Interview with Thorn: The best for news and showbiz exclusives

• So, how does it feel to be able to be able to say you made the front page?

Getting the splash of the News of the World was literally my dream come true. Sod marriage or the birth of any kids, it will always be the greatest day of my life! The truth is that I got a huge slice of luck. However, it’s a real team effort at the NOTW and everyone worked hard to help get the story together.

• How did you become involved with the paper?

Basically I was tracked down by one of the editors here, which is something I’ve taken as a nice compliment. I think they saw some of my recognition with the Guardian Media Awards. Effectively I'm on an internship here, but it's great fun and hopefully I may be able to return later in the year.

• And the scoop, where did that come from then?

I had spent the week tracking the Jonathan Ross story and got my lucky break on the Saturday. I was listening to his show when I heard him make the incredible comments. But unlike the rest of Fleet Street, I had recorded the whole thing so I was able to double check everything and get the story out first.

• How is student media perceived in the professional industry?

Very well! York has an incredible reputation. If you mention our student media everyone immediately talks about how successful we are. So it really is a breeding ground for talent in the real world.

I’m sure I won’t be the first to make the national press. Personally, I have always seen Ruth Mosalski as the next editor of Heat magazine. From the first time I heard her evil cackle at The Yorker news meetings I knew she’d be a superstar. However, I doubt even Britain’s top celebs could keep up with her on the party circuit…

• How do you think your involvement with York’s student media prepared you for the real world of journalism?

What you learn at York is what you would never learn on a Journalism course - how to find stories. What I attempted to do was investigative journalism, trying to get scoops first using every means at your disposal. It's about socking it to the people at the top, and not letting them get away with taking advantage of students! Whether it was the NUS, the biology department or the Christian Union, it was about exposing the arrogance of people in positions of power. And it's no different in a 'real' newsroom! You develop a sharpness for what makes a great story, which is your most valuable tool.

• Is the world of Vision, Nouse and The Yorker similar to working in the real world or is it a different universe entirely?

It’s pretty much the same, but a much more relentless pace! The office is gigantic, and full of some of the country's best journalists. There's a great atmosphere here, but also a friendly rivalry. Everybody wants to get the best stories and get the splash. Journalism thrives on that kind of competition.

• Any advice for budding journalists in York?

If you want to get some scoops go out and get drunk as often as possible! I got some of my best leads at parties. Great stories are everywhere and everyone has a tale to tell. It's a cliché but it's true. Anything that makes you want to tell people is news. I think Andrew Marr said in his autobiography that journalism is the industrialisation of gossip, and he's exactly right.

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