Q. How do you know when a newspaper contributor is writing total rubbish?

[bassybill]

A. Their fingers are tapping on their computer keyboard.

Here's one small but perfectly formed example. In a profession that sometimes seems to populated almost entirely by shysters and idiots, this woman managed to reach a new low for journalistic standards in a humble recipe column.

Originally Posted by article

I think the concept of pizza finally hit Wolverhampton around 1996. It is a town whose resident Italian population could meet on a single chair. But American TV shows meant that the idea eventually filtered through, although without any Italian restaurants, or even a Pizza Hut, in Wolverhampton pizza had to be home-made.

As someone who has been enjoying the excellent canneloni (and pizza) at Pepito's in Wolverhampton for over 40 years, I would say that her comments about the city's pre-1996 lack of Italian restaurants "or even a pizza hut" are total bunk. I suppose that shows why you shouldn't always believe what you read.

[GregC]

Bill, as a former journalist myself, I think the real answer is: When they're in the UK. Certainly, U.S. papers are far from perfect--and their quality is dropping as money becomes scarce. But reporters' work here looks like that of Upton Sinclair and Woodward & Bernstein compared to the absolute rubbish coming out of the many tabloids in your country.

I'm guessing this thread will now turn into yet another "the mainstream media sux compared to the blogs that agree with my views" fest.

[bassybill]

I don't really know about the situation over there, but I do agree that here in the UK, most journalism is abysmal trash - and it ain't just the tabloids, either.

[Relic]

Tabloids? Blah...
I'm really fed up with the mainstream media these days. It's not that stories are not generally well-written, it just seems to me that it's become an art form - ie how can a basic story with a finite set of facts be presented in a way that sparks outrage as well as adheres to some sort of bias. I've found that the only real way to get "fair and impartial" is to use many different avenues to get your news and put it together from there.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

The quality of our paper here in Louisville has gone down so far over the last 20 years that I can't believe it could still get worse....although I know it will. We used to have a section that came out on Friday that told all about what's going on in town (entertainment, etc.) over the weekend. Now it's turned into a rag version of "entertainment tonight" with idiotic gossip about anorexic stars I've never heard of and much discussion of the latest ugly fashion trends that don't look good on anybody.

The paper here still isn't nearly as bad as the rags I saw in London back in '97, though. I had a hard time believing people actually read that crap every morning, but lots of people did. Ugh.

[bassybill]

Chris, you're spot on there. I think some Americans still think of Brits as being slightly upper class, stiff upper lip types, but this is a complete misconception nowadays.

The sad fact is that when it comes to being low brow, we get lower brow than almost anyone else. If you think our papers are bad, you should see the TV currently being watched and adored by millions over here. Some of our crap makes the Jerry Springer Show look like an audience with Sir John Gielgud.

[machine gewehr]

Here media became 2 sided,

*supporter of the government,
*non-supporter of the government.

Government trying to shut down non-supporters,both sides (mostly supporters) writing absolute crap...

I can't take it anymore,I don't watch the news,read only 1-2 articles thats it.

[cheezewiz]

The English are damned funny regarding newspapers. I remember staring in awe at my very intelligent and very successful Aunt and Uncle, sitting at the breakfast table in their lovely and expensive, cottage in Surrey, both reading tabloids with their meal!

[bassybill]

With further reference to the OP - I thought the writer's comment about the lack of an Italian population in Wolverhampton seemed odd, as I personally know quite a few Italians living in the city and there must be a few more. So I did a bit of digging and found this.

http://www.wolverhamptonarchives.dia...ration_ww2.htm

Italy

At the end of the Second World War there was an influx of migrants from Italy. They came to work in the factories of Wolverhampton. One factory in particular to benefit from this migrant labour force was Courtaulds. Large numbers of Italians, particularly young single women, worked for the company.

Again these migrants formed clubs and worshipped together. There is an Italian Pentecostal Church in Gorsebrook Road, Wolverhampton.

More evidence that the woman was writing blathering rubbish. And yet she claims to have lived here. It sounds like she wasn't here for long, or maybe she just didn't get out of the house much.

[Unrepresented]

Originally Posted by Relic

Tabloids? Blah...
I'm really fed up with the mainstream media these days. It's not that stories are not generally well-written, it just seems to me that it's become an art form - ie how can a basic story with a finite set of facts be presented in a way that sparks outrage as well as adheres to some sort of bias. I've found that the only real way to get "fair and impartial" is to use many different avenues to get your news and put it together from there.

I'm of a similar mind, although my issue is more that news often tends to focus on sensationalism rather than relevance.

News seems to be falling more and more into two basic camps:

Shocking but highly isolated crimes that get national coverage simply through lurid appeal.

Celebrity news; meaning popular public personalities getting coverage because they're popular public personalities.

Neither of these are of any real importance to the average reader, it's entertainment posing as news, and more importantly it's taking the place where real news should be getting disseminated.

I know that's not what the OP was going for in this thread, but since we're on the subject, I believe that's just as great a disservice to the public as poor fact checking.

[XtreO]

Originally Posted by GregC

Bill, as a former journalist myself, I think the real answer is: When they're in the UK. Certainly, U.S. papers are far from perfect--and their quality is dropping as money becomes scarce. But reporters' work here looks like that of Upton Sinclair and Woodward & Bernstein compared to the absolute rubbish coming out of the many tabloids in your country.

I guess you are right to some extent. American tv news forced the US papers into in-depth studies a long time ago, the same never really happened in UK. But do know that The Sun is a great read once a week, though I prefer Daily Mail or The Times when I read a UK paper.

[Mark Wilson]

Originally Posted by bassybill

I suppose that shows why you shouldn't always believe what you read.

I don't believe this statement.

[MakiSupaStar]

LOL. That's funny. I only know of the a small area of West Midlands (my family is from Allsley, and Coventry area, and I've frequented rugby, warwick, and the little towns between), and I must say there was Pizza everywhere. Just as much as here in the US. She's just trying to fill her quota to meet the bare minimum for the article. She probably got paid a 100 pounds for article at that, and was told to write 500-1000 words about a pizza joint. I could do it, but a person with little imagination, would tend to make up a story about the made up history of Italian immigrants in West Midlands opening up pizza joints. I bet all the side characters of the story are named after characters in Pinochio (I'm pretty sure I didn't spell that right).

[burk48237]

I must admit EVERY TIME, I have personally been at an event covered by our "unbiased" MSM I have wondered where the reporters were to come up with the rubbish they have written. So I have begun to have more doubts then usual. I will admit that the local newspapers are invaluable for their local coverage of things like corruption in government. And in Detroit that requires a full time news staff to cover.

But when it comes to analysis and national coverage the net rules. I start each day at the National Review and the New Republic and of course Scrappleface and the Onion.

One thing you Brits have on us though, Page three girls!. The NY Times would increase circulation dramatically by adding this feature.

[MakiSupaStar]

Ah yes. Page three girls. Sigh. I'm not a proud man.