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Quality of writing in local newspapers

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  • 16-01-2016 2:40pm
    #1
    bobbyss
    Registered Users Posts: 5,193 ✭✭✭


    Now come on. Be truthful. How long does it take you to read, let's say the City Tribune. Me? 5-10 minutes. And it's a big paper. Speed reader? No, not really. It's dreadful. I can only breeze through it.

    There was a time when I used to look forward to them. Too bulky now. Too much rubbish. The quality of writing, for example, on the City Tribune is disappointing I find. Page two you have a few journalists constantly grumping about one simplistic thing or another.

    Childishly written. 'I was waiting twenty minutes on the phone so I will never do business with them again' sort of thing. You would think a five year old wrote it.

    I don't see their names on other articles around the paper, so is that all they do? How trivial. I presume they are all qualified journalists? Doesn't seem there are any Karl Bernsteins or Bob Woodwards there.

    The Advertiser is almost unreadable also. Weighs a ton. Use it for dog to poo on. Not much sport in it really. Certainly local soccer, ie Galway United, never really gets a fair run out. The articles are never prominently positioned. The photos in Independent are s..t.

    Anyone feel the same?


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    #2
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    You want world-renowned, award winning journalists in your local paper? That's a realistic expectation.
    How long does it take you to read, let's say the City Tribune. Me? 5-10 minutes. And it's a big paper. Speed reader? No, not really. It's dreadful. I can only breeze through it.

    You either read it or you don't. 'breezing' through it is not reading it.

    It takes me about 30 minutes, I don't read every article either and I don't touch the sport.

    Obviously the Advertiser and Independent are completely different, they're free papers so it's not a comparable model at all.


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    #3
    bobbyss
    Registered Users Posts: 5,193 ✭✭✭bobbyss


    TerrorFirmer wrote: »
    You want world-renowned, award winning journalists in your local paper? That's a realistic expectation.

    You either read it or you don't. 'breezing' through it is not reading it.

    It takes me about 30 minutes, I don't read every article either and I don't touch the sport.

    Obviously the Advertiser and Independent are completely different, they're free papers so it's not a comparable model at all.

    What do you think of the quality of the writing?


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    #4
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    I think it's fine. Not fine in the 'ah, it'll do' sense, but very decent. I'm sure some of their journalists are better than others as is the case with most media but on the whole, I don't have an issue. Bad writing jumps out at you immediately - and that does happen sometimes with one local free paper in particular.


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    #5
    Mrs OBumble
    Registered Users Posts: 25,719 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    Most of the content is not written by the staff: it's from press releases submitted by people promoting things. (How do I know? I've written and submitted press releases, and seen them appear with the journalist's name on top: I regard it as an achievement who I get this to happen!)

    You get what you pay for. And if something is free to you, then you are the product not the customer.


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    #6
    bobbyss
    Registered Users Posts: 5,193 ✭✭✭bobbyss


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    Most of the content is not written by the staff: it's from press releases submitted by people promoting things. (How do I know? I've written and submitted press releases, and seen them appear with the journalist's name on top: I regard it as an achievement who I get this to happen!)

    You get what you pay for. And if something is free to you, then you are the product not the customer.

    I actually had in mind the page 2 cohort of journalists only from the Tribune and not the freebies. (The issue with Advertiser and Independent is bulk and massive advertising and poor quality of photos.) The journalists in Tribune have a pretty prominent position there in the paper and yet what do they actually write about? Waiting in f.....g queues? Poor f.....g service? I am not a journalist but isn't there anything more worthy that could focus on? They actually get paid to write that?


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    #7
    buzz11
    Registered Users Posts: 749 ✭✭✭buzz11


    bobbyss wrote: »
    I actually had in mind the page 2 cohort of journalists only from the Tribune and not the freebies. (The issue with Advertiser and Independent is bulk and massive advertising and poor quality of photos.) The journalists in Tribune have a pretty prominent position there in the paper and yet what do they actually write about? Waiting in f.....g queues? Poor f.....g service? I am not a journalist but isn't there anything more worthy that could focus on? They actually get paid to write that?


    I totally agree, they treat the space as an opportunity to whine, its really off-putting when you paid for the paper.

    They have lots of opportunity in this great city for something off beat and interesting, they should open up the space to guest writers and cut out the dead wood.


