Parasites
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Parasites
Please forgive me and let me have a small rant. I have chosen to start a new thread, as I do not want to show disrespect on the Herc Down thread.
Why oh why do the gutter press have to be so damn insensitive at times like this. I understand that the 'real media' have a job to do to keep us all informed of key events. But when, yesterday, I returned home to see alleged human beings crawling all over my next door neighbour's front garden in the hope of getting a 'quick exclusive story and photos’ of a grieving widow I consider that behaviour to be inexcusable.
How do they sleep at night?
It was a good job that I was wearing 'Auntie Betty's Blues' making it inappropriate to use anything other that polite...ish words to send them packing.
Why oh why do the gutter press have to be so damn insensitive at times like this. I understand that the 'real media' have a job to do to keep us all informed of key events. But when, yesterday, I returned home to see alleged human beings crawling all over my next door neighbour's front garden in the hope of getting a 'quick exclusive story and photos’ of a grieving widow I consider that behaviour to be inexcusable.
How do they sleep at night?
It was a good job that I was wearing 'Auntie Betty's Blues' making it inappropriate to use anything other that polite...ish words to send them packing.
Last edited by rej; 2nd Feb 2005 at 02:22.
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A friend of mine was walking down her home street in Buckinghamshire when she was approached by a man who asked where Mr ***** lived. She was a little suspicious so asked where this guy was from - turned out he was from the Mirror and the man he was looking for had the same name as one of the guys on the Herc. Just on the off chance, he was checking whether he could get any 'exclusive shots' of the curtains drawn etc.
The guy who lived there had nothing to do with the military - I'm amazed at the lengths to which these lizards will go to sell a few more papers.
Do they not know what rest in PEACE means?
The guy who lived there had nothing to do with the military - I'm amazed at the lengths to which these lizards will go to sell a few more papers.
Do they not know what rest in PEACE means?
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I can't remember much after about 9pm last night, but I have a vague memory of someone telling me that a reptile was trying to get into the school playground in Lyneham village to get an exclusive from the schoolkids.
I offered to arrange a squad to go and break their toys (the reptiles), but as I was looking for a wink from the Staish, the moment was lost as a scottish navigator fell backwards onto the table and, with his flailing non drinking arm, swept the entire contents into the Staish's lap. He didn't spill his own drink though.
I offered to arrange a squad to go and break their toys (the reptiles), but as I was looking for a wink from the Staish, the moment was lost as a scottish navigator fell backwards onto the table and, with his flailing non drinking arm, swept the entire contents into the Staish's lap. He didn't spill his own drink though.
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Unfortunately they do what they do to satisfy the appetites of the ghouls who demand pictures and interviews with the bereaved. I fear it is the great unwashed we have to blame and not the skivvy who is employed to satisfy that demand.
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Do the great unwashed 'demand it'? Or are they just happy to read whatever is next to the t!ts on page 3, free scratch cards and the latest 'celeb going shopping' blah?
It makes my blood boil to read what these creatures have been doing at DL. It would be nice to employ the latest policy on people breaking and entering without concent on these bottom feeding maggots. Minimum force?
It makes my blood boil to read what these creatures have been doing at DL. It would be nice to employ the latest policy on people breaking and entering without concent on these bottom feeding maggots. Minimum force?
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However, those who are without sin.... The most popular newspaper in most Messes is the current bun (might be the nice ladies in there) and most crewrooms have a copy skulling around. So, the Officers and men are contributing to the sale of the paper.
I have no defence for journos like these. There is no defence.
There is a demand for detail and 'human interest' aspects (that's the modern term for prurience), however, as Soddim suggests. People want to see and experience the grieving widow's tearful face. I don't understand it any more than you chaps do, but I can see that people do want to read this crap, and do want to participate, vicariously, in the tragedy.
The world has changed without our noticing it. The wailing crowds who watched Diana's funeral procession were exactly the kind of Sun/Mirror/Mail/Express reading morons who the editors are trying to satisfy with a crass picture of curtained windows, or a sobbed soundbite from a child, widow or neighbour. The demand is most certainly there. Unlike Soddim, I don't find that to be any excuse for people pursuing the 'victims', any more than job opportunities excused anyone from joining the SS.
But the answer isn't, as you know, to beat these people up. Get their identities (they should be willing to show a press card or other ID) and complain to their editors and to the Press Complaints Commission, and copy your complaints to DCC and Command PR. Get your unit CRO to feed stories of specific instances of unwarranted media intrusion to other papers. Post their names and employers on this thread. These hypocritical bastards love stories about other people's reporters being scum.
