Birmingham Mail campaigns update
The Birmingham Mail is well-known for its campaigns.
Sometimes to criticise, often to try to force change, at other times simply to highlight issues readers feel strongly about.
A recent inquiry about one of our campaigns triggered me to update my internal list of live issues, ones that are dormant and those that deserve a revisit.
It's not a fully comprehensive list, and is always one that needs updating and reprioritising. But I thought Editor's Chair readers might be interested.
As you can see, visitors to this blog have even been treated to a sneak preview of the credit crunch campaign we're due to launch in a coordinated way in February.
Birmingham Mail current campaign update
Live issues
• Beat the credit crunch/ Birmingham Mail credit cruncher... tbc NEW IDEA
• Support Jaguar Land Rover Now!
• Keep Our Children Safe (call for more lollipop wardens/championing the oldest, the kindest, etc)
• Stop the Bullies! (start of school year campaign, award-winning and now in its 4th reincarnation)
• Save Our Small Shops (corner shops/community shopping centres)
• Go Green (environmental campaign linked to commercial income/project)
• Respect the Ref (local football campaign to respect match officials, printing details of offenders in a name and shame, etc)
• The Cerys Campaign (campaign for new laws of young drivers after little Cerys left paralysed by new driver)
• The Letisha and Charlene Education Awards
• Save our Post Offices
• Local Heroes (community champions)
• Badge of Honour (Local support for servicemen)
• SORTED! (Watchdog-style success stamp on sorting readers consumer issues)
Revisits needed
• A&E: The Big Debate (representing locals concerns on controversial changes to Hearttlands Hospital)
• Eyes on the Buses (campaigning for local bus service improvements, anti-crime measures, etc)
Dormant
• Let the People Decide (campaign for referendum on elected mayors) PARTIAL SUCCESS. 15,000 signatures achieved. No immediate action but Tory pledge to enforce if they win election and Labour pledge to lower petition totals need to trigger referendum.
• Wake Up to the State of New Street (call for government funding for New Street Station) VICTORY WHEN FUNDING ANNOUNCED
• No More Chinese Whispers (campaign to make Nanjing speak to us about Longbridge plans) VICTORY WHEN FIRM GRANTED 1-1 INTERVIEWS AND ONGOING OPENNESS
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Steve Dyson - Blog from the Editor on recent issues and events.
Since you are willingly sharing the information with us it is just a 'preview'. No sneaking involved.
With all that campaigning though isn't there a danger of reader overload? Where does the balance between genuine news and 'created' campaign items lie?
Not all at once, RH! WHat I find is that the branding keeps readers aware of issues and provides an easy focus. But you wouldn't usually see more than one or two on any given day.
Wasn't suggesting all at once, but do you not think there is a danger of campaign overload even with a sprinkling?
Similarly, does such a long overall list of campaigns not cause confusion?
I don't think there is a danger, no. I believe it clarifies issues and the Mail's brand. I see your view, but just do not agree.
Re. the 'long overall list', pls remember this is an internal reminder for me and staff... it's on the blog for interested parties to view because that's what the blog is about... letting you in on the Editor's Chair.
I agree about the confusion. So many campaigns... It seems to be a case of which campaign are we supporting today? I don't know if I should be reading the Mail or voting for it...
BRING BACK THE EVENING MAIL! Now there's a campaign!
I hear you, Cyrille, but again would urge you to realise what I've done here. This is my crib sheet on campaigns past and present that can, when the time is right, be used. If you read the Birmingham Mail you will see that we use them to focus and explain, and we do so carefully and in a coordinated way - not en masse.
But thanks for your input.
Surely you should be giving readers, what they want, not turning the Mail into your own personnel crib sheet! You really need to sort out the Mail's printing time too, nearly all of your stories are yesterdays news. The Express & Star is much more up to date and beats the Mail hands down, Give us News, Exclusives, Investigation not boring campaigns and re-cycled stories.
Please, Please, Please, we may then start buying it again, thank you for listening, just make sure you do something before it's too late !!!!!!!!!
Have addressed your same comment on the next thread, JL. But do read the paper thoroughly and note that campaigns are but a sliver of content, providing a focus for one or two issues a day. And try comparing print times in the industry to see how late the Mail's remain...
Sir, why is
"British Jobs for British Workers" not on your campaigns list ? The protests started in Lincolnshire but the issue is every bit as important in the West Midlands. Here too many local workers are also the victims of unfair competition from cheap foreign labour. While it's true that some individuals simply don't won't work, this clearly isn't the case with the rapidly growing number of newly unemployed victims of the Bankers' Bust. It's wrong that local people should have to join the dole queue while jobs go to foreigners.
That said, it would be wrong to take it out on the imported workers themselves. Blame the Westminster (or is it 'Troughminster?) politicians who put building a federal Europe and 'diversity' dogma before the interests of 'ordinary' voters,and greedy companies which would rather make a short-term profit than invest in local workers.
'Free trade' was fine when Britain was the workshop of the world, but now China is industrialised it's economic suicide. So it's a good thing that, at the European elections in June, we'll all have a real choice: The three old parties which seem as happy to see our manufacturing jobs exported as they are to let foreign labour swamp our service sector, versus the British National Party, which believes in the protection of British industry and jobs from unfair foreign competition.
Yours
Mr Sean Gibbs-Percival
Oldbury
I think we should try to protect jobs in Britain... I prefer that description to 'British jobs. (Otherwise the argument can be used to excuse less reasoned BNP politics, to put it mildly!) But rather that general campaigns which can lose their meaning and be 'claimed' by extreme political groups, I prefer specific campaigns. Eg: 'Support Jaguar Landrover Now!'; 'Save Our Small Shops'; 'No More Chinese Whispers' (re. the initial Nanjing moves at Longbridge).
So why no 'specific' campaign for LDV?
Not quite posh enough for ya?