Comments on: Newspaper backs down over drunk driver gagging order

By: Biter

Biter — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:38:19 +0000

I’m at the coal face and I can see that front page is a total mess. Nobody denies there are passionate people working in local papers, the trick is to link that to some sort of skill or proficiency.

Report this comment

By: Keep the faith

Keep the faith — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:17:10 +0000

Surely the point of this story was to highlight the problems which the press face when unjust banning orders are imposed and the high cost needed to fight them?

It’s very easy to sit back in your arm chair and be critical when you’re not at the coal face.

The media has changed a lot over the past three years.
There are many enthusiastic and passionate people in this industry who are working as hard as they can, with limited resources, long hours and often low pay. They deserve support and praise for their efforts.

From from the comments I often read, former journalists and subs are far too quick to criticise today’s newspapers – whether it’s the Monmouthshire Beacon or the Pontypridd Observer – and their loyal staff. It’s very sad.

There are many of us who still believe in the local media and are passionate about what we do and the people we write about.

Report this comment

By: Former chief sub

Former chief sub — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:02:02 +0000

Headline impact diminished by being over pic
Pic of van too small and lost
Main image of man is not really the point of the story
Plus picture doesn’t really illustrate anything since it, in turn, is obscured by headline
Sidebar fights the promo stuff
Dogleg text untidy
Prevailing wisdom is turns should run on to next page, not end on full stop
Positioning of sidebar might persuade some people to read it first (but they won’t understand what’s going on)
Bylines are enormous … why?
Complicated story … probably needs a b-deck
Sidebar not lined up with top of main heading is untidy

Report this comment

By: Roger Jones

Roger Jones — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:24:15 +0000

Sadly, a sign of the times it seems.
Incidentally re the second par of the story, there’s no such thing as “worth of damage”. You can have a cost of damage but not a worth. Lots of journalist make this mistake, the BBC included.

Report this comment

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:44:29 +0000

Please do start, deadMaus. What would you change…?

Report this comment

By: Rob

Rob — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:11:24 +0000

Just Tweet it. That seems to be one area where the law is unwilling or unable to invoke the same standards that we as journalists have to abide by.

Report this comment

By: deadMaus

deadMaus — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:20:09 +0000

It’s a depressing but unsuprising reality that most local newspapers don’t have the resources to fight these kind of decisions. In an unrelated point – that is one ugly front page. I don’t even know where to start…

Report this comment