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    #8
    Whereisgalway
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,470 ✭✭✭Whereisgalway


    I heard holly carpenter did her internship with them


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    #9
    Arghus
    Registered Users Posts: 14,365 ✭✭✭✭Arghus


    I think it's a mixed bag really. I wouldn't expect to much from the free - sheets, it isn't really what they're really about at the end of the day, but you can be surprised from time to time with a good column or, particularly in the Advertiser, an interesting piece on Galway history. If you're not paying for something and it keeps you relatively up to date with what's going on around the town AND throws in the occasional bit of interesting writing, well then that's largely okay says I. Plus, where else would you get the weekly opportunity to feast your eyes on multipage ads adorned with Pat Joyce's face?

    I don't really read the City Tribune much, so I can't say too a lot about that for sure. But as for it's sister paper, The Connaught - I think it's quality has decreased ever since they changed over to the tabloid format. There's less and less space for articles and those that are there are sometimes far from the finished type. Not all bad of course: it's still a fairly decent paper, overall. But I think it could be slightly better, given that people are paying for it. But I'm not a newspaper man so who knows what struggles they might be fighting behind the scenes. Sometimes I think easy columns and endless court reports are clogging the pages up because they know their audience: people, particularly in rural areas, are just going to keep buying it regardless of whether it has actually dipped in standards or not.


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    #10
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    The advertiser is pretty good for a free paper, yes, a lot of the "stories" are press releases, but they have some decent covered stories and some good feature pieces, and the editorials are always solid enough.

    I can't say I have much of an opinion on the Tribunes opinion pieces/columns, but I don't read the paper for those. Every paper, local and national, has those, it's not unique to the Tribune. No-one is forcing you to read them, and I usually get good reading out of the Connacht/City trib with regards actual news.


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    #11
    J.pilkington
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 1,331 ✭✭✭J.pilkington


    I posteted something similar on another thread. I find the tribune slipping to the standard of the daily mail. Their headlines are often misleading and main purpose is to draw you into the article where it's often poorly written with misinformation.

    Ends Cunningham on Twitter (don't follow but get retweets of his sensationalist tweets too often) does the papers reputation no favours at all. His target audience is social media fans who love a good controversy / moan and whose limit is reading a headline. did he train with the daily mail?

    Whatever happened being a good old fashioned local newspaper reporting facts.


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    #12
    Endaaaagh
    Registered Users Posts: 637 ✭✭✭Endaaaagh


    I was reading the Galway Independant the other day and couldn't believe the amount of articles containing some variation of the following..."Today (insert local politician) here called on (insert random group/committee/other politician here) to (insert action on some local current hot button topic)"
    I expect to see it go into overdrive over the next few weeks with the upcoming elections


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    #13
    Ruben Remus
    Registered Users Posts: 430 ✭✭Ruben Remus


    Personally, I think the City Tribune is a good local paper. There's a lot of Galway news that won't get covered in the freesheets, but for the price of a cup of coffee the City Tribune does a decent job of covering what's going on. For example - and I'm open to correction on this - I think it's the only local paper covering the courts anymore?

    Also, because of their 100% reliance on advertising, a lot of the freesheets' content is obviously driven by their advertisers. It's interesting, for example, that their food reviewer has only ever had "fantastic" and "amazing" experiences at every local eatery she's written about.


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    #14
    ben.schlomo
    Registered Users Posts: 11,994 ✭✭✭✭ben.schlomo


    Ruben Remus wrote: »
    Personally, I think the City Tribune is a good local paper. There's a lot of Galway news that won't get covered in the freesheets, but for the price of a cup of coffee the City Tribune does a decent job of covering what's going on. For example - and I'm open to correction on this - I think it's the only local paper covering the courts anymore?

    Also, because of their 100% reliance on advertising, a lot of the freesheets' content is obviously driven by their advertisers. It's interesting, for example, that their food reviewer has only ever had "fantastic" and "amazing" experiences at every local eatery she's written about.

    I reckon Biko must be the editor ;-) , never ever has there been a negative write up of anywhere, think they gave supermacs a Michelin star too.


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    #15
    ScumLord
    Registered Users Posts: 28,789 ✭✭✭✭ScumLord


    All the free papers care about is selling ads, the content of articles is basically irrelevant and what the reader thinks doesn't matter at all.

    They try and get as many papers out to as many people as they can, so they can set up advertising seminars where they get some suit knob to try and convince companies that buying more advertising is a good idea because look how many people get our paper.


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    #16
    _Whimsical_
    Registered Users Posts: 7,955 ✭✭✭_Whimsical_


    It's a far cry from the good old days when a certain publication would shamelessly hit up the Galway forum for some "news" to regurgitate to the unsuspecting public.


