Comments on: Dyson at Large: Mining tragedy undersold on page one http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2011/news/dyson-at-large-mining-tragedy-undersold-on-page-one/ The home of UK regional journalism news and jobs Tue, 21 May 2013 16:59:39 +0000 hourly 1 By: Lone Subber http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2011/news/dyson-at-large-mining-tragedy-undersold-on-page-one/#comment-14689 Lone Subber Thu, 20 Oct 2011 09:47:57 +0000 http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/?p=1618358#comment-14689 I think the ambulance was carrying the dead miner, and so using it as the main pic was an attempt at being dramatic. But I agree that it's a mystery to have left the name off the front, and also that the headline '?' is odd. It either is or isn't a death-trap (it obviously was!). It's also the boosts under the masthead and the advert that put me off - especially 'The Hoff' pic. When there's a huge local tragedy like this you want to focus on one story - or at least to reduce the boosts to simple x-ref texts and remove the ad. As it is, it looks too patchwork quilt-like, and the four strong boost entry points dilute the splash. I think the ambulance was carrying the dead miner, and so using it as the main pic was an attempt at being dramatic. But I agree that it’s a mystery to have left the name off the front, and also that the headline ‘?’ is odd. It either is or isn’t a death-trap (it obviously was!). It’s also the boosts under the masthead and the advert that put me off – especially ‘The Hoff’
pic. When there’s a huge local tragedy like this you want to focus on one story – or at least to reduce the boosts to simple x-ref texts and remove the ad. As it is, it looks too patchwork quilt-like, and the four strong boost entry points dilute the splash.

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]]> By: Reporter http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2011/news/dyson-at-large-mining-tragedy-undersold-on-page-one/#comment-14687 Reporter Thu, 20 Oct 2011 09:14:11 +0000 http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/?p=1618358#comment-14687 I am a former employee of the Pontefract and Castleford Express and I feel that I must comment on the above blog post. I can fully understand the decision to handle the story in the manner in which it was covered in the P&C. Yes, the miner isn’t named until quite far down in the story, but it is my understanding that the name was not released until Wednesday afternoon which is when the P&C goes to print, leaving it late in the day to alter copy - let alone redesign a front page. The other point, which I am sure would have been a deciding factor in the newsroom, is that the miner came from a town outside the patch. Sherburn-in-Elmet may be ‘just nine miles away from Castleford’ but it is situated in Selby, North Yorkshire and is not an area covered by the newspaper. I think Steve does a great job correctly identifying the reason behind the design of the front page: “I can see that the Express might have been trying to move the story on, and that with national and regional dailies reporting the actual incident it, as a weekly, had to keep the story 'new' on the shelves for several days.” The P&C goes to print on a Wednesday and comes out on a Thursday. This tragedy happened early in the evening on Tuesday and was covered thoroughly by the regionals and nationals. The news broke on national news websites and social media as it happened, and if the P&C had reported ‘Miner died’ two days after the event, it would have been nothing other than old news. I am a former employee of the Pontefract and Castleford Express and I feel that I must comment on the above blog post.
I can fully understand the decision to handle the story in the manner in which it was covered in the P&C.

Yes, the miner isn’t named until quite far down in the story, but it is my understanding that the name was not released until Wednesday afternoon which is when the P&C goes to print, leaving it late in the day to alter copy – let alone redesign a front page.

The other point, which I am sure would have been a deciding factor in the newsroom, is that the miner came from a town outside the patch. Sherburn-in-Elmet may be ‘just nine miles away from Castleford’ but it is situated in Selby, North Yorkshire and is not an area covered by the newspaper.

I think Steve does a great job correctly identifying the reason behind the design of the front page: “I can see that the Express might have been trying to move the story on, and that with national and regional dailies reporting the actual incident it, as a weekly, had to keep the story ‘new’ on the shelves for several days.”
The P&C goes to print on a Wednesday and comes out on a Thursday. This tragedy happened early in the evening on Tuesday and was covered thoroughly by the regionals and nationals. The news broke on national news websites and social media as it happened, and if the P&C had reported ‘Miner died’ two days after the event, it would have been nothing other than old news.

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]]> By: Goldfinch http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2011/news/dyson-at-large-mining-tragedy-undersold-on-page-one/#comment-14674 Goldfinch Thu, 20 Oct 2011 06:53:46 +0000 http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/?p=1618358#comment-14674 Woeful front. Made worse by the question mark. Woeful front. Made worse by the question mark.

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