I quite enjoy reading the readers' comments at the end of our online stories, even the ones that either moan about the Advertiser or make me a bit twitchy libel-wise.
If you're unlucky, messageboards can attract some fairly unsavoury types from both ends of the political spectrum, but many of the contributions on thisiscroydontoday.co.uk are extremely well thought out, intelligent offerings that can make me think twice about how we play certain stories.
That said, there some that I completely disagree with like the one here .
It criticises today's (print edition) headline, 'Scissors in head horror at school', which apparently 'does nothing to help the pupil, the school, staff or parents.'
Well, sorry but as much as we like to take a responsible approach, it's not our job to do to any of the above.
It's our job to report the news, and if somebody sticks a pair of scissors into somebody else's head at school, then that's exactly what we're going to write.
Friday 29 February 2008
Edenham High
Who'd be a headteacher?
As I said when all the Selsdon High stories kicked off earlier this year, it's easy to pin all the blame on the school and overlook a) parental responsibility and b) problems in society as a whole.
With regards to the latest incident at Edenham High (see the story on the home page), I've got no idea about Jacey Downes' abilities as a head teacher. However, I don't see how anybody could have stopped an incident like Wednesday's in advance.
It's abundantly clear there are huge problems in schools across Croydon, and it's likely to become a vicious circle.
Schools will struggle to attract the calibre of staff they need if teachers think they'll be walking into a war zone every day, and discipline will deteriorate even further if they are forced to employ weaker candidates as a result.
Talking of war zones - and that's one hell of a clumsy link - I find myself in the unusual position of being a bit uneasy about the Drudge Report's decision to break the Prince Harry embargo.
Most of the time, embargos are placed at the top of useless press releases by PR plonkers because it makes them feel like they're 'managing the news'.
They usually say something like: 'Survey reveals Stilton is now the UK's favourite cheese. STRICTLY EMBARGOED until noon on February 16.'
But in Harry's case, when you are talking about putting people's lives in danger, I don't feel particularly comfortable with it.
Finally, I'm glad to see the supplement with 651 pictures of Croydon mums seems to have come out as intended - believe me, there were many things which could have gone wrong - but less pleased with a typo in a prominent picture caption which has ruined my mood.
(Incidentally, if there ARE any mistakes in the supplement , don't call me, call promotions executive Kim Fyfe on extension 6655 instead.)
As I said when all the Selsdon High stories kicked off earlier this year, it's easy to pin all the blame on the school and overlook a) parental responsibility and b) problems in society as a whole.
With regards to the latest incident at Edenham High (see the story on the home page), I've got no idea about Jacey Downes' abilities as a head teacher. However, I don't see how anybody could have stopped an incident like Wednesday's in advance.
It's abundantly clear there are huge problems in schools across Croydon, and it's likely to become a vicious circle.
Schools will struggle to attract the calibre of staff they need if teachers think they'll be walking into a war zone every day, and discipline will deteriorate even further if they are forced to employ weaker candidates as a result.
Talking of war zones - and that's one hell of a clumsy link - I find myself in the unusual position of being a bit uneasy about the Drudge Report's decision to break the Prince Harry embargo.
Most of the time, embargos are placed at the top of useless press releases by PR plonkers because it makes them feel like they're 'managing the news'.
They usually say something like: 'Survey reveals Stilton is now the UK's favourite cheese. STRICTLY EMBARGOED until noon on February 16.'
But in Harry's case, when you are talking about putting people's lives in danger, I don't feel particularly comfortable with it.
Finally, I'm glad to see the supplement with 651 pictures of Croydon mums seems to have come out as intended - believe me, there were many things which could have gone wrong - but less pleased with a typo in a prominent picture caption which has ruined my mood.
(Incidentally, if there ARE any mistakes in the supplement , don't call me, call promotions executive Kim Fyfe on extension 6655 instead.)