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    #17
    bobbyss
    Registered Users Posts: 5,193 ✭✭✭bobbyss


    Today's Independent is a good example of what I am talking about. Main headline about recent flooding in Salthill car park. Yet the only photo is of a young child checking her teddybear's heartbeat.

    Page 2-3 all about large crowds expected at 2016 SCULL (No, me neither) Enterprise Awards. After scanning the first two or three paragraphs where I would hopefully be made aware of what exactly SCULL stands for, I give up. Is the Editor supposed to have a watch over stuff like that?

    This is a pity when you consider William Henry's always well written and informative articles. They seem out of place in this paper and deserve a better setting.


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    #18
    biko
    Registered Users Posts: 81,223 ✭✭✭✭biko


    bobbyss wrote: »
    Today's Independent is a good example of what I am talking about.
    Is it this one?
    http://www.galwayindependent.com/news/topics/articles/2016/01/27/4113321-back-on-flood-alert-/
    I haven't read the paper copy.


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    #19
    bobbyss
    Registered Users Posts: 5,193 ✭✭✭bobbyss


    biko wrote: »
    Is it this one?
    http://www.galwayindependent.com/news/topics/articles/2016/01/27/4113321-back-on-flood-alert-/
    I haven't read the paper copy.

    Same date but the paper one is the one I have.


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    #20
    Ruben Remus
    Registered Users Posts: 430 ✭✭Ruben Remus


    bobbyss wrote: »
    Today's Independent is a good example of what I am talking about.

    Yes, but you started the thread by giving out about the City Tribune? There's quite a big difference between the City Tribune and the Galway Independent/Advertiser.


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    #21
    biko
    Registered Users Posts: 81,223 ✭✭✭✭biko


    Thread title is local newspapers so I suppose any paper in the city can be discussed.


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    #22
    bobbyss
    Registered Users Posts: 5,193 ✭✭✭bobbyss


    Ruben Remus wrote: »
    Yes, but you started the thread by giving out about the City Tribune? There's quite a big difference between the City Tribune and the Galway Independent/Advertiser.

    I don't know.

    The Independent, as an example, tells us about SCULL without , apparently, bothering to tell us what it means. That's not good. Who would be responsible for allowing that to happen in a newspaper? And I didn't even get farther than page 3.

    The Tribune, on the other hand, has some journalists writing about silly, poorly written, inconsequential things.


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    #23
    wp_rathead
    Registered Users Posts: 10,067 ✭✭✭✭wp_rathead


    Linley MacKenzie who does the rugby in the Galway Advertiser is excellent
    She is often on the Craggy Island Rugby podcast with Rob Murphy of Galway Bay Fm fame


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    #24
    ben.schlomo
    Registered Users Posts: 11,994 ✭✭✭✭ben.schlomo


    wp_rathead wrote: »
    Linley MacKenzie who does the rugby in the Galway Advertiser is excellent
    She is often on the Craggy Island Rugby podcast with Rob Murphy of Galway Bay Fm fame

    Contradiction?


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    #25
    wp_rathead
    Registered Users Posts: 10,067 ✭✭✭✭wp_rathead


    ben.schlomo wrote: »
    Contradiction?

    well, cult hero maybe
    he was in charge of the grassroots rugby website knockon.ie


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    #26
    marienbad
    Registered Users Posts: 9,463 ✭✭✭marienbad


    'Rats As Big As Bonhams Found In Newcastle West''

    was a front page headline in our local paper many many moons ago , you don't see many like that these days .


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    #27
    J.pilkington
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 1,331 ✭✭✭J.pilkington


    bobbyss wrote: »
    The Tribune, on the other hand, has some journalists writing about silly, poorly written, inconsequential things.

    Exactly, the Galway independent is free so owes us nothing, whereas the tribune costs a few euro but each edition is moving more and more towards gutter journalism with sensationalist headlines.


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    #28
    bodhrandude
    Registered Users Posts: 12,417 ✭✭✭✭bodhrandude


    Seen some glaring typos in the Galway Advertiser a few times, a traditional musician I know had one of these profile questions and answers thing done on him that the Advertiser used to have around the back pages, when my friend seen the newspaper the profile was printed upside down and every edition he checked that week had the same error, where was the check proofer there.

    If you want to get into it, you got to get out of it. (Hawkwind 1982)



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    #29
    ScumLord
    Registered Users Posts: 28,789 ✭✭✭✭ScumLord


    marienbad wrote: »
    'Rats As Big As Bonhams Found In Newcastle West''

    was a front page headline in our local paper many many moons ago , you don't see many like that these days .
    I had a friend who used to keep clippings of local newspaper headlines, some of them were absolutely hilarious.


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