The Observer this Sunday
The Observer is doing a news piece about Kings Cross United and six months after the bombs this weekend, so look out for it this weekend!
EDIT: here it is
P.S: Corrections and clarifications: Ooops. We mostly exited via Kings Cross , not Russell Square - so the writer got it wrong and I am sorry about that. This was a 6-month-on-from-7th July piece, the Observer got in touch having read this blog and said they wanted to write about survivor blogs, so I passed on some details of other post-bomb bloggers ( linked in my blog roll) . Then they wanted to do a phone interview with me about the growth of the Kings Cross United group via the internet. I said I didn't really want to have yet another piece about me, but about the group was ok, as hopefully people from the train would find out about it and it would be a last bit of media as we approach the 6 month anniversary, and the review of the year 2005 stuff means lots of 7/7 stuff out there and this is probably a last chance to let other victims know KCU exists, if they want to find us. Then the Observer wanted a photo. I said no, so they used the photo from the Evening Standard, cropped. I haven't seen the paper yet, but I was told that was what they were doing and that it would be a small pic. I'm not very recognisable in the ES pic, which is a good thing.
This was all a bit of a rush, really, and I'm a bit ambivalent about having done it. It looks like I am publicity mad, which isn't true. I'm semi-anonymous. 'North' is my writing name not my real surname. I am legally entitled to anonymity because of being a rape survivor, so I use it - it gives me some protection and hence the group some protection. Most media requests - and I/KCU have had about 300 plus - are turned down. The media I've/we've done has been to let people know KCU exists, and it has been fronted mainly by me with the support of the group, since my day job in advertising and commercial media means I have some experience in knowing how media stuff works . It has been a team effort and others have done stuff too, told their stories, managed the email responses, lots of things.
The thing that I am proud of is the Sunday Times Rachel's Story, which I think I needed to write because it makes sense of everything I've done and what I am and why I do stuff. It explains me, and having told the story, that is everything I need to say right there in one place.
Re. Observer piece. This time, I was approached about a piece about survivor blogging that turned into yet another story about me getting on the train, a story I am getting a bit fed up of telling. It's not about my bloody train journey, it's about the group of people on the train and what happened afterwards. Life after July 7th. I agreed to the phone interview because - well, the usual really, we wanted survivors to find us. If you were on our train, welcome, it was worth all of this to find you. Piccadilly line travellers from 7/7, we're here. And everyone else reading this, and to the Observer team, thanks - and happy new year.
Phew. Right. I'll keep writing, but the KCU message is now out there, Rachel's Story is out there, and I've done enough. New year, new things to write about. Happy 2006.
RN 01.55 01/01/2006
Update 12.41pm: It was worth it - another survivor has already got in touch. Going to email him back in a sec, when I've finished cooking lunch. Hurray!
Update Jan 6th: Four more survivors have joined - plus the other train driver - found through the blog and the Observer, hurray again!
EDIT: here it is
P.S: Corrections and clarifications: Ooops. We mostly exited via Kings Cross , not Russell Square - so the writer got it wrong and I am sorry about that. This was a 6-month-on-from-7th July piece, the Observer got in touch having read this blog and said they wanted to write about survivor blogs, so I passed on some details of other post-bomb bloggers ( linked in my blog roll) . Then they wanted to do a phone interview with me about the growth of the Kings Cross United group via the internet. I said I didn't really want to have yet another piece about me, but about the group was ok, as hopefully people from the train would find out about it and it would be a last bit of media as we approach the 6 month anniversary, and the review of the year 2005 stuff means lots of 7/7 stuff out there and this is probably a last chance to let other victims know KCU exists, if they want to find us. Then the Observer wanted a photo. I said no, so they used the photo from the Evening Standard, cropped. I haven't seen the paper yet, but I was told that was what they were doing and that it would be a small pic. I'm not very recognisable in the ES pic, which is a good thing.
This was all a bit of a rush, really, and I'm a bit ambivalent about having done it. It looks like I am publicity mad, which isn't true. I'm semi-anonymous. 'North' is my writing name not my real surname. I am legally entitled to anonymity because of being a rape survivor, so I use it - it gives me some protection and hence the group some protection. Most media requests - and I/KCU have had about 300 plus - are turned down. The media I've/we've done has been to let people know KCU exists, and it has been fronted mainly by me with the support of the group, since my day job in advertising and commercial media means I have some experience in knowing how media stuff works . It has been a team effort and others have done stuff too, told their stories, managed the email responses, lots of things.
The thing that I am proud of is the Sunday Times Rachel's Story, which I think I needed to write because it makes sense of everything I've done and what I am and why I do stuff. It explains me, and having told the story, that is everything I need to say right there in one place.
Re. Observer piece. This time, I was approached about a piece about survivor blogging that turned into yet another story about me getting on the train, a story I am getting a bit fed up of telling. It's not about my bloody train journey, it's about the group of people on the train and what happened afterwards. Life after July 7th. I agreed to the phone interview because - well, the usual really, we wanted survivors to find us. If you were on our train, welcome, it was worth all of this to find you. Piccadilly line travellers from 7/7, we're here. And everyone else reading this, and to the Observer team, thanks - and happy new year.
Phew. Right. I'll keep writing, but the KCU message is now out there, Rachel's Story is out there, and I've done enough. New year, new things to write about. Happy 2006.
RN 01.55 01/01/2006
Update 12.41pm: It was worth it - another survivor has already got in touch. Going to email him back in a sec, when I've finished cooking lunch. Hurray!
Update Jan 6th: Four more survivors have joined - plus the other train driver - found through the blog and the Observer, hurray again!
posted by Rachel at 5:33 pm