By doing so you'll inconvenience the editors. You'll cost them money, and you'll make it more difficult for them to do their jobs in future. Impose a real cost on the papers who use these people's material, and you'll make a difference.
And also realise that the RAF is becoming a less media savvy, and less media friendly organisation institutionally, as are many of its members. The organisation as a whole, and too many of you blokes, don't recognise that you have allies in the media (let alone friends) and that by tarring us all with the same brush, you lose the chance to influence what we do.
I found little to be relieved about in this terrible tragedy, but I was relieved that this was an aircraft and an incident where whether or not it carried particular elements of the DAS was not an issue. I raised the subject of the Hercules' DAS on another thread, and people leapt down my throat, for all the usual reasons. I'm glad I'm not now saying that had we raised the lack of particular equipment on particular parts of the fleet then politicians might have done something to remedy shortcomings and/or equipment shortages and that this might not have happened.....
There is a demand for detail and 'human interest' aspects (that's the modern term for prurience), however, as Soddim suggests. People want to see and experience the grieving widow's tearful face. I don't understand it any more than you chaps do, but I can see that people do want to read this crap, and do want to participate, vicariously, in the tragedy.
The world has changed without our noticing it. The wailing crowds who watched Diana's funeral procession were exactly the kind of Sun/Mirror/Mail/Express reading morons who the editors are trying to satisfy with a crass picture of curtained windows, or a sobbed soundbite from a child, widow or neighbour. The demand is most certainly there. Unlike Soddim, I don't find that to be any excuse for people pursuing the 'victims', any more than job opportunities excused anyone from joining the SS.
But the answer isn't, as you know, to beat these people up. Get their identities (they should be willing to show a press card or other ID) and complain to their editors and to the Press Complaints Commission, and copy your complaints to DCC and Command PR. Get your unit CRO to feed stories of specific instances of unwarranted media intrusion to other papers. Post their names and employers on this thread. These hypocritical bastards love stories about other people's reporters being scum.
By doing so you'll inconvenience the editors. You'll cost them money, and you'll make it more difficult for them to do their jobs in future. Impose a real cost on the papers who use these people's material, and you'll make a difference.
And also realise that the RAF is becoming a less media savvy, and less media friendly organisation institutionally, as are many of its members. The organisation as a whole, and too many of you blokes, don't recognise that you have allies in the media (let alone friends) and that by tarring us all with the same brush, you lose the chance to influence what we do.
I found little to be relieved about in this terrible tragedy, but I was relieved that this was an aircraft and an incident where whether or not it carried particular elements of the DAS was not an issue. I raised the subject of the Hercules' DAS on another thread, and people leapt down my throat, for all the usual reasons. I'm glad I'm not now saying that had we raised the lack of particular equipment on particular parts of the fleet then politicians might have done something to remedy shortcomings and/or equipment shortages and that this might not have happened.....
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Sir Peter Harding's L C
Wasn't the Scottish Nav who fell back on his hip flask, felt a crunch and wet liquid running down is leg and said "F
k, I hope that's blood ! ?"
Jacko
You have a point, but my experience of Journos in Kuwait and Iraq is less than satisfactory and certainly not conducive to a friendly relationship on my part. We are always on our guard whenever the media is around. One look at the BBC and/or Sky and the naff 24 / 7 machinery in place to regurgitate endless speculation by ill informed and frankly ignorant "reporters" expressing their half arsed opinions instead of creative news presentation will tell you why.
Quote a few days ago from the hack outside MOD, "They are point blank refusing to speculate on why the Hercules came down !" F g right they were not speculating , but Sky was !
One look at the Sky news ad and that tw@t Chater on a donkey, and another heli borne bimbette reporter smirking and saying "From up here you can really see the scale of the disaster" and you can see how low the calibre of "reporter" has become.
Wasn't the Scottish Nav who fell back on his hip flask, felt a crunch and wet liquid running down is leg and said "F
k, I hope that's blood ! ?"Jacko
You have a point, but my experience of Journos in Kuwait and Iraq is less than satisfactory and certainly not conducive to a friendly relationship on my part. We are always on our guard whenever the media is around. One look at the BBC and/or Sky and the naff 24 / 7 machinery in place to regurgitate endless speculation by ill informed and frankly ignorant "reporters" expressing their half arsed opinions instead of creative news presentation will tell you why.
Quote a few days ago from the hack outside MOD, "They are point blank refusing to speculate on why the Hercules came down !" F
g right they were not speculating , but Sky was !One look at the Sky news ad and that tw@t Chater on a donkey, and another heli borne bimbette reporter smirking and saying "From up here you can really see the scale of the disaster" and you can see how low the calibre of "reporter" has become.