Tuesday 26 February 2008
Lord
We're spending the day playing host to Lord Rothermere - head of our parent company's parent company - which means I'm feeling a bit out of the loop about anything going on outside the office.
So instead I'll leave it to Croydon Council leader Mike Fisher to entertain you as he has (sort of) launched his own blog.
I say 'sort of' because you can't actually post any comments on there, which is a bit of a shame but here it is.
So instead I'll leave it to Croydon Council leader Mike Fisher to entertain you as he has (sort of) launched his own blog.
I say 'sort of' because you can't actually post any comments on there, which is a bit of a shame but here it is.
Monday 25 February 2008
'Shrine to a chicken'
Friday was the busiest day we've had on the website, but not for the reasons you might think.
Although the Sally Anne verdict had a lot of hits, it was overshadowed by the reaction to Palace manager Neil Warnock's column, in which he had a mild dig at Liverpool.
Within hours of going live the article had generated a furious response from people living in Liverpool, along with the city's well-known suburbs of, erm, Brighton and Oxon. It went on to become our most-read story and you can read the fall-out: here
I made an inappropriate Boris Johnson-esque comment about Scousers in a previous job, and I'm not making that mistake again.
However, this Liverpool Echo story remains my favourite example of the city's ability to spot tragedy in the most unlikely of scenarios: http://tinyurl.com/dlaps
Another story that generated a huge amount of interest - again, even more so than Sally Anne - was the yobs going on the rampage at Vue cinema.
It's clear from the comments on this story - and many others like it - that people are sick to the back teeth of Croydon's chav culture.
Although the Sally Anne verdict had a lot of hits, it was overshadowed by the reaction to Palace manager Neil Warnock's column, in which he had a mild dig at Liverpool.
Within hours of going live the article had generated a furious response from people living in Liverpool, along with the city's well-known suburbs of, erm, Brighton and Oxon. It went on to become our most-read story and you can read the fall-out: here
I made an inappropriate Boris Johnson-esque comment about Scousers in a previous job, and I'm not making that mistake again.
However, this Liverpool Echo story remains my favourite example of the city's ability to spot tragedy in the most unlikely of scenarios: http://tinyurl.com/dlaps
Another story that generated a huge amount of interest - again, even more so than Sally Anne - was the yobs going on the rampage at Vue cinema.
It's clear from the comments on this story - and many others like it - that people are sick to the back teeth of Croydon's chav culture.
Friday 22 February 2008
Sally Anne
So Mark Dixie is guilty of the Sally Anne murder, and that's no surprise.
He couldn't have looked any more guilty if he'd stood in the witness box with 'murderer' tattooed on his forehead.
Sometimes a defendant's evidence can leave you incredulous - Ian Huntley springs to mind, but I think Dixie's explanation was even more ludicrous.
Hopefully this will at least give Sally Anne's family some closure.
He couldn't have looked any more guilty if he'd stood in the witness box with 'murderer' tattooed on his forehead.
Sometimes a defendant's evidence can leave you incredulous - Ian Huntley springs to mind, but I think Dixie's explanation was even more ludicrous.
Hopefully this will at least give Sally Anne's family some closure.
Thursday 21 February 2008
Deadlines
I've got a bad feeling about this week's paper.
In fact, I've had a bad feeling about this week full-stop ever since I was pulled over by some chump of a police officer on my way to a wedding reception, and subjected to a random roadside spotcheck that only just stopped short of the rubber glove treatment.
Honestly, you'd have thought he was starring in The Wire rather than hassling motorists on a cold night in Crawley town centre.
Anyway, I digress. The reason I've got a bad feeling about this week's paper is because of the ongoing Sally Anne Bowman trial.
For obvious legal reasons I can't say much about the trial, apart from that the judge is expected to begin his summing up today, after which the jury will retire to consider its verdict.
Given the timing (and our early afternoon deadline) this obviously presents us with all sorts of difficulties in ensuring our coverage is as up to date as possible.
