Anyone who’s worked in a newsroom understands the uncomfortable situations journalists sometimes face when pursuing a story.

A very good example of this – which I experienced – is the ‘death knock’, where reporters are sent to interview a family struck by tragedy.

Often, the best stories result from such endeavors. And they have shifted many millions of copies of newspapers over the years. But they can also be painful for all concerned.

I visited the family of Michael Hodder, who was the train driver involved in the Paddington train crash in October 1999, whilst working on a local paper in his home town of Reading.

Six months into the job, I got nowhere that day; Sky and the The Sun were already there. Reporters met a furious and very upset man who chased them down the street.

We had been tipped off about Hodder’s Reading connection by someone who worked in the office who knew his family. It often happens that way. But I also remember the police bemusemet at how quickly a group of tabloid reporters had turned up following the same lead. Who had given it to them?

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