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Post by ProfessorPatPending on Feb 16, 2004 21:14:11 GMT 1
... why haven't they printed any letters regarding the Council's appalling decision re: the Gay Meadow theatre last week? They must have received plenty? ChrisH, any ideas owd lad ?
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Post by El Huracán!!!! on Feb 16, 2004 21:17:34 GMT 1
I sent one but it was probabley unprintable Typical of the star - but just wait till there is the smallest amount of trouble at the Telford game - that will be worth a 10 page center spread pull out
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Post by kickinpretty2 on Feb 16, 2004 21:34:23 GMT 1
They have also failed to answer my email regarding the dodgy poll, and failed to make its readers aware that the poll was dodgy and the results unreliable. I suppose thats monopoly journalism for you
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Post by El Huracán!!!! on Feb 16, 2004 21:37:01 GMT 1
Boycot, Boycot
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Post by ginboomerang on Feb 16, 2004 21:39:30 GMT 1
why let the facts get in the way of a good story? and the Gay Meadow issue doesn't sell newspapers.
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Post by ex star employee on Feb 16, 2004 22:10:20 GMT 1
go on radio shropshire and slag the star off.. they HATE that !!
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Post by pawlo on Feb 16, 2004 22:54:00 GMT 1
I dont think anyone with an independant kind of mind could read the SS and not pick up a hint of right wing bias. The fox hunting coverage has really upset some people and its got to be obvious why. Someone pointed out in a letter tonight that the boxing day hunt was widely covered by the star, with pictures of young kids patting the dogs and horses, but they failed to show the same dogs a few hours later tearing apart a fox. I posted a letter and like a lot of others, they aint interested in what we have to say. Perhaps we should try going to the national press, that would really embarress a few people. No doubt we will shortly be bombarded with party political broadcasts by the con servative party telling us how they deliver such great value for money in their councils, well not here they dont
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Post by ProfessorPatPending on Feb 16, 2004 22:59:55 GMT 1
The Shropshire Star is, and always has been, a Tory rag!
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Post by ginboomerang on Feb 16, 2004 23:19:01 GMT 1
they are merely catering for the majority.
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Post by ThrobsBlackHat on Feb 16, 2004 23:20:00 GMT 1
They held THREE letters about the Tree of light farce / Paul Lord affair for over a WEEK until the day AFTER the crucial council vote on the GM they have jumped fully behind Albie Fox and chums we don't have a chance
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Post by ginboomerang on Feb 16, 2004 23:22:33 GMT 1
to court favour with someone you dont criticise them at every opportunity.
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Post by ProfessorPatPending on Feb 16, 2004 23:28:09 GMT 1
Favour is not required, just something resembling balanced reporting, obviously too much to ask from those at the Star
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Post by ginboomerang on Feb 16, 2004 23:30:22 GMT 1
given current status, miracles and snookers as well as favours are required.
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Post by blueandamber on Feb 16, 2004 23:32:19 GMT 1
We should start up our own paper, It could be called "Shrews News" For the fans, By the fans.
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Post by ginboomerang on Feb 16, 2004 23:35:15 GMT 1
a cheaper option could be to read this message board.
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Post by pawlo on Feb 16, 2004 23:47:14 GMT 1
The ss should not be catering for anybody, just delivering a balanced veiw of news in and out of Shropshire. The tory party stick the In Touch newsletter letter through our doors, my paperboy delivers the Shropshire Star, although I grant you, it can get a bit difficult at times to tell the difference. If I want to read tory propagander, Ill buy the daily mail. Surely as a local paper, the Star should be representing all of us, not just the absurd few.
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Post by ThrobsBlackHat on Feb 17, 2004 0:21:22 GMT 1
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BrummieBoy
Midland League Division Two
[Mo0:0]
Posts: 237
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Post by BrummieBoy on Feb 17, 2004 2:11:48 GMT 1
I think this is a tricky one folks, be careful with it. Like everyone else, I get infuriated with some of the things I read in the Star (particularly the letters page, I would love to know how they decide which letters to publish. Do UKIP and Bob Wydell have direct lines to the editor or something?!) but bias is very much in the eye of the beholder.
While I sometimes wonder about the general political orientation of the Star, I think it's coverage of local sport is actually pretty good. I mean, the Star (at least as far as I can tell) tries simply to say what it sees. It can't do too much more than that. And I don't think there is any real debate on the issue of whether the Star is for the New Meadow - it certainly is, at least in principle. And should it launch a campaign against a group of local councillors it will very soon find itself in hot water. It is NOT for the Star to actively campaign for the New Meadow. Unlike the national tabloids, it tries to maintain a degree of impartiality when reporting the news. It might, I suppose, argue a slightly stronger case in its comment colmuns but I really have NEVER seen a piece where it says the New Meadow is an out and out bad thing.
