Gunillocentrism – web diary of a freelance journalist

Today was race day, and I was planning on blogging about the race – but I ended up not to. I had to concentrate on being there, seeing the race, trying to understand what was going on, writing my texts, submitting my stories… I have not exactly become a motor sports fan, but I did think it was very fun and exciting to be there.

The Swedish participant Kenny Bräck, who was the only reason any Swedish reporter was there, unfortunately had to give up after almost half the race – because of a failing little nut (mutter, in Swedish). But he was in fact happy anyway afterwards!

I am naturally exhausted, and will very much enjoy tonight’s sleep! Now it’s time to focus on another story: that of a Swedish citizen in jail in Corona, California.
Read all about her case here:
Annika Östberg Deasy
She has been in the media for years…and perhaps her having to be in a jail for a murder her boyfriend committed might come to an end. Or not – the family of the murdered policeman does not like the idea of Annika Östberg serving the rest of her term in a Swedish jail.
Many of my collegues who have covered the Kenny Bräck story (the correspondents of the Swedish Television, the tabloids) will go directly from being fake-sport reporters in Indianapolis to fake-crime reporters in the outskirts of Los Angeles…

It is unprecedented that I am being sent to places to cover news! And that someone else pays my expenses!
Usually, I am sending myself out, and usually I am mostly doing news feature stuff - not instant news like this (that has to be transmitted immediately…). I even had to persuade my editors at the Swedish National News Agency to let me go from New York to Washington to cover the US election in November, but when Swedish citizens are on the spot the story is obviously different.
Now there are two news story assignments in a row! Well, it probably won’t last…

/Gunilla

P S Please note - not only did Dagens Nyheter publish one or two of my Indy 500 pictures. Aftonbladet did, too.
Aftonbladet: Bräck tvingades bryta i comebacken
Scroll down a lot for the picture of Kenny Bräck; it says Foto: Scanpix/arkiv as a byline. (Of course it should have been my name there! )

Yeah, Karen came today! She is one of my coolest friends in New York, and she immediately expressed interest in going to a bizarre place such as a racing event in Indianapolis when she was told I was going here.
And today I picked her up at the airport! She arrived very stylishly clad, in a white coat and a red silk scarf which looked great with her long, dark hair. We immediately hit the road and went to the race stadium area, and out in Suburbialand to look for a bizarre ultrasuburbian motor thing. After a while we returned, again passing throught the area where Indy 500 is taking place tomorrow. Oh, my God, people are partying, binge drinking, buying ridiculouos things, prompting girls to “show their tits” Hmmm…not very stylish. So we had to go to The Villa and have dinner. There we met Josh, a native Indianapolis guy who treated us with delicious Spanish wine and the nuts and bolts of getting good Indy 500-tickets (and even helped Karen buy some good ones)!