Susan’s entry was a moving, personal account of youth unemployment in Britain today as experienced by her graduate son. She writes how her son has been unable to find any paid work, despite graduating with 2:1 degree from the University of York in 2010.

Read her full blog post – Young, Educated and Jobless

As the author of the winning post, Susan Reedie will get a chance to meet presenter Jon Snow and go behind the scenes at Channel 4 News to see the programme go out live from the director’s gallery.

The runner-up was Jim Curry who told another personal, touching story as the brother of a British soldier currently serving in Afghanistan.   Read Jim’s blog post here.

Jon’s personal overview of the big stories he has reported on and witnessed this year will be broadcast on Channel 4 on 28 December at 8pm in a programme called  Jon Snow’s 2011.

Your 2011 – blog competition winner announced is a post from: Your view on 2011

Susan’s personal story is the winning entry in our “Your 2011″ blog competition.

It’s the economy stupid. My wonderful, tall, handsome, intelligent, hard-working son graduated with a 2:1 degree in archaeology from the University of York in 2010.  Since then he has had no proper job.

He wanted to work in archaeology or ‘heritage’ and applied for lots of jobs; most didn’t even acknowledge his application. So he took an awful shift work job in a cereal factory and traded up to a temporary job in our local Marks & Spencer before last Christmas.  They liked him and wanted to take him on permanently but head office said no.

Since January 2011 he has had no job at all,  despite applying for at least one job per day: graduate jobs, non-graduate jobs, anything. There aren’t even any vacancies posted at our local Tesco.  When a new branch opened a few miles away they had about 60 applicants per post.

He has volunteered one day a week at the County Museum – doing proper work, putting up temporary exhibitions, cataloguing an archive, recording a previously unrecorded pre-war dig. The place is mainly staffed by volunteers as they can only afford to employ about three members of staff.

Then he was offered the opportunity to work unpaid two or three days a week at a charity in London. They paid his travel expenses and luckily he was able to stay at his girlfriend’s parents’ home in London.

He had hoped it might lead to a job offer, but when a member of staff left, no offer was forthcoming.  Why should they pay someone when there are queues of people willing to work for free?

At last, in October,  he got a job selling Christmas trees. It’s not as bad as it sounds, he’s doing it from an office, but the thing about Christmas trees is that nobody wants them in January, so it won’t last.

So the news in 2011 has depressed and angered me.  There is no end in sight to high youth unemployment.  Every euro crisis makes the prospects seem darker.

If my son had been paid for the voluntary work he has done, he would have spent money himself, rented a flat with his girlfriend, gone out, bought things and the economy would have benefitted.

Instead his life is on hold and his student loan is gaining interest.  I keep telling myself that it will be all right in the end, that a society to which someone like my son cannot contribute is unimaginable in the long term but how long will this term be? And how damaged will my son be at the end of it?

Young, educated and jobless – blog competition winner is a post from: Your view on 2011

Jim’s personal story was the runner up in our “Your 2011″ blog competition.

I know it has been a bad year, a definitively dreadful year. In fact, exactly the kind of year you might expect would usher in an Apocalypse, if there was going to be one, the way the conspiracy theorists would have us believe.

International finances collapsed taking Europe with it, tens of thousands of people were killed in spontaneous violent revolutions around the world and there were shocking images of demented rioters fighting equally demented police, right here, unbelievably here, right on the streets of our very own country.

A howling vortex of cultural and political chaos, a Gothic grand symphony of human tragedy played out against the backdrop of the gathering violence of a Mother Nature finally and irrevocably provoked beyond restraint.

The darkness even touched us here, in our safe little village in the middle of nowhere in West Wales – a much-loved local girl lost her baby three weeks before term. Another lost her little girl in a freak accident, just up by the lake where the bridleway turns on to the Aber road.

Even I, in my own little way, did my best to get into the swing of things by collapsing with a minor stroke last week, out gathering firewood in readiness for a winter likely to be harsher than the last.

Surviving up in these mountains in temperatures of -18 in the campervan I live in with my cat takes careful, meticulous planning and preparation, if the last couple of years are anything to go by. I’m not looking forward to it with a limp and half a right arm.

And for those of us with close family in the Army, we have our own little excitement to add to the sense of occasion, and ginger the day up a bit.

On the hour, every hour, the ordeal of ‘The News’, the sick lurch in the stomach every time you hear the words “Another soldier has been killed in Afghanistan…”; even though you know they can’t report it until they’ve told the family, even though you know it could never be your brother because he’s immortal, even though you know you still get the same, sick lurch every time.

And then the guilty flood of relief when it’s some poor soldier from another regiment. Then the feeling of deep sadness for the unknown family whose world has just been blown apart and the frustration at not being able to reach out in some way to let them know you’re with them, you’re thinking of them, and their loss is much, much more than just another news item for you.

