The Local Media


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The Sheffield Echo is not worth a second glance at now. Not like the old days.. It is a pathetic imitation of what used to be a very good read..and the price, have you seen the price for buying what is ostensibly a bunch of adverts.. I'd rather read the telephone book.:oops:

All local papers are the same - if you look at the byelines in the Bristol Post, the people writing the stuff are all from two local agencies (and there's only around half a dozen of them in total). Basically, they regurgitate press releases, cut and paste stuff provided from higher up the food chain in the group they're part of, hang around the courts in the hopes of something juicy coming up, and follow up the odd story dropped on their laps by someone with an axe to grind. Tis last category is the closest they get to real journalism. I have no doubt they get a pittance for their efforts.
 
So what Echo covers them both


Rainton Bridge is in the City of Sunderland mate. Digital content means people don’t have to pay is all about numbers and advertising. How come you think it just has crime and obtiturary content if you never read it? There is loads more content in it - the culture and local guides are very informative and clued up.

The Echo are speaking the truth about Bain he was brought in to cut costs and that is what he is doing. Don’t see why people have beef with him he has been transparent and spoken to the supporters through the Echo many times.
It isnt in Sunderland itself.
Well im surprised you can read them the Echo website is impenetrable with adds, poor layout, subscriber requests.
I flick through it on my break if anyone has left a copy lying around. Crime, human interest stories, obituaries thats all that is in it.
Bain is a chancer lucky to be at the club. Fans are concerned because the club is looking at back to back relegations in the 2 seasons since he turned up. It is worrying that we are employing someone who was in a senior position for years at Rangers while they were cheating the taxman. He needs to be scrutinised.
 
Does that mean that the Chronicle piece about replaying our derby game on Football Manager was a blog?

Poyet quite suited an afro. Good article.
Well it was a f***ing poor excuse for an article of that is what it was trying to be. Roker report is basically a bunch of sunderland fans writing whimsically about their feelings supporting sunderland. It's a blog.

I seem to remember that Lee Ryder used to write a column called blog on the tyne as well, in fairness - which is acknowledging that he's a pretty f***ing terrible journalist if nothing else.

(If it wasn't him then it should have been...)
 
The problem is, print journalism is dying on its arse so they rely on regurgitating shit for clicks. It's all about quantity over quality now, hence why you get utter bollocks about Football Manager in the Chronicle rather than actual insight.

The Echo has absolutely nothing to set it apart from anyone else (the website is completely unusable ffs). They're reliant on their relationship with the club for content, piss the club off and they lose the exclusives with Bain and access to the players and the rallying calls. Take that away and they have nothing.

So I can understand them not holding the club to task. It's their own fault though, they could have branched out and tried something different years ago like Wise Men Say and Roker Report but they didn't.

Feel sorry for the likes of Phil Smith, he seems like a decent bloke with a very difficult job
 
All local papers are the same - if you look at the byelines in the Bristol Post, the people writing the stuff are all from two local agencies (and there's only around half a dozen of them in total). Basically, they regurgitate press releases, cut and paste stuff provided from higher up the food chain in the group they're part of, hang around the courts in the hopes of something juicy coming up, and follow up the odd story dropped on their laps by someone with an axe to grind. Tis last category is the closest they get to real journalism. I have no doubt they get a pittance for their efforts.
I think the chronicle is just holding its own. The Sunderland Echo sold its soul many years ago..
 
The problem is, print journalism is dying on its arse so they rely on regurgitating shit for clicks. It's all about quantity over quality now, hence why you get utter bollocks about Football Manager in the Chronicle rather than actual insight.

The Echo has absolutely nothing to set it apart from anyone else (the website is completely unusable ffs). They're reliant on their relationship with the club for content, piss the club off and they lose the exclusives with Bain and access to the players and the rallying calls. Take that away and they have nothing.

So I can understand them not holding the club to task. It's their own fault though, they could have branched out and tried something different years ago like Wise Men Say and Roker Report but they didn't.

Feel sorry for the likes of Phil Smith, he seems like a decent bloke with a very difficult job

Instead of the usual stuff can someone like Phil Smith not get a full write up on the Alvarez saga for example? How much money we've now got to pay, how's its impacted our transfer budget and what actually happened?

Just some proper journalism getting answers to tough questions. Image seems to be they rock up and ask simple questions and give Bain, Grayson etc an easy ride.
 
Instead of the usual stuff can someone like Phil Smith not get a full write up on the Alvarez saga for example? How much money we've now got to pay, how's its impacted our transfer budget and what actually happened?

Just some proper journalism getting answers to tough questions. Image seems to be they rock up and ask simple questions and give Bain, Grayson etc an easy ride.

That's an excellent example.
 
Rainton Bridge isnt in Sunderland which is the point. No it doesnt the paper is an irrelevance no one pays for its content or buys a copy it will go in a few years time. The non sport journalism is rubbish it is just a crime magazine and obituary report.
Yeah right i would like to see the same situation play out at the Chronicle or Journal. People from Wearside running their papers or writing on NUFC it simply wouldnt be tolerated or be allowed to happen as they know people would kick off. The Echo and other local media have been blowing smoke up the arse of the club for far too long and this week with Bain is another example.

Plenty of SAFC fans have been high up at the Chronicle, Journal and Sunday Sun. For example, Bill Bradshaw edited the Journal, the final editor the Sunday Sun had before its editorial team was merged with the Chron and Journal was a massive SAFC fan and so was the long-time sports editor of the Journal who became head of sport of the new merged operation a few years ago.
It's bollocks to say people who have grown up SAFC fans aren't accepted at Newcastle-based papers, and vice versa.
 
