Evening Argus Protest

[seagullsovergrimsby]

When the work is moved to Southampton the journalists need to include local words in their stories to wind up the sub editors. One good thing though , Tim's blog will only be 2 sentences long.

 

[West Hoathly Seagull]

When the work is moved to Southampton the journalists need to include local words in their stories to wind up the sub editors. One good thing though , Tim's blog will only be 2 sentences long.

Yep, druv, binner, etc. There you are, I've got the ball rolling. Can you all think of some other "Sussex" words to include? Next year, when the swallows come back, the reporter should mark his story, "Martlets return". That'll get the subs all of a jumble.

 

[£1.99]

Photographers reporters and bloggers happy to work for free is not helping full time journalists either.

 

[Jimbo.GRFC]

Now American owned apparantly, chief exec getting paid £600,000 a year. Effectively being closed down and moved to Southampton. Local staff being fired, or move to Southampton. No pay rises for three years. We are losing our local rag guys!

I'm afraid we lost our local rag when Newsquest acquired them and turned it into a daily newspaper rather than evening. Look at any newsagents line up of papers in the morning and probably guess that the Argus is the last to be considered by the public.

one of its merits though is the local sports news, though not the best, its something at least. Also the little add-ons like the business pages on a Tuesday and the Youth sports section on a Wednesday. I fear that the latter would probably be sacrificed, cant see some lazy reporter coming over to Sussex when he can constantly report about Southampton and Portsmouth's youth teams.

The paper I think began its demise when it ceased being the Evening Argus, and also the loss of the Saturday Sports paper after the football had finished. Hopefully with the infrastructure that they have in place at Hollingbury a Management/staff buyout may be considered, though I know we are in hard times.

Good luck to them all though

 

[Fgt01]

Totally agree with this comment. Same experience here

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Photographers reporters and bloggers happy to work for free is not helping full time journalists either.

Indeed.

They are increasingly relying on "readers pictures" and "do you know any of the victims of this tragedy? ... contact us on ..." sort of stuff.

At least when Roz wrote her weekly 500 words of 'Terrace Talk' a few years back, they paid her the going rate.

 

[Jimbo.GRFC]

The paper has had the guts ripped out of it over the last few years. they've lost extremely good, knowledgable local journos like Phil Mills (crime reporter who had tremendous relationships with the local emergency services), Paul Holden who knows Worthing inside out and is now back at the Worthing Herald. They've replaced them with juniors and interns who work hard and mean well but dont have the local knowledge to construct many stories or to pull in stories via contacts on a slow news day.

The subs are the backstop - who should be able to ensure errors dont make it into the paper (like calling somewhere 'wooding dean') and ensure that you dont see the same story in the paper twice - noth of which have happened this week due to lack of resource. Moving them to 'hubs of subs' will mean that local knowledge is gone forever with no path to develop new blood.

Just 12 years ago there were 6 editions a day across the county. Now there's one.

The regurgitation of news 2 or 3 times seems to be happening more and more...lazy journalism..... and also their inability to inform the readership of price increases. It maybe only 2p per day more but at least let us know your going to do it. Also why does the paper cost 10p more on a Saturday with less content ?

 

[Gwylan]

The regurgitation of news 2 or 3 times seems to be happening more and more...lazy journalism.....

It's not lazy journalism at all - the poor sods have to fill a whole paper and there are fewer hacks to produce the words.

The journos on the Argus work pretty hard

 

[So.CalGull]

I'm afraid we lost our local rag when Newsquest acquired them and turned it into a daily newspaper rather than evening.

Simply not true, it has always been daily paper, the first edition (Late Special) was available at 10.15am everyday, the last edition (Final Final) 5.00pm, this was created during the WP ownership era.

Also the little add-ons like the business pages on a Tuesday and the Youth sports section on a Wednesday. I fear that the latter would probably be sacrificed.

They have had and always will have day specific pull outs, business on Tuesday, Property on Wednesday, jobs on Thursday, motoring etc...it is what pays for it. Again implemented during the WP era.

Cant see some lazy reporter coming over to Sussex when he can constantly report about Southampton and Portsmouth's youth teams.

From this statement, one can only assume that you have spent time working there with "lazy reporters". Please enlighten me some more with your working experiences with such reporters at the Argus. Names would be good.

The paper I think began its demise when it ceased being the Evening Argus, and also the loss of the Saturday Sports paper after the football had finished.