In fact, I've had a bad feeling about this week full-stop ever since I was pulled over by some chump of a police officer on my way to a wedding reception, and subjected to a random roadside spotcheck that only just stopped short of the rubber glove treatment.
Honestly, you'd have thought he was starring in The Wire rather than hassling motorists on a cold night in Crawley town centre.
Anyway, I digress. The reason I've got a bad feeling about this week's paper is because of the ongoing Sally Anne Bowman trial.
For obvious legal reasons I can't say much about the trial, apart from that the judge is expected to begin his summing up today, after which the jury will retire to consider its verdict.
Given the timing (and our early afternoon deadline) this obviously presents us with all sorts of difficulties in ensuring our coverage is as up to date as possible.
Tuesday 19 February 2008
Bad news
I'm a bit too busy to write much this week, so in the spirit of of 'citizen journalism' I'm going to let a reader do it instead.
The email below covers similar ground to others I receive fairly frequently, but is argued with rather more style than most.
In defence, I have to point the 'most read' section on the home page, which is the most accurate reflection you can get of what people really do want to read about.
Dear Sir,
"I have read your paper for many years and over the recent past the content becomes ever more sensational and depressing. Take last week's publication , these were some of the headlines:
BODY LAY IN FLAT SIX MONTHS
SHOPPERS STUNNED AS GANG BATTER MAN IN STREET
POLICE PROTECTION FOR SCHOOL
HILDREN ATTACKED AND ROOFING STOLEN
OFFICER TO PATROL SCHOOL TO TACKLE LOITERERS
MAN INJURED IN GANG ATTACK
POLICE RAID SUSPECTED DRUGS DEN AFTER ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
MAN FACES NEW STABBING TRIAL
I MAY HAVE TO SLEEP ON THE STREET WITH MY BABY
FRAUD CHECK
FINE FOR BUGS
BARRED FROM PUB FOR GETTING STABBED
FRIENDS PUNCHED AND KICKED ME PUBLICAN
LOVE TRIANGLE LIAR JAILED OVER HIS MURDER CASE LIES
FIVE ARRESTS IN BROTHEL RAID
TRIO OF DRUGS DENS SHUT DOWM AFTER DAWN RAIDS
EIGHT YEARS FOR TRYING TO RAPE GIRL 11
FOUR OFFICERS INJURED AS FANS CLASH AT PALACE
JAIL FOR BURGLAR CAUGHT REDHANDED.
BEAUTY PARLOUR WAS DRUG DEN
UNDERCOVER POLICE SNARE DRUG DEALER
SOCCER YOB KICKED PC IN FACE
SEX DISEASES NO BED OF ROSES
These are only some of the depressing headlines in the paper. Couple this with stories about puppies, gas cylinder blasts, creating a town for the rich, tax rise agreed, explosion averted, climate change fear for home flooding,and you can see there is not much left for good news.
Come on Advertiser this is just driving people away from the town otherwise i can see the next headline "Freddy Starr ate my hamster!!!!"
The email below covers similar ground to others I receive fairly frequently, but is argued with rather more style than most.
In defence, I have to point the 'most read' section on the home page, which is the most accurate reflection you can get of what people really do want to read about.
Dear Sir,
"I have read your paper for many years and over the recent past the content becomes ever more sensational and depressing. Take last week's publication , these were some of the headlines:
BODY LAY IN FLAT SIX MONTHS
SHOPPERS STUNNED AS GANG BATTER MAN IN STREET
POLICE PROTECTION FOR SCHOOL
HILDREN ATTACKED AND ROOFING STOLEN
OFFICER TO PATROL SCHOOL TO TACKLE LOITERERS
MAN INJURED IN GANG ATTACK
POLICE RAID SUSPECTED DRUGS DEN AFTER ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
MAN FACES NEW STABBING TRIAL
I MAY HAVE TO SLEEP ON THE STREET WITH MY BABY
FRAUD CHECK
FINE FOR BUGS
BARRED FROM PUB FOR GETTING STABBED
FRIENDS PUNCHED AND KICKED ME PUBLICAN
LOVE TRIANGLE LIAR JAILED OVER HIS MURDER CASE LIES
FIVE ARRESTS IN BROTHEL RAID
TRIO OF DRUGS DENS SHUT DOWM AFTER DAWN RAIDS
EIGHT YEARS FOR TRYING TO RAPE GIRL 11
FOUR OFFICERS INJURED AS FANS CLASH AT PALACE
JAIL FOR BURGLAR CAUGHT REDHANDED.
