A community newspaper editor has highlighted ‘fears over safety’ after claiming one of his journalists was threatened with violence by a trio of travellers.
Clive Edwards, editorial chief of the Tyburn Mail, declined to name the member of his staff caught up in the alleged fracas on a Birmingham estate.
But the monthly paper’s website has posted a story revealing its reporter was the victim of harassment when he went to question the travellers.
Under the heading ‘If You Take Any Pictures, You Won’t Get Off This Site In One Piece’, the article is linked to others on the site which highlight the presence of travellers in the Farnborough Fields and Kingsbury Road areas of the ward making up the paper’s distribution area.
The web story reports: “One of them told the journalist that if he took any photographs, his camera would be smashed. Another told him that they would track his car down, and a third told him that he would not get off the site in one piece.
It went on: “One traveller told another who was holding a mobile phone to take a photograph of the journalist’s car so that they would be able to track him down.
“All of the travellers who spoke to the journalist had broad Irish accents. One was wearing a Chelsea football shirt, another was wearing a Manchester United football shirt. A third was twirling a spool of fishing line in his hands.”
The travellers had moved on to the site the day before the reporter approached them and the story said they “had permission” to be on Farnborough Fields from Birmingham City Council and were planning to “move on” in a couple of days.
The Mail’s online story said the local police had received several complaints from local residents about the travellers’ site.
Clive – a former NCTJ media law and public affairs lecturer at Sutton Coldfield College – claimed the incident highlighted “a really important local safety issue” but added: “I don’t want to make any further comment about this.”
The Tyburn Mail started out life in 2000 as a Housing Action Trust publication covering one estate.
It has grown into a 12,000-circulation monthly which distributes to the Birmingham council ward of Tyburn covering Birches Green, Castle Vale, Pype Hayes and Erdington Hall with its associated website making daily postings.
Sign up for our free daily email bulletin
Follow HTFP on Twitter
Got a story? Email the Editor at
This tale doesn’t surprise me. As a reporter, I did many stories on travellers and soon lost my earlier, rather romantic notions of their lifestyle. Some individuals I met were among the most thuggish, charmless characters I’ve ever encountered. These days I have absolutely no sympathy for them or the way they connive with left-wing lawyers to foist themselves and their ‘traditions’ on devastated local communities.
Report this comment
Any professional photographer would distance himself in these situations by shooting on a long lens. Probably within distance from their car.
These companies owe a duty of care to their employees and sending out some kid journo with a mobile phone shows total disregard to their safety.
When you way up what local papers are paying their staff, it’s not really worth the risk anymore.
Report this comment
Newspapers have a duty to cover stories properly, and that means getting both sides to every story. It was, of course, ridiculous to send someone down on their own. I covered many, many traveller stories as a reporter, and that meant routinely having to venture on to sites. I had the full range of experiences: threatened at knifepoint; brick through the back window of my car; cups of tea and a often a pleasant chat. The point is, I kept going back and I got stories as a result. Things are never going to change if we just write these people off. Has it ever occurred to you that THEY might be terrified of US?
Report this comment
And yes, that should have read: “…and often a pleasant chat.” I always wanted to be a journalist. Now I are one.
Report this comment