A slight change of emphasis
Posted on
March 06, 2014 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Here’s a story on the front page of the Guardian website.
Below is the headline you see when you actually click on the link.
We suppose that’s a sort of balance.
There was a time when I use to respect and trust the Guardian. Their coverage of Scottish independence woke me up to the fact that they are no better than the rest and I now seriously question anything they cover. I will never trust them again.
slow news day
Multi-directional fear cluster-bombing.
…or a monumental Grauniad typocluster.
The Guardian
UK
6th March 2014
Dear Left Hand
Can you please keep yourself up to date with my activities.
Regards
Right Hand
The notion that The Prime Minister for Portsmouth knows what is and is not bluff in the Treasury is a little far fetched.
Its these zero hours contracts. You write them a good headline and they’ve got to use it otherwise you don’t get paid. Its irrelevant that its irrelevant, we’re a newspaper for gods sake, what do they expect, the truth?
There’s only one way to beat bullies and that’s to stand up to them and watch them crumble and break down and look even worse in front of their mates when their intimidation doesn’t work any more.
What logical reason is there for them not letting us use the pound? Nothing but pure spite. Osborne and the rest of them are like a load of spoiled schoolboys going: “If you don’t stay in our gang, you’re not getting to play with our toys!”
Someone needs to stand up to them and tell them, ok, if you don’t want to let us use the pound, fine. Have it your way. We’ll create our own currency. Then you’ve given away one of the last strings attached to independence, the ability to control Scotland’s currency.
Because if we keep the pound in an independent Scotland, it’ll be like keeping a collar and leash on our necks. What sort of independent nation still has its financial system controlled by someone else?
Surely they know this. So I still say it IS just a desperate bluff by people fighting a losing battle, trying to play on the fears of people who think we need to cling to the pound to survive after independence.
@Shiehallion Shiehallion 1:50pm
you mean they were one monkey short of an infinite number?
Dearie me, which lie to tell, which way to spin it. I know! Let’s do both, saves on the washing up, hypocrisy is the trade mark of the British Establishment and those illiterate Jocks won’t notice anyway.
So the headline is HelpMeRona’s response to Crawford Beveridge’s evidence, while the story heading itself is about the Holyrood hearing?
I suppose we should be pleasantly surprised that it refers to him as an ‘economic expert’ and not ‘Salmond’s adviser’…but we’ll see whether that headline remains intact.
The Guardian is as crooked as a docker’s hook; seems to be an occupational hazard with the London metropolitan bubble. Do you suppose you could do them under the Trades Descriptions Act for their “Comment is Free” thingy?
What the hell?? That is some serious bait and switch story telling there. How do they explain this one? Even when the story is positive for independence they’ll still make sure the headlines in the links, suggestions or recent story boxes are there to scare you.
Rev, you got an e-mail address I can send you an e-mail Shell just sent me?
“Rev, you got an e-mail address I can send you an e-mail Shell just sent me?”
Well, we have a Contact form, marked “Contact”, right at the top of the front page 😀
link to wingsoverscotland.com
When they’ve launched their Dambuster attack they’ve got to keep saying it worked.
Perhaps the Guardian Editor in Chief is away on a year long sabbatical or dealing with issues that are far away and they can’t really do anything about, like the Ukraine, but it makes them feel relevant.
A bit like James Naughtie interviewing William Hague, in stroky beard, heavily toned discussion about what the UK and the US could do to Russia.
All the time we know Russia couldn’t give a damn about what the UK thinks.
Simple: first headline is what had been pre-written, inside story was an accidental link to a piece written by the trainee intern – was never intended for publication
I work in a big open-plan office.I’m constantly overhearing indyref chat. There are a few very stupid people, but it’s obvious that more and more of the rest of them are waking up to the media bias. And they’re not happy.
Nuada, should that not be a hooker’s dock? Just a thought. It must be lie down time now.
Aye Rev, but I was wanting to send the whole email. Not keen on cutting and pasting it on a work machine…
The non-Scottish Scottish media are the biggest threat to democracy in Scotland. They’re biased now, so what chance do we have of getting the truth during negotiations after a YES vote.
BT = Bitter & Twisted.
The Guardian’s all over the place these days. The Brown Supremacy turned out to be a disaster so they dumped that lot of berks and backed the Liberal pledge signing freak show and now they love Australia. Whatever next from England’s “nice” Tories, the rascals.