On a purely footballing front, the Star did everything it possibly could to stay behind the team last year when - quite frankly - they would have been quite within their rights to say 'Shrewsbury are a complete disgrace'. I didn't see any tirades against Ratcliffe until the very end of the campaign - and not because the Star was necessarily pro-Ratcliffe, but more as I think they thought it'd be counter-productive. If it'd had been a national daily, I am sure that Radcliffe would have been metophorically lynched by the end of February ...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2004 2:13:44 GMT 1
I tend to agree Brummieboy
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Post by ProfessorPatPending on Feb 17, 2004 2:24:21 GMT 1
I think this is a tricky one folks, be careful with it. Like everyone else, I get infuriated with some of the things I read in the Star (particularly the letters page, I would love to know how they decide which letters to publish. Do UKIP and Bob Wydell have direct lines to the editor or something?!) but bias is very much in the eye of the beholder. While I sometimes wonder about the general political orientation of the Star, I think it's coverage of local sport is actually pretty good. I mean, the Star (at least as far as I can tell) tries simply to say what it sees. It can't do too much more than that. And I don't think there is any real debate on the issue of whether the Star is for the New Meadow - it certainly is, at least in principle. And should it launch a campaign against a group of local councillors it will very soon find itself in hot water. It is NOT for the Star to actively campaign for the New Meadow. Unlike the national tabloids, it tries to maintain a degree of impartiality when reporting the news. It might, I suppose, argue a slightly stronger case in its comment colmuns but I really have NEVER seen a piece where it says the New Meadow is an out and out bad thing. On a purely footballing front, the Star did everything it possibly could to stay behind the team last year when - quite frankly - they would have been quite within their rights to say 'Shrewsbury are a complete disgrace'. I didn't see any tirades against Ratcliffe until the very end of the campaign - and not because the Star was necessarily pro-Ratcliffe, but more as I think they thought it'd be counter-productive. If it'd had been a national daily, I am sure that Radcliffe would have been metophorically lynched by the end of February ... I don't think anyone is questioning their reporting from a footballling perspective, that is generally good Nobody expects them to launch a campaign against the Council What is expected, and it's their duty as journalists in my opinion, is that they report the situation regarding what went on with the Gay Meadow theatre proposal accurately and fairly and using the facts available They can quite easily report the facts as stated in the Council's own report and contrast that against the statements made by individual councillors during and around the time of the meeting This is purely reporting the facts in a responsible and balanced way which informs the public and lets them judge for themselves and infers no opinion on the part of the paper
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Post by harmerhillshrew on Feb 17, 2004 11:02:12 GMT 1
The Shropshire Star is, and always has been, a Tory rag! Not sure of your age Prof, but judging your posts you are similar to me the wrong side of 21 . So you can probably remember when Mrs T was PM, thats when I stopped buying it
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BrummieBoy
Midland League Division Two
[Mo0:0]
Posts: 237
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Post by BrummieBoy on Feb 17, 2004 13:00:55 GMT 1
PPP, fair enough, I have to be honest and admit I am little out of the loop on that one. The picture you paint sounds fair enough - that would be simple investigative journalism, I guess.
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Post by True_Shrew on Feb 17, 2004 14:09:13 GMT 1
They haven't got the bottle to print an opposing view to the tory stance, but in general I find the star suits the need for a local paper quiet well, it's just a shame that the truth is out there and they decide for whatever reason not to print it. Come on SS people, it's obvious that you read this board and we help you out with stories, quotes, rumours etc so may be you should do the decent thing and give the truth an airing. But I won't hold my breath
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Post by gregtheshrew on Feb 17, 2004 14:11:56 GMT 1
More chance of Wolves winning the Prem than the SS telling the truth.
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Post by ProfessorPatPending on Feb 17, 2004 15:07:32 GMT 1
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exshropshire star employee
Guest
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Post by exshropshire star employee on Feb 17, 2004 19:01:49 GMT 1
Like I said, get 2 or 3 of you together and go to BBC Radio Shropshire.
During my stint at the Star, there were many occasions where Friday was a poor day for news. The news desk would ring the reporters to find out the Police activity when ever Shrewsbury Town played Walsall or Wrexham and hey presto ! A front page story appeared frightening shoppers from the Town Centre but proclaiming riot police would be on stand-by and police helicopters in the skies for the big game.
At the end of the day they write copy to sell newspapers. How many times was the Wroxeter Vineyard called 'controversal' in the first paragraph.
I think if we want a council knocking story, a fully prepared statement where direct quotes from 'a fan' knocking them should be made. The SS dont normally dig around for dirt. They dont have the rescouces like national newspapers. The journalists have to deliver everyday and dont have time to devote their energies into finding scandle.
At the end of the day they do print balanced stories and try to get both sides of the argument, but with the Christmas Tree episode, it makes good front page headlines saying Football Hooligans damaged the tree and dont exactly try to mend the error of their ways.
Todays news, tomorrows chip paper and all that.
ring them up, speak to people, present your case if you feel there should be more coverage and be prepared to be quoted and have all the facts at hand.
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Post by Salop_Ian on Feb 17, 2004 20:23:50 GMT 1
I think the ex employee gives a fair summary of the situation.
If you are used to the type of journalism in The Times, Guardian, Observer, etc. then the SS can seem a little shallow. Of course the Star tries to cater for both "tabloid" and "broadsheet" readers and so tries to keep stories simple - not too much analysis but arguments usually told in quotes by the main players.
It is frustrating that - for example - say alot of the detail about the New Meadow is omited so the story is told in terms of "Should the Council use Tax Payers money to buy Gay Meadow?" As ex-employee says if you want to publicise a particular argument it is best to use a snappy press release or letter to set out the details.
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Post by dachshund on Feb 17, 2004 20:38:24 GMT 1
I think less Daniel Kawzcynski letters would be a bonus ( and good for his campaign too, he comes across as a very odd man indeed.) I, personally, have never seen the Star as anti New Meadow - I think they are about as balanced as they could be, and a great deal more balanced than the majority of those views expressed here.
I do have a gripe, however, when it comes to Mat Kendrick's match reports - the substance is fine, no probs there, but the style of opening the report bothers me. It's always a statement, ending in mid sentence.........
"Now that's more like the kind of performance Shrewsbury will need to get out of non-league's premier tier.........."
"Thank goodness that's out of the way, let's look forward to the next conference fixture at the meadow....... That's what loyal riversiders will be saying after Town's latest showing blah blah blah"
Stop it man!
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