WE’VE SEEN THIS ALL BEFORE – TWICE
The Campaign for Real Exclusives makes a comeback with this effort from Sunday’s edition of The People (right).
Not only is it not an exclusive, it’s actually third hand. After
first appearing in the Northcliffe daily Leicester Mercury, it
subsequently ran in the Johnstone weekly the Lutterworth Mail (below
and far right) on 18 August.
Undeterred, The People still decided
it was an exclusive three days later – although the only exclusive bit
was the fact that it changed the main protagonist’s name from Cox to
Cocks.
Related
Presumably to make it fit the story better.
A punishment that fits the crime?
Scandal of the ABC season was the embargo-breaking activity of
marketing trade journal Campaign, which cheekily printed ABC-day
adverts celebrating the sales rises of sister titles Eve and Stuff
which hit desks several hours before the “strictly-enforced” 12 noon
release time. The transgression was similar to that committed by The
Economist six months ago, which sent out press releases announcing its
figure in advance of ABC day. So what terrible punishment awaits such
crimes? “Um, sorry, we can’t actually say anything at the moment,” said
an ABC spokesman. “But you could look on our website.”
Content from our partners
Whimpering with anticipation, Dog scrolls down to the complaints log. What happened to The Economist?
“Publisher
reminded of the importance of adhering to the ABC concurrent release of
magazine data.” Lord Heseltine must be quaking in his boots.
Teesdale Mercury column sends councillors nuts
An award-winning writer got councillors so hot under the collar that
they proposed a motion “rejecting” the views expressed in his column.
The Barney Liar column in the Teesdale Mercury annoyed councillors
with a piece about Teesdale District Council’s new chief executive, who
had compared running a council to running a chocolate factory.
The Barney Liar joked that “the most frequently- used additional ingredients for use in chocolate bars are nuts”.
But
councillors were not amused and a motion was carried, “That the views
expressed in the Barney Liar column of the 7 July edition of the
Teesdale Mercury, including its criticism of the new interim chief
executive, be collectively rejected by members, and that members
declare their full confidence in the new chief executive.”
In
this week’s column, Barney Liar said: “Perhaps the councillors
concerned wanted to reassure the new chief, or even impress him with
their virility. Either way, I wouldn’t have thought a man with his
experience needed a pair of ageing minders; I’m sure he’s quite capable
of looking after himself.
“Wilson’s Gallic dress sense is beret nice
Following this magazine’s much-discussed feature on best and
worst-dressed journalists last week, a further submission has come in.
This homme suave is the travel editor of Take A Break, Robert Wilson,
demonstrating a stylish je ne sais quoi all of his own.
But what Dog really wants to see is a TaB staffer with the bottle to
send a pic of editor John Dale wandering round the office, as he is
wont to do, in his shorts… not pretty.
The kennel of course welcomes any further examples of journalists with a singular sense of style.
Mum leaves her mark on flight
An amorous single mum who had sex in the toilet during a Thomas Cook
flight from Tenerife to Manchester was convicted of assault and
disorder at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester.
The woman certainly made an impression on the flight if not the judge. Her name? Amber Staines.
Full
respect to staff at the Burton Mail for running this piece about a
local MP’s concern over low pay for regional newspaper journalists. Dog
particularly wonders what bosses at Iliffe, the newspaper’s owners,
made of the last line. But what a pity they had to go and ruin it all
with a nonsensical headline. If they can’t grasp simple grammar,
readers could be forgiven for thinking, why do they deserve better pay?
The perils of planning to poach a paper’s rival diarist
The difficulties with trying to poach a diarist from a rival
publication are legion. Where to lunch them away from prying eyes, for
a start? Your place or theirs? And, of course, if your suit should
fail, they don’t tend to be the most discreet individuals when it comes
to keeping it under their hat.
So it is with the Daily Mail’s Richard Kay, whose long search for a
deputy has brought him back to The Sunday Telegraph. Having previously
tried to lure Mandrake editor Tim Walker for the task, he has now
offered Walker’s number two, Richard Eden, the job.
But
alas, the
former Telegraph trainee was not to be tempted. At least not after
editor Sarah Sands stepped in with a better deal and a staff contract.
“She was utterly charming,” said Eden. “And she couldn’t have been
more encouraging. She’s keen to expand Mandrake’s influence on the
paper.”
Never
one to miss an opportunity to wield a stiletto blade himself, Walker
added: “I understand the Mail’s position, but it’s a tough old world is
journalism and I’m afraid that those guys in Kensington are simply
going to have to work out how to make a diary work on their own.”
But
just to add to the intrigue, Dog hears that Mandrakers (Mandrakistes?)
have hardly been averse to applying for jobs of varying hues at Derry
St recently – without success. Nor even, in one case, to doing the odd
shift there on their days off.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
