Edd Dracott Email & Phone Number

Head of PA’s Social Media and Real Life desks, after being asked to oversee PA's Real Life service on top of my role as social media editor.PA's Real Life service produces two human interest exclusives every weekday for sale to national newspapers, magazines and websites. All interviewees sign an exclusivity agreement with PA and topics include victims of violent or sexual crime, rare health conditions, consumer complaints such as holiday nightmares and scams, strange or unique life experiences, and humorous or quirky viral stars.This role has seen me transfer skills from PA's Social desk to the team of four Real Life journalists so that they can use online searching skills as a resource for unique exclusives. The role includes oversight of the Real Life service's budget which, thanks to a new focus on digital stories including video and content which drives online traffic, has experienced a complete turnaround to become one of the most profitable at PA.

Head of PA’s social media desk. Leading a team of six journalists using open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques to source interviews, imagery and information online.The team's journalistic responsibilities include sourcing user-generated content (UGC) and quotes from witnesses to criminal incidents or disasters as they unfold, monitoring reaction to major breaking news such as celebrity deaths or political movements and finding exclusive stories for PA's Uplifting feed - a positive news service for which the editor also oversees the budget. Stories covered include first-person accounts from the frontline of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.The role also includes oversight of PA's use of social media, including both how it is used on our newswire and how content is distributed on PA's social media channels.

London, Greater London, United Kingdom

Newsgathering via social media for PA. This team specialises in sourcing and verifying content online. This could include pictures and video of a breaking news event and quotes from witnesses, case studies connected with the day's biggest headlines or original exclusives. Topics covered include the victims and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, British allies trapped in Afghanisation after the Taliban's takeover and quotes and imagery cleared in the immediate aftermath of several terror attacks. The role also includes curation of PA's social media accounts, including Twitter and Facebook.During this time, I also attended a course with open-source intelligence (OSINT) experts Bellingcat, with whom I further honed my online searching and verification skills. In turn, I shared this information with the whole PA newsroom by hosting a series of group training sessions - covering advanced searching via Google and social media platforms, verification and archiving, geolocation, flight and boat tracking and investigation into people and groups.

Creating and sourcing content for PA's Viral desk. This team dedicated itself to finding viral moments, positive news and stories about online culture.During this time I also spent a day a week working on PA's features desk, producing long-form Lifestyle articles on topics including health, fitness, food and travel.

London, Greater London, United Kingdom

Writer for the Press Association’s Snap.PA desk - a team producing news stories and features aimed at a younger 18-30 audience.

Penge, London

Writing part-time for the South London Press newspaper in London.

London, United Kingdom

I spent five months with Press Association Training earning an NCTJ Diploma in multimedia journalism. My additional modules were Court Reporting and Production using Quarkxpress and Indesign.

Adelaide, Australia

I worked as a teaching assistant, helping with Music, Maths and Sports amongst other subjects for ages ranging from four to 18. I also helped as a camping instructor, taking years 7 through 10 on various camps in South Australia for about 10 weeks total throughout the year, teaching them to camp and kayak amongst other skills as well as learning a lot myself from my fellow staff.

Bachelor’S Degree, Ancient History, 2:1

Education record