The name change was done to combat the Standard, who were on the verge of launching a morning paper called Standard AM, after much market research it was concluded that most people would not buy a newspaper in the morning that stated it was an Evening paper.

Also the for the first 50 years the paper was known as the Argus, the Evening bit was added many, many years later. Times change.

Hopefully with the infrastructure that they have in place at Hollingbury a Management/staff buyout may be considered, though I know we are in hard times.

You shot down Newsquest above, do you have any knowledge of how Newsquest was formed. Look up Jim Brown, Reed Newspapers, Staff buyout. You are suggesting the current infrastructure in place perform a buy out, simply not possible, unless you know something from one of these inside "contacts" you seem to collect.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I'm puzzled as to how a Glasgow Rangers fan 'knows' so much about the Albion and now the Argus?

 

[Firingblanks1]

I bow to your knowledge of The Argus...reveal your real name!

 

[So.CalGull]

I bow to your knowledge of The Argus...reveal your real name!

Without revealing personal info, if you are who I think you are, (your moniker, bike threads, some of your terminology...) you know me well, very well. Who else do you know that moved to California?

 

[Firingblanks1]

Hello mate! Long time no hear....I did think it might be you when I saw you were from California. Who else would have such an in depth knowledge of The Argus? Very good replies, I have had to bite my lip a few times reading some of these ill informed threads! By the way..who is Moniker, wasn'nt she in Coronation Street?

 

[So.CalGull]

By the way..who is Moniker, wasn'nt she in Coronation Street?

Nah. She was the chubby chick with the limp and four teeth who worked in the Leader Ad. office, who, after a few half a lager top, shandy's in the social club looked kind of alright, in a dark room can't feel your kneecaps, certainly wont tell your mates kind of way ......how's the family?

 

[Firingblanks1]

Hey fella, its great to hear from you after all this time and glad to see you sticking up for The Argus from the other side of the ocean. I try not to get drawn into inflammatory posts about The Argus, especially from wind up merchants like Jimbo GRFC, who is the same person who has been fueling the Gus to Chelsea rumours. His pop about ‘lazy journalism’ was particularly cheap given how few of them there are and how hard they work at The Argus!
The family is good thanks, how about yours? – is life still good in California?
Jimbo, The Argus is still much better than most other local ‘rags’ and the local sports coverage (not just the Albion) is top class. Truth is, the newspaper industry is in decline because of new technology and changing lifestyles. If you want a local paper go out and buy it. As for ‘lazy journalism’, I think your comments throughout North Stand Chat sum up what this phrase means!

 

[levirocks]

My Missus worked for the Argus in Hollingbury for a while and they treated her like dirt.

Popped in too meet her a couple of times at the offices. Must say its a grim place. The computer systems, carpets, general place are about 10 years behind the rest of Brighton.

Poor Sods.

 

[Wozza]

I wasn't there today.......

Should hope not. Would be rather ironic if you, of all people, protested about the employment conditions of sub-editors.

 

[BensGrandad]

This may seem a styupid question but remember I do not know anything about the newspaper business. Why do the journalists /reporters need to be based in Southampton surely they, with computers etc can live and work in Brighton and just send their stories/articles to anywhere in the world as it doesnt matter where the paper is printed so the local element of the news shouldnt change.

 

[The Large One]

This may seem a styupid question but remember I do not know anything about the newspaper business. Why do the journalists /reporters need to be based in Southampton surely they, with computers etc can live and work in Brighton and just send their stories/articles to anywhere in the world as it doesnt matter where the paper is printed so the local element of the news shouldnt change.

Your point would be right if it was the journalists who were being re-located, but in this case it's the sub-editors, or rather the sub-editing work.

The problem with sub-editors not being local is just that - they're not local. If a journalist spells something like a place name or street name wrong, gets a local fact wrong, then the expertise and knowledge of a local sub can be vital to ensure accuracy or relevance.

But that's not the central issue of course. It's about penny-pinching - sorry, cost-saving - within a company that has stood as a marker of Brighton life for over 125 years, and is slowly but surely being needlessly pulled apart by external forces.

Local jobs for local people? Bollocks.

 

[BensGrandad]

Do the reporters not read a final draft before it goes to press to ensure the accuracy, or is this not possible so they virtually proof read their own article after it has been edited by somebody else.