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I am fairly certain that "Wilf" the Sky TV "Defence (C130) Expert" is in fact a TA Int Corps Cpl!
Or at least he was a few years ago when I did a Joint Services course on which he was a course member.
His real job was as a salesman albeit aeroplanes.
Or at least he was a few years ago when I did a Joint Services course on which he was a course member.
His real job was as a salesman albeit aeroplanes.
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It's not just the red tops that get it very wrong.
The Telegraph on Monday ran on the front page a big piece saying "... The incident is believed to mark the single largest loss of SAS personnel since the start of the war" and another regurgitating the South Atlantic X-deck incident and the Kukes 130 crash.
If I only bought the papers that reported correctly my order would be limited to The Beano!
The Telegraph on Monday ran on the front page a big piece saying "... The incident is believed to mark the single largest loss of SAS personnel since the start of the war" and another regurgitating the South Atlantic X-deck incident and the Kukes 130 crash.
If I only bought the papers that reported correctly my order would be limited to The Beano!
Last edited by airborne_artist; 2nd Feb 2005 at 07:50.
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Jacko many thanks for a considered view from a "sensible" journo. I agree with just about everything in your post - which is more than I often do.
I was at Aldergrove in '94 at the time of the Mull crash - and you would just not believe some of the tricks the "reptiles" got up to to try and get in and/or to get info or piccies - and at what one would have hoped was a more secure than average air base.
Your point about "lack of media savvy" is both true and well made. Some lines I remember from various "meeja" courses I've done seem to get forgotten at times:
"The press can be your best friend or your worst enemy"
"Tell them something, however little; tell them nothing and they'll make something up to fill the vacuum." (or of course get J%hn N*c%ll to pontificate....)
I was at Aldergrove in '94 at the time of the Mull crash - and you would just not believe some of the tricks the "reptiles" got up to to try and get in and/or to get info or piccies - and at what one would have hoped was a more secure than average air base.
Your point about "lack of media savvy" is both true and well made. Some lines I remember from various "meeja" courses I've done seem to get forgotten at times:
"The press can be your best friend or your worst enemy"
"Tell them something, however little; tell them nothing and they'll make something up to fill the vacuum." (or of course get J%hn N*c%ll to pontificate....)
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Freedom of speech....blah blah. Public right to know....blah blah.
It gets worse.....
I'm sick and tired of journo's defending their occupation with the same tired old cliche's. Yes, we are doing what we do to protect our way of life and freedom of speech certainly features within that, but I would happily shut the sensationalist journo's up. They appear never happier than when making someone else's life a misery.
Public right to know...horses ar$e. Yes the public should be told about matters that directly effect them or they have paid for (public purse or otherwise). But to try and interview a grieving child.. I'm disgusted.
Think about this......a terrorist bomb goes off 20 miles from you. You may hear it, or you may not. The 24/7 media gets ahold of the story, and it's all you hear about for the next 2 or more days.
Terrorists/Journalists...they are doing the same job. I rank them down there with politicians and estate agents!
These people are endangering lives!
and no, I don't read news papers, their title tends to be misleading.
Spitting Image (remember that?) had the journo's spot on. Pigs in pubs.
It gets worse.....
I'm sick and tired of journo's defending their occupation with the same tired old cliche's. Yes, we are doing what we do to protect our way of life and freedom of speech certainly features within that, but I would happily shut the sensationalist journo's up. They appear never happier than when making someone else's life a misery.
Public right to know...horses ar$e. Yes the public should be told about matters that directly effect them or they have paid for (public purse or otherwise). But to try and interview a grieving child.. I'm disgusted.
Think about this......a terrorist bomb goes off 20 miles from you. You may hear it, or you may not. The 24/7 media gets ahold of the story, and it's all you hear about for the next 2 or more days.
Terrorists/Journalists...they are doing the same job. I rank them down there with politicians and estate agents!
These people are endangering lives!
and no, I don't read news papers, their title tends to be misleading.
Spitting Image (remember that?) had the journo's spot on. Pigs in pubs.
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Airborne Artist
""""If I only bought the papers that reported correctly my order would be limited to The Beano!""""
And then somebody from A Sqn to read it to you ??
Yozzer
But wee Francis Tusa is a Star - great fun, and terribly exciteable in the right company !!
""""If I only bought the papers that reported correctly my order would be limited to The Beano!""""
And then somebody from A Sqn to read it to you ??
Yozzer
But wee Francis Tusa is a Star - great fun, and terribly exciteable in the right company !!
Do a Hover - it avoids G
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Jacko many thanks for a considered view from a "sensible" journo. I agree with just about everything in your post - which is more than I often do.
