January 2008 Archives

A furious woman just called to complain about her picture being in the Birmingham Mail.

She had been pictured arriving at court with a friend, but was not herself in any trouble. Her friend was.

The 'snatch picture' of the accused arriving was fully justified, and was used with a court report on the story of her misdemeanours. But should we have included the picture of the blameless friend who was merely accompanying her?

There's no law against it... and there are hundreds of pictures or TV news footage every year that include the friends/relatives of accused entering or leaving courts.

In this case, we'd used the picture THREE times before the lady concerned phoned to complain.

But let's not be difficult for no reason here. In good faith, I accept the lady's word that she was not herself in trouble. And, as a local paper that has to live and work in the village we serve, why upset someone if there is no need to?

The picture that remains on our files will now be 'pixilated' so that the innocent lady's face is blurred.

The image we have of the accused, however, who has already pleaded guilty of stealing thousands of pounds from a school, will remain on our files and we will use it again when she is sentenced next month.

The thief, for information, was Celia Payne, and you can click here to see the story.

For anyone worried about my daft rushed eating habits, I think the solution came today.

My nearest and dearest (I call her Ruthilicious, but don't tell anyone) politely but firmly put a breakfast bowl with cereal in front of my face at 6.15am at home and said "eat... slowly".

I did. My hunger pangs and resulting giddiness didn't kick in all morning and, when they did, were not so serious that I had to bolt (or choke) on pasta.

Hurray!

Let's hope, for the kids' sake, that I can keep it up.

On the same tasks, tasks, tasks theme, does anyone else find it hard to go home?

It's bad enough finding time to eat, but at the end of the day (nowish, 6.15pm) after starting nearly 12 hours ago, and with today a 'free' evening (no community meeting, business chat or other excuse for a smoky pub - how I miss smoky pubs!) I'm still in the chair.

Why? Because there is so much left to do. I try to organise, I try to prioritise, but when I'm enjoying myself (and whatever anyone tells you this IS the best job in the world) when I'm enjoying myself I just like to do the next thing, and the next and, why not, another...

Or are editors just a little bit sad?

I can see the headlines now...

EDITOR CHOKES ON PASTA ON DEADLINE

And it's all about the grossly unhealthy lifestyle this job can bring.

6.45am national newspapers scan; 7am radio bulletins listen; 7.15am news conference; 7.30am cartoon review and daily gag decision; 7.45am onwards, live edition pages to proof and sign off until 9.15am; 9.30am 1-1 meeting with staff on a n other matter; finance meetings; forward planning meetings; project meetings, etc.

Until, at 1pm, a guy my size goes faint. Instant solution = pasta from Philpotts... and that was when I almost choked to death at this desk writing this blog while snaffling a quick lunch.

Lucky I bought that carrot and orange juice to wash it down. Luck a staff member spotted a blue face through the window and came to thump me on the back.

And so here I remain... still alive and sitting in that editor's chair, if a bit flushed.

Tell you what, though, I must sort out my eating schedule before I die.

The Birmingham Mail's cartoon today made the news conference laugh.

With a forthcoming strike by council workers, Whittock's gag shows a concerned city leader Mike Whitby (great caricature) being told by his pa that she's kept February 5 clear (the strike date)... and asking him whether he'd like to be a binman, school dinner lady or street sweeper.

But the real clever touch by conference was to ask Whittock to add another character, Alan Rudge, the cabinet member responsible for the Single Status Pay issue which the strike is over.

Thing is, Rudge is not well known enough by Whittock to create a good caricature... and so the suggestion, which makes the gag funnier, was to place a pair of wide-open, frightened eyes underneath Whitby's desk, with a note attached pointing to 'Rudge->'.

What an interesting variety of feedback we've had since Friday's splash story on a dinner lady sacked for punching the lights out of a too-cheeky school pupil!

I knew the tale would be the one talked about down the pub, but didn't predict just how angry it would get readers.

"This kid should have been smacked red with a wooden spoon," was among the most extreme of responses. "It's time we stood up for school staff who must be driven mad by these little runts."

I guess I sort of understand this viewpoint from the "flog 'em and hang 'em" brigade, but I can also remember days of white cabbage and lumpy custard at my schools (West Heath Junior and the then Primrose Hill Comp).

Do school pupils really have to put up with being fed pig swill?