BEAUTY PARLOUR WAS DRUG DEN
UNDERCOVER POLICE SNARE DRUG DEALER
SOCCER YOB KICKED PC IN FACE
SEX DISEASES NO BED OF ROSES
These are only some of the depressing headlines in the paper. Couple this with stories about puppies, gas cylinder blasts, creating a town for the rich, tax rise agreed, explosion averted, climate change fear for home flooding,and you can see there is not much left for good news.
Come on Advertiser this is just driving people away from the town otherwise i can see the next headline "Freddy Starr ate my hamster!!!!"
Friday 15 February 2008
Oh dear
This is what can happen when a blog goes wrong.
Who would have thought an account of a posh student's gap year travels would generate such bile from the Guardian's normally placid readership? Mind you, it's hard to disagree with any of the comments at the end of his post.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/travelog/2008/02/skins_blog.html
Who would have thought an account of a posh student's gap year travels would generate such bile from the Guardian's normally placid readership? Mind you, it's hard to disagree with any of the comments at the end of his post.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/travelog/2008/02/skins_blog.html
Comps
When you launch a competition or promotion you can never tell how many people are going to enter.
Once - and I think I've mentioned this before - we decided to give away £1,000 a week over the course of a month.
It bombed. On one of the weeks we hardly got a single entry, and the first person who phoned up ended up pocketing the money.
It was only the fear of getting arrested for breaching the Gaming Act that stopped me phoning up friends and family and urging them to cash in quick.
Looking back, the fact readers had to dial a premium rate number didn't help, nor did people's natural cynicism of free money give-aways.
Anyway, a couple of weeks ago we launched a competition asking kids to draw a picture of their mum. The winning entry gets £1,500 of Allders vouchers.
It was a slow start, and I thought 'here we go again'. But things went a bit nutty this week, and there are now hundreds upon hundreds of entries sitting on promotions manager Kim Fyfe's desk.
It's good news for me in terms of sales, but not such good news for the people who have to scan the photos in and lay them out in the special supplement I've now decided we need to do in time for Mother's Day.
I haven't broken the delightful news to the production editor yet, but he's had quite an easy week so I'm sure he'll react with grace and good humour.
Once - and I think I've mentioned this before - we decided to give away £1,000 a week over the course of a month.
It bombed. On one of the weeks we hardly got a single entry, and the first person who phoned up ended up pocketing the money.
It was only the fear of getting arrested for breaching the Gaming Act that stopped me phoning up friends and family and urging them to cash in quick.
Looking back, the fact readers had to dial a premium rate number didn't help, nor did people's natural cynicism of free money give-aways.
Anyway, a couple of weeks ago we launched a competition asking kids to draw a picture of their mum. The winning entry gets £1,500 of Allders vouchers.
It was a slow start, and I thought 'here we go again'. But things went a bit nutty this week, and there are now hundreds upon hundreds of entries sitting on promotions manager Kim Fyfe's desk.
It's good news for me in terms of sales, but not such good news for the people who have to scan the photos in and lay them out in the special supplement I've now decided we need to do in time for Mother's Day.
I haven't broken the delightful news to the production editor yet, but he's had quite an easy week so I'm sure he'll react with grace and good humour.
Thursday 14 February 2008
I hate typos in newspapers - they drive me potty.
Despite the various emails and letters I get on a regular basis, I DO actually read the Advertiser before it goes to print, thank you very much, and try to ensure it is error-free.