Perhaps the Echo are ignoring your predicament after the way in which you lot publicly harangued a local reporter of theirs because he had tenuous connections with Newcastle.
Did you read what he’s said about Sunderland ? Probably not. Would your support tolerate it ? Nor a cat in hells chance.
 
It isnt in Sunderland itself.
Well im surprised you can read them the Echo website is impenetrable with adds, poor layout, subscriber requests.
I flick through it on my break if anyone has left a copy lying around. Crime, human interest stories, obituaries thats all that is in it.
Bain is a chancer lucky to be at the club. Fans are concerned because the club is looking at back to back relegations in the 2 seasons since he turned up. It is worrying that we are employing someone who was in a senior position for years at Rangers while they were cheating the taxman. He needs to be scrutinised.
I agree mate website is a mess but I don’t use the Echo website I use the iPad app for £3.99 a month there’s no ads and it’s very easy to navigate and read. Discovered loads of new local restaurants through the Echo & I enjoy the Retro features. Hope you’re wrong about Bain agree that his time at Sunderland has coincided with a disastrous period on the pitch.
 
Instead of the usual stuff can someone like Phil Smith not get a full write up on the Alvarez saga for example? How much money we've now got to pay, how's its impacted our transfer budget and what actually happened?

Just some proper journalism getting answers to tough questions. Image seems to be they rock up and ask simple questions and give Bain, Grayson etc an easy ride.

That needs a proper journalist. There's no way you're going to get anyone to comment on that on the record. You need a little black book as thick as War and Peace, contacts you can trust and who trust you. Even then, the full details are probably known to so few people that even non-attributable quotes might be hard to get if the source was too easily traceable. The days of journalists of the calibre of Bob Cass and Charlie Summerbell are long gone. The emergence of press conferences, which didn't really exist even 20 years ago means that journalists can get most of the copy they want that way for no appreciable effort. Back in the day, there was more information because there were no formal channels - it was all on to one between a journo and his contacts.
 
That needs a proper journalist. There's no way you're going to get anyone to comment on that on the record. You need a little black book as thick as War and Peace, contacts you can trust and who trust you. Even then, the full details are probably known to so few people that even non-attributable quotes might be hard to get if the source was too easily traceable. The days of journalists of the calibre of Bob Cass and Charlie Summerbell are long gone. The emergence of press conferences, which didn't really exist even 20 years ago means that journalists can get most of the copy they want that way for no appreciable effort. Back in the day, there was more information because there were no formal channels - it was all on to one between a journo and his contacts.

Agree. The emergence of press officers and comms people has changed the way journalists cover football.

You can't just ring people up anymore and get a story. Everything is filtered and controlled.

The Alvarez example, I guess someone could try and go through Alvarez and his people to get a story, but who knows the legalities around that? Their might be confidentiality/non disclosure agreements in place.
 
What are they meant to publish? Not being harsh but even the fans dont appear to care? Why would they report and cause a shitstorm that doesnt exist? If you protested or threw plastic pigs or stood outside literally anything and you would get media attention. As far as they are concerned there isnt a story as you arent making one.
We'll be seen as mags if there's any protests.
Ooooohhh, can't be doing what you lot do, we'd rather keep on getting relegated.
 
Agree. The emergence of press officers and comms people has changed the way journalists cover football.

You can't just ring people up anymore and get a story. Everything is filtered and controlled.

The Alvarez example, I guess someone could try and go through Alvarez and his people to get a story, but who knows the legalities around that? Their might be confidentiality/non disclosure agreements in place.
I think some people are missing the point slightly here. I agree when it comes to transfers, injuries, team news, day to day stuff, yes the line needs to be towed. However, it shouldn't stop questions being asked. I'm sure any of the local journalist are capable of doing that in a "special report" or something.
 
He has a go at the papers for not printing everything they know, then lines later admits he does the same?
Yes he does but he also says that people will lose their jobs and livelihoods if he blabs.
Bain Out . Short Out.
 
I think some people are missing the point slightly here. I agree when it comes to transfers, injuries, team news, day to day stuff, yes the line needs to be towed. However, it shouldn't stop questions being asked. I'm sure any of the local journalist are capable of doing that in a "special report" or something.

They can ask what they like - I'm saying they won't get an on the record response. I'm not sure there are any local journalists with the ability/range of contacts to get answers the old-fashioned way.
 
Speaking purely from my own perspective here...

There are some very good local journalists. I like Nick Barnes in particular.

You do have to wonder though why a fanzine has to be the one to bring these issues - club ownership, the plight of the academy system, Bain's management of the club, Grayson's tenure thus far - to the fore. As the article says, this club is a veritable treasure trove of scandal, nobody likes the fact that these things happen and go on, but they do, and all supporters deserve to know what is happening at their football club. We live in a free world whereby the press should speak with truth and honesty. The Echo is an institution and they represent the people of this region, including the fans. Chronicle too, though to a lesser extent.

I know it'll never happen but it'd be nice if our local paper was on the same page as the people who live in the region. You look at how the Chronicle regularly take Mike Ashley to task on their front pages... say what you like about that particular publication but they have the backs of the supporters of their city's football club when its needed. In such a troubling time for this club and these supporters you'd be forgiven for thinking that everything was fine at Sunderland.
The Chronicle does a better job than the Echo at keeping the club to account. It's ridiculous and embarrassing.

The chronicle seem more in tune with our fans than the echo does
This.
 
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