Which is why, for all its disasters, horrors and dark omens, this year is actually very special for me. And special too for my sister-in-law, and extra, extra special for my two-year-old niece, the most beautiful little girl in the world.

Because this year, my brother came home from Afghanistan. For good.

2011? Best year I’ve had this century.  2012? Bring it on!

Remembering the troops in Afghanistan – blog competition runner-up is a post from: Your view on 2011

Never before have news events encouraged me to reflect so much on the state of this world and how quickly it is changing beyond recognition. The Arab Spring uprisings have had the most profound impact on the way I approach life and analyse the society in which I live.

The Royal Wedding, as intensively scrutinised as it was, will have little consequence in the history books of tomorrow, whereas the events in Libya and Egypt and beyond will be seen as defining historical moments in years to come.

The lengths to which citizens were willing to go to overthrow authoritarian regimes has led me to conclude that democracy, and the benefits that come from living in one, are so commonly taken for granted that political apathy has reached new heights in Britain.

How many Britons, I wonder, viewed the images depicting the fall of Gaddafi’s regime and stopped to appreciate the freedoms afforded to them simply due to a coincidence of birth?

How is it that coverage of rebels willingly risking their lives for basic freedoms, so long enjoyed by Britons, can be shown antecedent to members of the public criticising the government for closing libraries and cutting public-sector pensions?

This is not to say that such concerns are not valid or unimportant, but it is vital to question the degree to which being born in a democratic state encourages people to take for granted what others would willingly sacrifice their lives for.

Few Britons, I believe, would commit their lives to the defence of a concept mostly unfamiliar to them, as thousands in the Arab Spring have. This is the aspect of the events in the region which has inspired me the most.

The idea that freedom can be so desired by those not in possession of it, that they would sacrifice their lives in the hope that future generations might enjoy it: whilst most of my friends are quick to proclaim their total disinterest in politics. To me, that in itself reflects the dangerous apathy regarding politics in this country.

The events that have unfolded in the Arab Spring also raise important questions regarding the conditions necessary for a healthy democracy to develop.

Can  revolutions involving such immense societal changes ever truly engender the development of a society in which democratic institutions are meaningful? Or are they not, by their very nature, likely to encourage instability and confusion, the characteristics least likely to encourage democracy?

This argument would see the revolutions of this year as inherently flawed.  After all, the most stable democracies tend to be those whose political systems are firmly based in beliefs long held by the majority of society.

The most important outcome of the events in the Arab Spring this year will be the success or failure of the countries to develop into democracies, and the effect that this has on the remaining authoritarian regimes of this world.

Arab uprising: A real chance for lasting democracy? is a post from: Your view on 2011

2011 was a year when even the most positive and optimistic person in the world might find their faith in humanity challenged. I sat in my chair and complained about my unemployment, became more frustrated with where I lived as all hell unfolded on my television screen.

Whole communities were devastated as I sat, nervously sipping my morning coffee.  I shouted at the screen every night during the news as more and more murky truths were revealed about how low mass media was willing to go, to get a story, destroy people’s reputations and disrespect the dead.   Worst case scenarios playing out day after day as ignorance prevailed, tolerance ignored, nature appalled.

As I sat house-sitting for my sister in August and David Cameron was oblivious, the people became uneasy. Was the theory of the establishment being rotten to the core no longer conjecture?

The young said: “Let’s take what we can get, the grown ups will clean it up. The politicians, the papers and the police are all in league against our will. There can be no justice now.  So take what we can get. The police will soon forget once they have locked us all up.”

While ordinary people stood up and said: “That’s not the way we do it, let’s get a sweeping brush!” The kids lost all faith long ago and they disrespect what disrespects. Soon a conscience filtered through and people went home with new shoes, televisions to consume.

Did the world have to get so grim before I would stop saying “oh dear” about my own life and try to make a positive change, get on with it like most people do?

Rock bottom might have been reached; seeing people with their homes destroyed by war and nature round the world, people continuing to starve or businesses looted and burned in my own country.

It made me want to stand up for things I believe in and it made me appreciate what I have.

2011: A year to take stock of life is a post from: Your view on 2011

‘An heroic teenager’. You could easily dismiss this phrase as an unrealistic oxymoron.  After all, teenagers of today are sullen slobs who care more about social-networking sites and sleeping than they do about helping others, don’t they?

If there was ever a teenager who challenged this stereotype, it was Jordan Rice.

Jordan was only 13 years old. Described by his family as shy and reserved, he had fears, just like everyone else. Petrified of heights, water and even the dark, Jordan’s nickname was ‘Weedsy’.