Mistakes do occasionally creep in, but we're not as bad as some. (If you want to see missing punctuation marks or sentences petering out midway through, have a look at the Daily Mirror's sports section for a few days in a row).
This is a bit of a self-serving blog entry, because I'm just trying to get my defence in early in case of mistakes in tomorrow's paper. Thanks to the new editorial system holding things up, I had to push pages through far quicker than normal, and we were still two hours late.
Still, good paper - I think. Nobody else seemed to want to splash the story that I led with, which is a bit worrying as my brain is a bit over-tired this week, but we'll see.
Despite my worries yesterday, nobody's phoned up to give me an earful for turning the Surrey Mirror tabloid yet - in fact everyone's been very positive.
There were only a handful of minor teething issues, and one headline I regretted re-writing when I saw it in print.
Without wanting to lower the tone, I'm not sure the words 'flappy' and 'cock' ever sit very comfortably together in a headline, even if you are writing about the first birthday of the Dorking Cockerel (don't ask).
Despite the various emails and letters I get on a regular basis, I DO actually read the Advertiser before it goes to print, thank you very much, and try to ensure it is error-free.
Mistakes do occasionally creep in, but we're not as bad as some. (If you want to see missing punctuation marks or sentences petering out midway through, have a look at the Daily Mirror's sports section for a few days in a row).
This is a bit of a self-serving blog entry, because I'm just trying to get my defence in early in case of mistakes in tomorrow's paper. Thanks to the new editorial system holding things up, I had to push pages through far quicker than normal, and we were still two hours late.
Still, good paper - I think. Nobody else seemed to want to splash the story that I led with, which is a bit worrying as my brain is a bit over-tired this week, but we'll see.
Despite my worries yesterday, nobody's phoned up to give me an earful for turning the Surrey Mirror tabloid yet - in fact everyone's been very positive.
There were only a handful of minor teething issues, and one headline I regretted re-writing when I saw it in print.
Without wanting to lower the tone, I'm not sure the words 'flappy' and 'cock' ever sit very comfortably together in a headline, even if you are writing about the first birthday of the Dorking Cockerel (don't ask).
Tuesday 12 February 2008
Outsourcing
If there's one thing I hate, it's companies who 'offshore' vital parts of their business.
I changed bank accounts last month, largely because I couldn't face dealing with an overseas call centre any more whenever I tried to query a payment.
Still, I've had to join the club myself this week and arrange for some of the Croydon Advertiser pages to be subbed from a completely different location.
OK, it's Canterbury rather than Bangalore, but the principle is the same.
Our slightly demented decision to change some of our titles from broadsheet to tabloid in the same week as replacing our entire editorial system has given our sub editors an almost impossible task.
Despite working excessive hours without complaining (well, no more than normal), it became clear yesterday we needed a back-up plan to meet the Croydon deadlines.
I'm having one of those weeks where I have had to give up all pretence of editing the Advertiser and focus on the tabloid project instead.
Luckily, I've got a management team in Croydon who share my view of how the paper should look, and being able to leave them to get on with it without any worries is a big weight off my shoulders.
The tabloid conversion of the Surrey Mirror and Dorking Advertiser is proving rather traumatic for technical rather than editorial reasons, but we have no choice but to get everything wrapped up by this afternoon.
And I already know that, whatever happens, the first dispiriting phone call I receive tomorrow will be from somebody complaining that they think the new look is crap, it's nowhere near as good as it used to be, the new size means it isn't even big enough to line their cat's litter tray with any more etc etc.
Such is life - at times like this you have to pin your hopes on the silent majority.
I changed bank accounts last month, largely because I couldn't face dealing with an overseas call centre any more whenever I tried to query a payment.
Still, I've had to join the club myself this week and arrange for some of the Croydon Advertiser pages to be subbed from a completely different location.
OK, it's Canterbury rather than Bangalore, but the principle is the same.