Reading the transcript of the Westminster ‘debate’ on Independent Scotland and the North-East of England, the main thing that struck me was what a troupe of waffling fools the Lab/Con MPs are.
Much cross congratulations among them then barely concealed rudeness toward Mr McNeil.
The second thing to me is how they betray their weaknesses, there was no argument just herd-like comforting.
Wow, can barely keep up with the articles today, Rev. Excellent as always
Slightly O/T but it looks like the Telegraph has picked up on how some of these scare stories may well be having a negative effect on the Bitter Together campaign:
link to archive.is
Meanwhile the Yes campaign is well ahead in the (live) ‘Twitterendum’: link to heraldscotland.com
EBC BEN THOMPSON Business Headlines 14:45
Is this guy employed by EBC or HMG spooks. He really gets exited when running down Scotland and lays in with the boot. Is there a personal reason for this or is he just a sicko, looking for a career. Old Douggie Fraser appeared quite measured and controlled by contrast, The good old EBC has sold the knickers in Scotland they are the lowest of the low. Wouldn’t believe them if they told me the time. The Westminster mother of parliaments is the mother of all lying dictatorships and has absolutely no morals or decency standards nothing is beneath them. TOTAL SCUM! Well spoken expensively dressed SCUM! Shit wrapped in a silk hanky.
Good article in Business for Scotland on economics
link to businessforscotland.co.uk
Among which Dan McDonald points out the average property costs per employee is much lower in Scotland (£3,899 per year) than in London (£11,913).
The Wee Ginger Dug blog summed this up well.
“The Guardian puts the anal in Scottish political analysis,”
So send him a message through the contact form, giving him your email address and asking him to contact you.
Simples.
Morag, done. Hope it’s useful.
Reading the transcript of the Westminster ‘debate’ on Independent Scotland and the North-East of England, the main thing that struck me was what a troupe of waffling fools the Lab/Con MPs are.
It really was a disgrace, as are proceedings at Westminster generally when it comes to Scotland. 18-1 with the 18 being consistently rude, dismissive, arrogant and entirely ill-informed. I don’t know how the SNP group down there put up with it.
When we had the equal marriage debate up here, Ruth Davidson wrote a great piece the next day, and one of the things she specifically mentioned as being good was that, despite the weight of numbers, equal time was allocated to each side of the debate. I wondered then, and still do, how on earth she can square that understanding of how democracy and debate should work with support for Westminster and the independence debate as currently run?
Cath
“I don’t know how the SNP group down there put up with it.”
Payback time will be sweet.
Revenge is a dish best tasted cold.
Come the 19th of September watch the piggies run from the butcher
C’mon now own up, who let the Secretary of State for Portsmouth out of his cage again?
Is this what passes these days for the Secretary of State for Portsmouth throwing his weight about?
Does anyone actually pay any attention to, or care even, what the esteemed Secretary of State for Portsmouth says?
link to theguardian.com
Crawford Beveridge comes to give evidence to a Holyrood Committee.
Total wordcount: 815
Reported evidence of Crawford Beveridge: 311
Reaction from Tory committee Chairman Murdo Fraser + Alistair Carmichael (who wasn’t there): 399
Negatively slanted filler including reference to “embattled” FM added by reporter: 104
Exasperated sighs from readers: innumerable
link to thescottishscaremonger.blogspot.co.uk
It’s worse than that,Jim.
This Guardian article appeared in its original form for about 8 hours before disappearing from the main page.
As you note,the main page headline and the linked article are different – but in the original version they were the same.
In other words,the article re-appeared with a new scary headline.
The article itself was also heavily edited to emphasise Carmichael’s “response”.
The first version focused more on Crawford Beveridge and the actual “story”,
whereas the new version – surprise surprise – gained the prominent paragraphs where Carmichael
is allowed a speech to rubbish Beveridge.
Obviously Severin Carrell’s original was seen as too even handed,and this was “corrected” later.
The article also highlights a juicy quote from economist Krugman to rubbish a Currency Union.
In fact,the “deeply muddle headed” Krugman line refers not to Currency Union but to Scotland using the pound outside of a currency union –
but far be it from Carrell to let facts get in the way when there’s a chance to put the boot in.
Late last year readers were solicited for recommendations of the Guardian’s website reporting, a request from the website editor: how they might improve presentation.
I complained about the repetition of style: misleading headline, insulting sub-heading, accusation first, explanation of the history of that accusation, finally – near the end of the piece – a refutation from Salmond or A. N. Other Scottish representative. Scotland is almost always given the tail end of the report in which to put its counter-argument, the section few are troubled to reach.
