The Sun, Villa and Blues and a wider debate on crass reporting in the nationals

Many thanks to all who engaged my rage on the last post. I'd like to respond in this new post as well as via comments on the last.

Truth and lies: I'm always trying to highlight the disgusting way I feel The Sun can sometimes operate in the regions. Happy to discuss the hooli book story you mention, although it's kind of a completely different topic! But here goes. From memory, the book was published by a mainstream publisher and was being launched at an event at a local bookshop. Er, that's a story.

Anon: If you have any issue with any story we have published, please contact me directly. You can do this via steve.dyson@birminghammail.net
Re. my criticism of The Sun, I will continue with that. While you say they are trying to do a job, I say they are only trying to grab headlines in a way that could very easily have caused violence and misplaced retribution in the city that I serve. For that I will continue to shout about them (and any other national paper with the nerve to misrepresent my city).

Stellachiave and Luke: Thanks for your comments.

Generally: I despise the way newspapers like The Sun sometimes go about their business. They and others were directly criticised by me in Chapter 10 of The Battle For Longbridge (Brewin, 2000), 'The London bias that nearly killed Rover'. They at times show little respect for anywhere north of Watford gap. It is crucial that editors in the regions kick out to show up their occasional (and in some cases frequent) ineptitude and crass handling of facts.

Rebekah Wade: I'd welcome your comments, and look forward to a fulsome apology in tomorrow's The Sun.