Our slightly demented decision to change some of our titles from broadsheet to tabloid in the same week as replacing our entire editorial system has given our sub editors an almost impossible task.
Despite working excessive hours without complaining (well, no more than normal), it became clear yesterday we needed a back-up plan to meet the Croydon deadlines.
I'm having one of those weeks where I have had to give up all pretence of editing the Advertiser and focus on the tabloid project instead.
Luckily, I've got a management team in Croydon who share my view of how the paper should look, and being able to leave them to get on with it without any worries is a big weight off my shoulders.
The tabloid conversion of the Surrey Mirror and Dorking Advertiser is proving rather traumatic for technical rather than editorial reasons, but we have no choice but to get everything wrapped up by this afternoon.
And I already know that, whatever happens, the first dispiriting phone call I receive tomorrow will be from somebody complaining that they think the new look is crap, it's nowhere near as good as it used to be, the new size means it isn't even big enough to line their cat's litter tray with any more etc etc.
Such is life - at times like this you have to pin your hopes on the silent majority.
Monday 11 February 2008
Round the bend
Like anybody else who works for a reasonably big company, I have to jump through a few hoops to keep the HR department off my back.
An example is the online driving appraisal I've just had to complete in order to be allowed to continue my daily commute to the far-flung corners of our mini media empire.
I thought I might be in trouble given I'm a pretty awful driver and have the concentration level of a two-year-old when it comes to exams, but my fears soon disappeared when I saw the first multiple choice question.
It asked - and I swear to god this is true - the following question:
Somebody cuts you up at a traffic light. Do you a) Drive after them flashing your lights and waving your fist or b) Ignore their bad driving and continue your journey in a calm and collected manner?
The second question was even trickier, asking bluntly: What kind of driver are you? a) Careful and well mannered or b) Aggressive.
The shocking thing isn't that I only scored 90%, it's that I've been told at least two Advertiser reporters managed to fail altogether. (Both female, although I'm sure that's just an unhappy coincidence.)
The only other news this week is that I am suffering from a cold - and when I say cold I'm talking about a real humdinger of a bug that's left me shivering, sweating and hallucinating for the past three days.
My spaced-out feeling wasn't helped earlier when I finished a phone conversation with Epsom MP Chris Grayling (hands free, obviously), turned on the car radio and heard the self-same Mr Grayling chatting live to Talk Sport host Jon Gaunt mere milliseconds later. That nearly was enough to make me crash.
Finally, it's been brought to my attention that you can't leave comments on this blog any more unless you sell your soul to Google first and sign up for one of their email accounts.
Sorry about that - I trust Google even less than Facebook - and I'll hunt for an alternative home.
An example is the online driving appraisal I've just had to complete in order to be allowed to continue my daily commute to the far-flung corners of our mini media empire.
I thought I might be in trouble given I'm a pretty awful driver and have the concentration level of a two-year-old when it comes to exams, but my fears soon disappeared when I saw the first multiple choice question.
It asked - and I swear to god this is true - the following question:
Somebody cuts you up at a traffic light. Do you a) Drive after them flashing your lights and waving your fist or b) Ignore their bad driving and continue your journey in a calm and collected manner?
The second question was even trickier, asking bluntly: What kind of driver are you? a) Careful and well mannered or b) Aggressive.
The shocking thing isn't that I only scored 90%, it's that I've been told at least two Advertiser reporters managed to fail altogether. (Both female, although I'm sure that's just an unhappy coincidence.)
The only other news this week is that I am suffering from a cold - and when I say cold I'm talking about a real humdinger of a bug that's left me shivering, sweating and hallucinating for the past three days.
My spaced-out feeling wasn't helped earlier when I finished a phone conversation with Epsom MP Chris Grayling (hands free, obviously), turned on the car radio and heard the self-same Mr Grayling chatting live to Talk Sport host Jon Gaunt mere milliseconds later. That nearly was enough to make me crash.
