May 2008 Archives

Breaking news that on occasions clashes with booked advertising can cause real juxtaposition problems for a newspaper.

Today's front page in the Birmingham Mail tells of the horrible M5 crash that killed five people last night.

The editor of the day called me at home to ask whether or not we should take off the front page ad. for reasons of taste. The advert in question was for a taxi service, and it potentially sat very badly with the dramatic but severe picture of motorway carnage.

In the end, we kept this advert on. We made sure the story and picture were boxed in with a 5-point line (a heavy border), therefore making it clear it had nothing to do with the car pictures and graphics on the advert.

At other times, we have dropped the advert. Accident insurance claims would, for instance, have been offensive to readers on a front page telling of a fatal accident.

The worst I remember was a toothpaste advert clashing with a front page that told of a man who'd choked to death on his dentures.

Spoke today with our trusty correspondent at Stafford Crown Court, Mike Posner.

Mike worked for the Mail for 30+ years before retiring, but has still kept us supplied with some great court tales as an occasional freelance for the last eight years.

He tells me that he's just about to launch a new book on the unsolved murders of Staffordshire. This will be some read. Watch this space and I'll link to the review that we will run in the next few weeks.

If I know Mike, for anyone who likes a good crime read it will be a real page-turner.

You can never take the rascal reporter out of the editors.

As I speak, regional editors across Britain belonging to Trinity Mirror are engaged in a phone conference.

As the conference machine introduced us all, there was much mirth.

"in our office, you're all on camera," I joked. "Best put me trousers back on then," replied Geordie Paul Robertson.

"Marc Reeves stuffing his face with sausage sandwich present and correct," The Birmingham Post editor announced.

"Alastair Machray and Mark Thomas," announced the Liverpool contingent, strait-laced. "Sounds like a folk group," quipped Tony Lennox, Midlands Weekly editorial director.

I'd best concentrate on the phone conference content for a bit now...

A Birmingham Mail reporter was this week threatened about covering a court case, members of the public observing the proceedings talking loudly next to her about 'beating her up'.

When will the public 'get it' that this sort of intimidation only ensures that such court stories are covered? Indeed, covered in MORE detail, on pages closer to the front?

Top tip: if you're in court, DON'T ask a reporter not to cover it. Even if they weren't going to, by aqsking them you're guaranteed a spot in our news columns.

We editors sometimes have to restrain our tub-thumping. But am I unreasonable to expect direct flights from Birmingham to Berlin?

Birmingham is the centre of the second largest conurbation in Britain. Berlin is Germany's capital. Surely there are enough business, governmental and quango links between these European giants to justify scheduled services?

Not so, I'm afraid. And as a result, I'm still yawning today as I recover from 4x taxis, 4x flights and a total of more than 16 hours travelling... all for a 5-hour business visit.

This start with a taxi to the airport at 10.30am... to check in at 11am... for a flight at 1pm-ish... which arrived in Amsterdam at 3pm-ish (European time)... a wait until 6pm-ish for the connection to Berlin... arriving at 7.30pm-ish... taxi to hotel by 8.15pmish...

The meeting the next day was at 9.30am, and was over by 2pm. Then throw the above travel schedule in reverse, with me arriving home at 10pm-ish.

Methinks a research of the train timetable or even a comparison with car fuel costs might come next time.

Come on BA... surely with the £850m+ profits announced today, you can provide something better than this??

I guess when managers of the repute and standing of Martin O'Neill point out what they feel are inaccuracies in their local paper, the man in The Editors' Chair has to sit up and take notice.

And so I did.

But the moans from Martin appear to me to be about the Mail not carrying his interpretation on a very delicate stage of a crucial story on the future of Gareth Barry.

In essence, MON told our man at Villa that:
1. the price for GB was bigger than the purse he believed Lpool to have; and
2. GB was not unhappy at Villa; and
3. that he, Randy and many others were really going to work on GB to stay; and
4. therefore, in MON's opi nion, he was odds on favourite not to leave; BUT
5. if the massive price was raised and if GB decided he wanted to go that there would be no point in keeping an unhappy player.

All the above was in the Mail story and MON's quotes. The headline - 'Barry can go if the price is right' was NOT entirely reflective of the story. Headlines can't be... this one was only eight words. But nor was it inacccurate.

Basically, if Lpool offer a certain figure (let's say £20m - MON reckons they won't and that Lpool can't afford it), and let's say this and the package and the hope for medals tempts GB (it would). THat's when the headline may come home to roost.

Of course, MON fuminates because the effect of the Mail headline is that it's read out on Talksport and appears on Sky Sports News. I can understand his view of this.

But he and Villa should also understand that we have to reflect different angles on different stories each day, and we can't nullify these simply to stay in chorus with MON's admittedly impressive orchestration of the press. Not all the time, anyway.

So what will happen?