Yet when it really mattered, he showed true strength and bravery. Stranded with his mother and younger brother in the midst of the Queensland floods of January 2011, Jordan insisted that rescuers lift his little brother to safety first, at the expense of his own life.

Jordan’s story made the world stop and think.

Primarily, it made me think what I would do. As I watched Jordan’s story unfold, there was a niggling voice in the back of my head asking me if I would have done the same thing and the truth is, I don’t know. Nobody can know how they would react in Jordan’s position.

We all like to think that if a similar situation arose, we’d face our fears and certain death to save our loved ones.  Jordan didn’t have time to stop and think; his instinct was to put himself second and put his family first.

Jordan’s story and its tragic end were heartbreaking, but it carries with it a message of hope. In a year filled with debt, dictators and despair, there’s something comforting about knowing that there are such selfless people in the world. If more people were to act as Jordan has – by showing love towards others – the world might be in a better state than it is at the moment.

Even more importantly, Jordan has changed the world’s perception of young people.

In a year where so many teenagers have given themselves a bad name – whether it be through rioting, underage drinking or any other form of anti-social behaviour – Jordan is proof that there are still young people out there who possess levels of maturity and bravery far exceeding those of many adults.

Jordan Rice: teenage hero of the Queensland floods is a post from: Your view on 2011

This year the political protestations of the Arab world sent shockwaves throughout politics, shaping our perception of the people of the Middle East.

Their demands for a more democratic political system in Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Libya were understandable and they fought with the newest weapon, “social media”.

Facebook, YouTube and Twitter swam with messages of support, action and political pressure, creating a united voice, the voice of the global democratic people and the voice of change.

The ability to connect with millions of people and organise protests brought the stories to life. These were not just people from a distant land whose lives had no bearing on our own; these were individuals who had suffered at the hands of dictatorships.

With social media I could be with them every step of the way and quickly their emotions of exasperation, anger and exhilaration became my own. This is the true power of the internet, the ability to connect.

Photographs and videos of armed conflict and terror flickered in my head for months, there was no distance between the photographer and the action, and this was personal not an external observation on events. It all felt so very real, shaking me to my core.

The Arab Spring has changed my relationship with the internet completely. No longer do I simply see it as another electronic addition to our lifestyle, like a blender or microwave, the internet was now staring at me shouting “look at me, I’m a platform for social change!”.

I was electrified by this and began an intensive campaign on important topics close to my heart eg. HIV and Aids and the sexualisation of popular culture. I have used my small section of this platform to reach a large audience, something I never thought possible before the Arab Spring.

2011 is the year the internet became the platform for democracy.

Social media and the Arab Spring is a post from: Your view on 2011

It all began with one man whose martyrdom fuelled an uprising that has since swept relentlessly across the Arab world. In lighting one match, one man changed history forever and instigated the Arab Spring.

Mohammed Bouazizi, 26, sold vegetables from his stall in Tunis. Police regularly confiscated his goods without warning and 17 December was no different. A policewoman seized his unlicensed cart and its contents and fined him, before allegedly spitting in his face, and insulting his dead father.

Bouazizi appealed to local officials for support, but was turned away. Defeated, the 26-year-old set fire to himself outside the provincial headquarters, sacrificing his life to fight back against a corrupt regime. It was the end of one life, and the birth of a revolution.

This revolution, however, could never have had such a global impact so quickly without modern technology. No news teams, no camera crews could have engaged with the Arab world to the extent that mobile phone footage, filmed by protesters during the first protests in Sidi Bouzid, has.

Social networking sites have given a platform for this footage to be shared, discussed, and acted upon as ordinary citizens have used this virtual space to organise bigger and bolder demonstrations across Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Algeria, Bahrain and Yemen.

The Arab uprisings have therefore revealed to us just how radically news reporting has changed. As a budding international journalist, I am fascinated by the way in which activists have taken on the role of news collectors, selectors, editors, producers and presenters, and the implications this may have for the future of journalism across the world.

The spread of new technologies is transforming the world, empowering global consumers to choose how they want to experience, share and make use of local, national and international news.

Yet this does not mean that existing broadcasters must be left out in the cold. It remains the duty of news media to engage the public in the turbulent events that are forever occurring across the planet, to get there first and bring home outstanding, captivating and accurate coverage.

Channel 4 does just this, not only through its news broadcasts, but through its connections to such exciting investigative journalism as Unreported World and Dispatches.

Channel 4′s coverage of the Arab Spring has been an inspiration to me; I strive to be at the heart of such vivid, impassioned and engaging journalism.

I hope to create my own documentary about the aftermath of the Arab uprisings for the people of Northern Africa, particularly the role of Islam in defining the future of these societies.

The so-called Arab Spring has surpassed all expectations, endured all seasons, and has ushered in a winter of considerable discontent. Every twist and turn has kept me gripped all year, and has made me more determined than ever to go out and report it all myself.