Generally, that newspaper will publish any old crapology from anybody. All-comers are welcome, from the man in the street, to professional pundit, and on to politicians.
On a single day you can get a solid piece of news related to the debate side-by-side with someone’s ill-informed opinion and prejudice.
The overall result is a dog’s dinner of reportage, side-swiped by regular brutal editorials railing at freeing liberty beyond the control of London’s power elite.
In addition, BNP, EDL, NF and assorted Orangemen are allowed to post what the like in clearly mobbing groups, all in the name of free expression; anything resembling a terse rebuttle is deleted.
Not once has the Guardian published a thorough explanation of how democratic structures missing from Scotland effect our lives and Scotland’s economy.
Later, knowing it was likely to have me a marked man, (it did!) I took their former political editor, Michael White to task. We exchanged a number of long, closely argued views.
I see he’s at it again, this time comparing the SNP with Ukip, Farage with Salmond, a completely louche, spurious comparison, bloody insulting.
What I said to White he didn’t like: that his attitude exemplified Westminster’s: approval for the spread of democracy north of Watford is a colonial one – everything given must be on England’s terms, and furthermore, mirror the values and culture of England.
The blinkered outlook renders the Guardian a south east England rag of faintly left-wing leanings.
Am still in Dublin.
Folk here are cheering Scotland along to our long-belated autonomy. “Westminster is in a blind panic now. They began barely caring when it looked as if independence was a non-starter. Now they see they might lose – it’s the oil – they’re throwing anything and the kitchen sink at Scotland to knock yous out. It’s a kind of fascism.”)
The Guardian has now changed the headline on its frontpage to the same as the real story.
Grouse Beater it isnt a kind of Fascism, it is Fascism.
They are so determined to turn the Scotland pages into click bait central. CiF is now the home of Telegraph and Mail overspill and what was once the soft cuddly side of London editorial is firmly becoming a true blue right wing title. Moderation has tailed off to a very noticeable degree too. Spooky how that coincided with the sermon on the pound. 😉
The Cameron and Clegg sent thugs in to the Guadian Offices to vandalise the basement and threatened th Editor with jail, for printing the truth. The Editor, the only one with any Indepndence of Editorial, now tows the line. It supports self determination every where, except Britain.
Shell gets away with murder.
The MSM talks itself out of a job.
@Dealan Dè: Grouse Beater it isnt a kind of Fascism, it is Fascism.
Reminds me of South Park:
“I’m going to use fear to get them to do what I want.”
“Isn’t that like terrorism?”
“No, it isn’t LIKE terrorism, it IS terrorism!”
They Guardian has not ‘lost its way’ when it became London Based it embraced the ‘Uncle Tom’ syndrome with a vengeance! just a few Weeks ago they Published a disgusting Rant which had previously been printed in the ‘Scottish’ Daily Mail! Not word one was changed!!!
That was enough for me, why buy the Guardian if I can read its content in the Daily Mail? (not that I would) They are as much in cahoots with the UK Government as any other Unionist Owned Rag!
The Guardian are all over the place with their coverage. Glad Wings picked up on the absurd headline change from front cover to actual page.
I’ve found that front page Scottish stories also disappear rather quickly from sight if I or someone else gets in a number of pro-indy or factual statements early on btl. The article will often be re-published in an updated from with a new btl later in the day.
This might be coincidence but it wouldn’t surprise me if the article when published gives indy voices a opportunity to shout out well reasoned views that they get rid of it from the front page.
Has anyone ever ever seen a Guardian pick on a Scottish Independence story? I have never seen one. Moderation is also extremely rare.
Classic example of the Brit Establishment’s guiding principle – you only need to fool most of the people most of the time.
Control what they see and hear most of the time. It helps if you can also deprive most of their critical faculties.
Ah! the benefits of living in the Mother of all Hipocrisies.
I just read the best joke of the day. The bi-election in Clifton North, (Notts), saw David Lawrence Bishop, an OAP dressed as Elvis, representing the, “Bus Pass Elvis Party, beat the LibDems into last place. He got 67 votes to the LibDems Tony Marshal who got 56 votes. Now I’ve heard of the slump expected in votes for the party in power but … … … this is quite something else.
link to bbc.co.uk
Can this be rebutted by wiser finacial minds than I please ? Just seems more of the same.