BS: I was nearly there

Subject: I was nearly there
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 08 Aug 01 - 09:30 AM

Theres a really crap local newspaper called the South Yorkshire Times based in Mexborough. Everytime there is a major disaster they always seem to run a story with some local interest for example when the Pope was shot they ran a front page headline 'Mexborough Couple Caught Up in Pope Assassination Attempt' it turns out this Mexborough couple narrowly missed being shot the fact that they were in St.Peter's Square two weeks before the incident might have had more to do with it !! Any others either made up or true?

Subject: RE: BS: I was nearly there
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Aug 01 - 09:47 AM

Made up, or true?

You mean you want me to make something up about a pretend disaster that my non-existant local paper didn't run???

Takes all sorts I guess...

Subject: RE: BS: I was nearly there
From: mooman
Date: 08 Aug 01 - 10:54 AM

This reminds me of the sign that used to hang (maybe still does) in the main reporters' room at The Sun newspaper's offices in London in Kelvin McKenzies' era.

"Make it short, make it snappy, if all else fails make it up"!

Subject: RE: BS: I was nearly there
From: brid widder
Date: 09 Aug 01 - 03:50 PM

I was nearly a lottery winner Jim...if I'd just chosen different numbers....

Subject: RE: BS: I was nearly there
From: Jock Morris
Date: 09 Aug 01 - 05:20 PM

The famous headline from the Aberdeen Press and Journal was 'East Coast Man Drowns'; the story goes that only on the inside pages did it mention the sinking of the Titanic.

The P&J has since denied that they ever ran that headline, but why let the facts get in the way of a good tale:-)

Scott

Subject: RE: BS: I was nearly there
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 09 Aug 01 - 06:34 PM

Yes, there is always a tendency on the part of local media to look for a local slant to every news item. This was satirized a LONG time ago by the National Lampoon Sunday Newspaper Parody. The top headline was "Earthquake Destroys Japan!" The sub-headline was, "Local Couple Cancels Vacation." (Or words to that effect.)

In the US, this is probably a bigger problem than in the UK. Any time there is a big national or international story -- the Florida vote recount, the Olympics, a major party convention, the O J Simpson trial, for example -- HUNDREDS of reporters and film crews go there to cover it, all looking for a local slant -- e.g. the Minnesota reporters seek out the ONE Minnesotan who was tangentially involved, to interview him, and so on. Then they say they can't really do investigative journalism because it's too expensive.