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Jacko
I disagree that the RAF is becoming less media savy. To the contrary, there is a media training regime in place on all exercises from SLTs upward which provide tuition to those most likely to appear before the cameras and the media ops teams.
With regard to this incident, what more could the MoD have done? The line 'we don't know what happened and we won't speculate' was clearly appropriate and to have reacted to each and every incidence of speculation from the likes of Nicol and Janes Defence Weekly (name of the journo anyone?) would have simply played into their hands.
That said, the wolfpack of journos targetting the bereaved should have been anticipated and measures taken to protect them. However perhaps this should have been for the station to organise, not London. Anyway, the media cried foul for photographing a supermodel leaving rehab, claiming it would impinge on their ability to report in the public interest. Not only are their actions morally repugnant but the intrusion into the grief of the families is not in the public interest, and would certainly merit a complaint to the PCC.
RM
I disagree that the RAF is becoming less media savy. To the contrary, there is a media training regime in place on all exercises from SLTs upward which provide tuition to those most likely to appear before the cameras and the media ops teams.
With regard to this incident, what more could the MoD have done? The line 'we don't know what happened and we won't speculate' was clearly appropriate and to have reacted to each and every incidence of speculation from the likes of Nicol and Janes Defence Weekly (name of the journo anyone?) would have simply played into their hands.
That said, the wolfpack of journos targetting the bereaved should have been anticipated and measures taken to protect them. However perhaps this should have been for the station to organise, not London. Anyway, the media cried foul for photographing a supermodel leaving rehab, claiming it would impinge on their ability to report in the public interest. Not only are their actions morally repugnant but the intrusion into the grief of the families is not in the public interest, and would certainly merit a complaint to the PCC.
RM
Suspicion breeds confidence
The day after Sheffield was sunk in 1982, the Sun sent a reporter to Pompey to interview relatives of those killed. I understand he spent several days in hospital.
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Jacko,
Nice, considered, angle - thanks.
Remember a few years ago, the Sqn I was on lost a jet around lunchtime. Jet was 'missing' until quite late in the evening, once some wreckage and body parts were found in the sea. Not a day I'll ever forget.
The good side - the Sqn was sufficiently tight that Boss and XO managed to get round to see the families pretty much before anything was announced anywhere... there's the lesson.
The less good side... it's just as well that Boss / friends were able to be with the families, as they ended up fielding telephone calls from unscrupulous journos who'd already been told my the media hamdlers that there was no news yet. Worst of all... gutter press trying to get access to a little boy at school. Little lad was unaware that anything had happened much less that, later on, he would be told that his father's never coming home again. Whatever the media angle, that's just not on.
Nice, considered, angle - thanks.
Remember a few years ago, the Sqn I was on lost a jet around lunchtime. Jet was 'missing' until quite late in the evening, once some wreckage and body parts were found in the sea. Not a day I'll ever forget.
The good side - the Sqn was sufficiently tight that Boss and XO managed to get round to see the families pretty much before anything was announced anywhere... there's the lesson.
The less good side... it's just as well that Boss / friends were able to be with the families, as they ended up fielding telephone calls from unscrupulous journos who'd already been told my the media hamdlers that there was no news yet. Worst of all... gutter press trying to get access to a little boy at school. Little lad was unaware that anything had happened much less that, later on, he would be told that his father's never coming home again. Whatever the media angle, that's just not on.
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An example of the inaccuracies that undermine and discredit even the 'serious' press is this passage from the Times Online (I assume it's in the paper version too):
47(AD) Sqn have nothing to do with this tragedy, and such 'reporting' seems calculated to alarm and distress people who are not involved. Despicable and pathetic.
Scroggs
THE RAF Hercules crew killed in Iraq were one of the RAF’s most experienced teams of air dispatchers who pride themselves on being able to deliver anything, anywhere in the world, no matter how inhospitable or remote. The crews from 47 Air Despatch Squadron Royal Logistical Corps, based at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, would have been used to working with special forces, including the SAS. As well as dropping and extracting them from hostile territory, they would have been responsible for supplying them with arms and equipment.
Scroggs
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Scroggs - You have to be very careful of poetic licence. The article in the Times Doersn't say that 47(D) had anything to do with the accident. It states
It doesn't link them to the accident. Factually its a correct statement. I know that it is close to the wind and that it implys that 45(d) were there BUT actually it doesn't say that. Influenced and checked by Media Lawyers. Thats Journalistic licence for ya -Unfortunately.
The crews from 47 Air Despatch Squadron Royal Logistical Corps, based at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, would have been used to working with special forces, including the SAS. As well as dropping and extracting them from hostile territory, they would have been responsible for supplying them with arms and equipment.