My team of highly trained researchers (Mr and Mrs Ceaucesu (no relation)) have established that this week's Gazunder contains three pro-council stories and four anti-council stories. The running total can be found in my sidebar on the right. After two weeks it's even stevens.
Boosting the anti-council tally, the paper finally caught up with the Stalag Broadstairs story (page 10) which I broke nearly two weeks ago, but tucked away the Audit Commission's findings that the council is only performing 'adequately' as a news in brief on page 7.
And no mention of the Cecil Streeters getting in a lather over a petition begging them to do something about the slow death of Margate's lower high street. So far the petition has gained 300 signatures. Oh well, maybe they'll follow it up next week, now that they've read it here!
4 comments:
We did the Broadstairs railings story in December. This was an update on the original. So ner to you! Like the sound of this petition though. Perhaps you should start your own paper Eastcliff.
By the way, what is your grouding for pro and anti stories. I ask RE: schools merging, pro or anti? Museum meeting, pro or anti? We need clearly defined guidelines Eastcliff!
Yes but did you have the tree huggers angle back in December? It's knocked the story on, surely?
As for pro- and anti- criteria:
Schools merging. Er, that's a KCC story isn't it? So it doesn't count. Nice FPL though.
Museum meeting. Mr and Mrs Ceaucescu (no relation) counted that as pro-TDC, since it shows them in a caring, sharing 'of course we don't want to close your museums' light.
Criteria are:
Opinion pieces and letters don't count.
Anti- stories are stories where the council is shown to be doing something unpopular, or is discovered asleep at the wheel as in this week's tale of lorries parking willy-nilly all over lovely Ramsgate. Or they can be investigative stuff shining the torch of truth on the council, although I'm sure the lawyers and accountants at Gazunder Towers would choke on their G&Ts if they thought any of that sort of thing was going on.
Pro- stories are the kind of puff pieces where the council hands you a press release or invites you to a presser or meeting and you write it up. Or you get an off the record 'brief' from them.
Tell you what, next time Rebecca's away, I'll come over and edit it shall I? That should give the suits coronaries!
Or maybe once a year you could invite the people to edit it, like the Today prog on Radio 4.
By the way, I have to admit in the interests of balance that the Gazunder is still heaps better than any local rag I've read in London. Apart from the Ham and High perhaps.
Did any one hear Cllr Tomlinson on KMFM Thanet news talking about the awful vandalism at Ramsgate cemetery where two trees were cut down? What does TDC say about the vandalism perpetrated by themselves in Culmers Land,aka Stalag Broadstairs? Nothing! Double standards or what?
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