Jon SnowSWINDON FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE: JOURNALISTS have come in for something of a ribbing at this year's festival even from within our own ranks.

Michael Buerk described journalism as a 'useless occupation' not requiring any talent, while MP John 'the Vulcan' Redwood accused the press of distorting reality.

So it was good to see Channel 4 news presenter Jon Snow redress the balance.

Dressed Martin Bell-like in a crumpled white suit, and without his trademark colourful tie, he quickly won over a capacity Arts Centre audience with an intelligent, humorous talk.

His new book Shooting History is an engaging look at his life and astonishing career.

From a conservative upbringing as the son of a public school headmaster, he quickly developed a taste for adventure.

In a 30-year career, he has witnessed such historic moments as Nelson Mandela's walk to freedom and the fall of the Berlin Wall, and reported from battlefronts from Nicaragua to Iraq.

Recently he got one of biggest scoops of his career a summary of the Government's legal advice over invading Iraq.

Snow has also witnessed some of the worst excesses of humanity.

He admits it makes him cry, but says it is important for journalists to retain their emotions in the field, otherwise stories just become facts and figures.

Snow was also candid about the limits of journalism. Reporters can never be neutral it's not a human condition, he said, adding that journalism is an imprecise art, as displayed by the Andrew Gilligan affair.

But he ended on a positive note praising the healthy state of the British press, and also calling for a round of applause for festival organiser Matt Holland.

A little bird tells me the festival will be featuring in Snow's New Statesman column.

Tamash Lal