Well, I've been wrong before, but given Lpool's self-destructive board atm, my money's on GB to stay with Villa for one more season. But no medals in 2008/9 and he's off.

So where was The Editor after Blues were relegated and Villa missed automatic Uefa qualification? When his optimistic assertions of success for both clubs were all wrong? When certain 'Blues fans' were ripping up St Andrews and the board was walking the plank?

Well, I'm still here and picking up the pieces.

It wasn't pleasant having to report on idiots on and off the pitch following Blues 4-1 victory over Blackburn but ultimate relegation. And when I say idiots on and off the pitch, David Sullivan and his remarks are NOT excluded...

But Blues can and will pick themselves up. Gold's comments were more measured, fans' websites carried the beginnings of commonsense on their predicament. We need to wait for tempers to settle, we need to wait until Blues are doing an Albion next season. But time will heal.

Villa, meanwhile, will throw themselves at Intertoto. I hope fans - especially younger, more naive ones - don't put all their hopes into this. Yes, great if they then qualify. But if they don't, fans should shrug it off and understand that the now longer season will cause more exhaustion and potential injury on the stretched claret and blue squad.

All the more reason for four star signings this summer.

Albion, meanwhile,have the world before them in the Premiership. They now need to plan, think and buy very carefully to consolidate themselves into a Premiership fixture.

So, for the paper, not the best results all round on the last day of the season. But still a busy time reporting the highs and lows for fans of all colours, and preparing now for a 2008/9 season that could see Blues win the Championship, Villa the Uefa and Albion mid-table.

..... or is this editor's wishful thinking kicking in again....

Sunday predictions...

Let's be daring: Blues 1, Blackburn 0.

Reading draw; Fulham lose.

Blues stay up! C'mon you Blues.

Villa beat West Ham 2-1. Everton lose 0-1 to Newcastle.

Villa in Europe! YEEEEES.

Editor's wishful thinking?

Let's see...

Doom merchants! Do they do your head in or what? Or has the credit-crunch brigade got it right this time?

What am I on about? Well, in summary, are we on the precipice of economic disaster or not? If you listen to some - largely London-based - commentators, we're already falling over it.

Indeed, according to some of them, the economic world has already seen certain businesses disintegrate at the bottom of a cartoon-like drop.

PUFF!

Extrapolate their worst trends and many household names will also be out of business in 18 months, unless they halve their costs.

ARRGGHHH!! Close branch offices! Slash the product range! Cancel the research! Cut the training! Freeze recruitment! Negotiate pay cuts! Re-write contracts to a fraction of their worth! We're all doomed if we don't.

Well, call me cynical, but I'm tiring of this Fleet Street-style hyperbole. Especially when it's picked up by semi-local 'experts' who choose to spread the PANIC.

I reckon one of the main factors in the current fast-lane downturn is the constant, the perverse, the almost gleeful talking up of the re-run of the 1930s depression we're supposedly in.

So, as editor of the biggest daily newspaper in Birmingham, I've come to a very important decision tonight. Whatever the news from London, from share-price watchers and bonus-dependent private school fee payers, the Birmingham Mail is going to headline GOOD economic news on tomorrow's front page.

Nothing false or untruthful. Certainly nothing single-sourced or rumoured. Just a piece of news that I know we have and that MIGHT have been reserved for an inside page or even the business spread until now.

But tomorrow, in an effort to LIFT our regional economic spirits, we're going to HOLD THE FRONT PAGE for a POSITIVE local business SUCCESS story. Something that might make hundreds of local employees finally BOOK their hols rather than cancel them.

So put the flags out tomorrow. Announce a £1 rise in the kids' pocket-money. Or at least take the missus out for a prawn cocktail treat. Because tomorrow, do we have GOOD news for you? You bet we have.

AND WE'RE GOING TO SHOUT ABOUT IT!!

Watch this space.

How recently has the fate of ALL three main Midland teams rested on the last match? It certainly makes the job of being the newspaper that reflects their joys and woes an exciting one.

WBA confirmed their promotion AND the Championship title with their 2-0 yesterday. WIth the Premiership results inconclusive, this will see WBA's victory fill the front and back of today's Birmingham Mail.

Villa's 0-2 loss to Wigan means they have to wait until next weekend to see if they clinch 5th space and straight Uefa qualification. (Everton now need to lose at home to Newcastle and Villa to win v West Ham).

But it's the Blues who really face the, er, blues. They can beat Blackburn convincingly but will still plunge to relegation unless both Reading and Fulham draw or lose. That said, they can still stay up if they draw, as long as Reading and Fulham lose, because of goal difference.

A real belt and braces weekend to come. And next Monday could be full of football for two very different reasons. 'Blues down' or 'Blues up' in itself would fill the space and grab the readers. 'Villa in Europe' with 'Blues up' would be the icing on the cake.