Don’t Mind Us. It’s Just A List Of The Most Bizarre, Yet Successful, #JournoRequests

What’s the point in a #JournoRequest? We all know that they’re there to connect journalists with experts, case studies, and information, but can they actually help a story?

Some may argue that they’re just a Twitter hashtag with no real-world application, about as useful as your Duke of Edinburgh award that everyone told you would be important on your CV? Reader, that DoE award did not get me a job.

But, as we can exclusively reveal, this couldn’t be further from the truth. #JournoRequests can help bring a story to life with real people, real experiences, and real expertise.

In fact, none of these uniquely weird and wonderful stories could have been made without a quick journo request…

Yeah, we weren’t joking about with the featured image. It may sound like a rejected Agatha Christie novel, but it’s a true story!

While Tunbridge Wells doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as the Orient Express, Mary Harris played the part of Miss Marple in this baffling story of anonymous abandonment and mislaid veg.

Harris used Twitter to find accounts of these gourds gone astray, and soon made a shocking discovery. Reports of abandonment turned to those of murder! Horrifying as it might be, a cucumber had been impaled on a local railing. Yes, you read that correctly.

Residents had varying reactions, with some trying to aid in the detective work or others simply asking “why?”.

Our favourite response, however, was from local Matt Goddwin, 45, who told Harris, “I believe there’s a good chance that they are harbingers of change sent from another dimension.”

You can make your own mind up on that one.

Technology is constantly changing the world, but is it for the better? Not to get too Black Mirror on you here, but what would you do if you saw three celestial orbs circling above your child on the baby monitor?

Full context: Orbs that weren’t there if you checked the room, that weren’t there when you travelled, that only appeared after moving into a 19th Century home?

Is the monitor faulty? Eimear O’Hagan’s husband Malcolm certainly thought so. But, that still left things unexplained. O’Hagan reached out to see if anyone else had any unnatural encounters, and it seems she accidentally stumbled onto a creepy correlation between baby monitors and paranormal activity.

Keen to explain these seemingly supernatural events, and potentially hoping to become an honorary Ghostbuster, O’Hagan gathered as many reports as she could find, as well as contacting a psychic to get a professional opinion.

While she didn’t get a definitive answer as to whether spirits were visiting her toddler or not, O’Hagan wrote a thrilling and well-reasoned account of the eerie events. Even if you remain sceptical, the corroborating stories make a strong case that there is something more than coincidence going on here.

It’s Friday evening, you’re doing your weekly shop that you’ve been putting off since Monday. Everywhere is busy – like busy busy – and it’s doing your head in.

But then, peering through the vegetables, you see what could the most beautiful sight you’ve ever laid your weary eyes on. A golden jacket calls to you, oven-ready and, let’s face it, beautiful.

If you, like me, thought this would be the only time you’d ever call a potato beautiful, you’d be wrong.

Russian beauty vlogger Elona Balasyan started a craze of performing make-up tutorials on spuds at the end of 2018. Rachel Dixon knew she had to cover the bewildering beauty bulletin for the BBC, but she needed some expertise.

So, she reached out and quickly found a professional make-up artist ready to talk her through the advantages of practising make-up techniques on potatoes, coming to the conclusion that the dry, smooth surface of a spud was perfect for beautifying.

Whether you prefer your potatoes grilled or glowed-up, whether you dress them in blush or baked beans, it’s clear that a garnish of expertise goes a long way.

Slow news days are the worst. But, when they happen to fall on National Biscuit Day (May 29 – saved you a Google), it can be a blessing in disguise.

Laura Garcia’s editor decided that they needed some good biscuit content, and quick. As frustrating as that can be, and as difficult as you can imagine it is to find a biscuit expert available on the same day, Garcia managed it without a problem.

Not only did she source a biscuit expert, but also a tea room to film in, and evidently a tray of biscuits to offer her guests. Okay, maybe she just bought the biscuits, but that’s not the point here.

With a hard-working team of cast and crew, not to mention a sprinkling of #JournoRequest magic, they managed to produce this hilarious video package, without any soggy bottoms.