courtesy in media

Yorker

Why do papers ask for stories/photos yet ignore people who send them stories/photos? Would they not have the courtesy to acknowledge it at least especially as they have contact us on their sites etc?

Friend of mine has been doing it and getting no response at all which i think is just plain ignorant. Regardless of whether it is of use they could have the manners to reply or have an auto respond.

Chips Lovell

You probably don't realise the sheer volume of stuff that's sent to a reporter's inbox. You don't have time to read, let alone reply to every email that's sent to you.

Yorker

Oscar Gateaux wrote: »

You probably don't realise the sheer volume of stuff that's sent to a reporter's inbox. You don't have time to read, let alone reply to every email that's sent to you.

Then why invite more.:-"Have you any stories/tips or pictures." And if no one reads them how do thye know they are not missing something big?

Stargal

Because reporters do get great stuff from the tips that are sent in by readers, but it's definitely the minority.

Most reporters would read all the emails that come into their account but the sheer volume means that there's a split-second judgement on whether the mail requires any action. Unfortunately, many tips from readers just aren't strong enough to be a story (or have been sent to the wrong news organisation/wrong department) and so the reader never hears back.

It's a bit crap, but on the other hand, if I wrote back to every single email tip from a reader than it would take up more than half of my day. I suspect it would be the same for a lot of other newsdesk reporters. It just wouldn't be a good use of time.

Yorker

Stargal wrote: »

Because reporters do get great stuff from the tips that are sent in by readers, but it's definitely the minority.

Most reporters would read all the emails that come into their account but the sheer volume means that there's a split-second judgement on whether the mail requires any action. Unfortunately, many tips from readers just aren't strong enough to be a story (or have been sent to the wrong news organisation/wrong department) and so the reader never hears back.

It's a bit crap, but on the other hand, if I wrote back to every single email tip from a reader than it would take up more than half of my day. I suspect it would be the same for a lot of other newsdesk reporters. It just wouldn't be a good use of time.

I would say sending in stuff to a system like that wouldn't be a good use of time either. They could have an auto acknowledge. it is ignorant to ignore after asking for it

Chips Lovell

Yorker wrote: »

Then why invite more.:-"Have you any stories/tips or pictures." And if no one reads them how do thye know they are not missing something big?

I didn't say nobody reads them. When faced with an inbox of a hundred new emails, you'll invariably end up scanning through the subject lines and filtering out the ones that aren't relevant to you before checking the others. You simply don't have time to reply to everyone. And it's not just the emails. You'll have a stead stream of PR people ringing you every day asking if you got their press release and if you planned to do anything with it.

Yorker

Oscar Gateaux wrote: »

I didn't say nobody reads them. When faced with an inbox of a hundred new emails, you'll invariably end up scanning through the subject lines and filtering out the ones that aren't relevant to you before checking the others. You simply don't have time to reply to everyone. And it's not just the emails. You'll have a stead stream of PR people ringing you every day asking if you got their press release and if you planned to do anything with it.

auto respond to say you will be contacted if relevant would take no time. it is rude and dismissive to ignore

Chips Lovell

Most people would take that as a given.