Finally, it's been brought to my attention that you can't leave comments on this blog any more unless you sell your soul to Google first and sign up for one of their email accounts.
Sorry about that - I trust Google even less than Facebook - and I'll hunt for an alternative home.
Friday 8 February 2008
I hate Facebook
People keep asking me why I'm not on Facebook.
The simple answer is I'd rather slice my own ears off than sign up for something that would invade my own privacy in such a manner.
I couldn't give a monkey's what my friends or work colleagues are up to most of the time - they can give me the edited hightlights when we meet in the pub. That's always worked just fine for me.
Somebody else who probably shares my view of the site is Sonya Manger, whose traumatic Facebook sex lies experience is recounted in today's Advertiser (and hopefully on the homepage by the time you read this.)
The comment we got from the official Facebook spokesman, when we asked why they were publising fake pictures of Sonya and claiming she was a sex-crazed lesbian, only added to my loathing.
Rather than thanking us for bringing it to their attention, they thanked us for 'bubbling this up to us.' Good grief, when did that become a phrase? Typical Californians.
The simple answer is I'd rather slice my own ears off than sign up for something that would invade my own privacy in such a manner.
I couldn't give a monkey's what my friends or work colleagues are up to most of the time - they can give me the edited hightlights when we meet in the pub. That's always worked just fine for me.
Somebody else who probably shares my view of the site is Sonya Manger, whose traumatic Facebook sex lies experience is recounted in today's Advertiser (and hopefully on the homepage by the time you read this.)
The comment we got from the official Facebook spokesman, when we asked why they were publising fake pictures of Sonya and claiming she was a sex-crazed lesbian, only added to my loathing.
Rather than thanking us for bringing it to their attention, they thanked us for 'bubbling this up to us.' Good grief, when did that become a phrase? Typical Californians.
Thursday 7 February 2008
Same ... but different
Welcome to my new blog site - it's almost the same, but still feels completely alien. This must be what it's like for Dr Who when he regenerates.
OK, how to kick things off in my new home? Probably best to start by talking about tomorrow's paper.
If only, if only, if only.... if only we could print all those stories that almost made it into the paper over the years before being spiked on grounds of taste, legality or truth. It would be the best thing you've ever read.
All newspapers have great stories that never get to see the light of day.
There's one publication not very far from here which has been trying, for the past few weeks, to stand up a story headlined 'Santa molested my pet dog'. It's still not quite got to the point where it is fit for publication, and sadly may never be so.
We had a similar tale this week. As soon as the newsdesk told me about it, I'd already mentally drawn up the front page.
Unfortunately the more we looked into it the more holes we discovered, and my hopes of a mind-boggling splash disappeared down the toilet. Which is quite ironic given what the story would have been about.
The other thing we had to decide this week was how to play the Sally Anne Bowman trial. It's a huge story for any paper, but has already received extensive coverage in the nationals and on our own website.
In the end I decided against leading with it, and only time will tell if that was the right decision.
OK, how to kick things off in my new home? Probably best to start by talking about tomorrow's paper.
If only, if only, if only.... if only we could print all those stories that almost made it into the paper over the years before being spiked on grounds of taste, legality or truth. It would be the best thing you've ever read.
All newspapers have great stories that never get to see the light of day.
There's one publication not very far from here which has been trying, for the past few weeks, to stand up a story headlined 'Santa molested my pet dog'. It's still not quite got to the point where it is fit for publication, and sadly may never be so.
We had a similar tale this week. As soon as the newsdesk told me about it, I'd already mentally drawn up the front page.
Unfortunately the more we looked into it the more holes we discovered, and my hopes of a mind-boggling splash disappeared down the toilet. Which is quite ironic given what the story would have been about.
The other thing we had to decide this week was how to play the Sally Anne Bowman trial. It's a huge story for any paper, but has already received extensive coverage in the nationals and on our own website.
In the end I decided against leading with it, and only time will tell if that was the right decision.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)