Arab uprising: A revolution in news reporting is a post from: Your view on 2011

2011 has been the year of the iDevice. For good and for bad, Apple has dominated the world’s technology news, showing their huge, influential power over the electronic market. It’s a company that started from nothing, from one basic idea, and is now controlling the future of our technology.

I succumbed to their power continuously throughout the year, purchasing an iPad in February, which even now, I haven’t put down. In fact, I don’t think I’ve turned it off once in the nine months since I bought it.

I bought myself a Mac in September, which is yet another material object shaping my day to day life. It’s true that I have become an Apple Fan Girl.

So, of course, it shook the world when the news of Steve Job’s passing hit the headlines.

Oddly and spookily enough, my friends and I were discussing what an impact the Apple co-founder’s death would have upon the world just the day before. It was most disturbing to wake up and find our prophecies, if you will, had indeed come true.

You didn’t have to be a devoted Apple fan to know how people felt. On Twitter it was trending as iSad. It moved me greatly to think of how everyone was sharing the news of his passing, using inventions he had created.

Millions and millions of people across the world own Apple products, from the extraordinary and beautiful MacBook Air down to the humble and forgotten iPod. Apple has, and continues to, change the world beyond even our wildest expectations, and for that, the world thanked Steve in their millions.

And yet, the most powerful company in the world decided not to sit around and mourn, but to soldier on, fulfilling Steve’s next projects and ambitions.

After mere weeks of final tweaks and preparations, iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S were here. Such wonderful and extraordinary inventions were released to the world; fantastic, futuristic creations that astounded even the most forward thinking of people.

But typically, there were problems with this exclusive and exciting release, and, to add a negative downside to such an uplifting creation, people protested about the slightly delayed and minimally disrupted updates.

Yet again, Twitter was flooded with opinions, juxtaposed to the original love and sympathy for Mr Jobs. Disgusted anger and perhaps hyperbolic reactions started to trend worldwide.

This got me thinking that despite all the wonderful things in this world, we can still find fault at every opportunity.

How dare we criticise all these works of genius, things we cannot even begin to understand ourselves? How can we fault something when we don’t even know how it all works in the first place?

Maybe Steve has given us a turning point. He has shown us how wonderful life is, and how amazing the future can be.

Steve Jobs: Death of a creative genius is a post from: Your view on 2011

After becoming a father two and a half years ago, I found myself, understandably, to be more sensitive towards emotive news coverage.

A turning point for me was the amazing, yet totally heartbreaking, account of Landina Seignon, one of the so many affected by the Haitian earthquake. I found myself engulfed by her ordeal and at the same time, couldn’t understand why others saw it as just another sad news story.

Following on from one natural disaster to another, the incomprehensible events in Japan left me numb, as well as shocked, by some of the unnecessary comments made by some reporters. There seemed to be a need to over-emphasise the horror and destruction.

I feel there is an imbalance in the decision process regarding ‘what is news’ and how it should be covered.

We’ve been bombarded with breaking news covering the continuing credit crisis and meltdown in Europe, to the uprising in the Arab world and more recently the UK riots, finishing off with the last days of a dictator’s life topped by the potential collapse of a media empire.

So when I ask myself the question, “which news stories have changed my outlook on life?”, I can only respond by saying all of them have because of the way in which news is decided and presented.

I recall a piece about the recent East African famine followed straight after by a UK couple winning the Euro lottery. Yes it’s great news for the couple but what does it say about how we view society both domestically and globally?

It’s unfortunate that in this day and age, whether it’s the potential for unimaginable inhumanity, nature’s fury, or six lucky numbers, there seems to be a sense of apathy and acceptance.

I feel the media have an obligation to search out with equal journalistic vigour, news events that celebrate and inspire. Not just tag them as a book end to a broadcast with a, “And finally, two pandas……”. If we are constantly exposed to news that shocks and stuns, then over enough time, it’s easy to understand this apathy.

In the ongoing case of phone hacking, this is a perfect example of how the lines have been blurred, thresholds raised and standards on both sides, lowered. And why? To make a headline. The better the headline, the more chance of a sale and in turn, an increased market share. So the actual news story becomes almost a loss leader.

To be fair, if there wasn’t a public/readership appetite then maybe we wouldn’t find ourselves on this path where common decency and respect have been tossed aside in favour of more column inches.

It’s not one news event in particular that has affected me, it’s the nature of coverage over the last 12 months by most media broadcasters that has had a compounded effect.

Why can’t there be a form of positive discrimination when it comes to news content? Would it be too much to ask for a little more good news? I know it’s out there, it just requires the desire to look for it and report it.

Where is all the good news? is a post from: Your view on 2011