being drained and insects being pulled out of people’s ears!
“I’m really enjoying the job – it’s challenging and fast-paced, and I learn a lot about weird conditions. I’ve yet to work out whether it’s making me more or less of a hypochondriac.
“I look back on my time at Melksham News really fondly – Ian and Sue taught me a huge amount about journalism and gave me a great opportunity at a friendly and fascinating place to work.
“I sometimes miss reporting on the campus! We put a lot of time, effort and emotion into exposing what was happening – or not happening – at Melksham House, and it’s still the work I’m most proud of. It’s a shame for everyone in the town that Ian will no doubt have been through another 10 reporters by the time the story comes to an end!”
