Stuart Brennan. MEN.

[mcfcphil]

As a journalist (sub editor as it happens so I'm the c*nt who writes headlines) working for a paper with two football clubs I'm in a position to give a bit of an insight.
The paranoia isnt only with city and united fans. We get fans of both clubs having a go at us on a weekly basis for being biased - and we absolutely aren't. We laugh about it because we know we have no reason or inclination to treat the clubs differently.

Also this isn't just restricted to football - I get all kinds of grief from MPs and councillors saying I favour one party over another.

But it goes with the territory that if you're a journalist you're going to get some grief - not a problem. What is surprising is the amount of people who seem to be experts on the systems and processes at a newspaper - but being spectacularly wrong.

By all means have a pop at the end product - and don't buy it - but don't talk about the inner workings of the publication because it just makes you sound stupid.

 

[Dr Mick]

This “you know nothing about journalism and how news is reported” stuff is just a nonsense argument and has absolutely no relevance here. I am the reader. It is not my job to understand how the industry works. I do not even wish to understand. As the reader however aren’t I entitled to expect to receive factually correct news presented to me without mistakes? Any article that carries spelling mistakes, particularly of people’s names, (something so easy to check), is just poor and from a newspaper attempting to be taken seriously is just unacceptable. Isn’t it? I don't need to know how journalism works to understand that.

This isn’t however anything to do with a few dodgy typos, taken in isolation, poor as that it. It is the fact that if the MEN can’t get even the basics right, what faith do we have in them getting all the other things right?

They run ridiculous “ten goal bonanza” type headlines and then a United supporting journalist whose had one too many shandies pops up to try and defend his publication's position and who ends up articulating himself so poorly that one poster quite eloquently summarises the reporter's stance with “so it's our fault your paper is shit?”

I don’t speak for anyone other than myself. I certainly don’t speak for anyone on here. Those happy to accept poor, lazy, error-ridden, biased journalism, you go for it, that's your choice.

Whether I understand how journalism works or not is however wholly irrelevant.

I agree with the thrust of what you're saying there. IT annoys the fuck out of me when people go all esoteric on a particular subject claiming that others just don't "get it".

As an aside, are you a real doctor or are you an imposter like Doctors Who, Dre, Fox and Evil?

Of course i'm not a real doctor. I am in fact a journalist. Don't try and tell me that the good Doctor Dre isn't genuine though. Your clear lack of medical knowledge has let you down there. I'd have quite fancied having a crack at gynercollergy but failed at the first hurdle as I couldn't spell it so I got a job writing captions for the MEN instead.

I've taken my name from Dr Mick Bunnage the erstwhile 'agony uncle' from Loaded magazine, back in the day before all the pictures of lady's breasts got in the way of the articles. I believe there is another Dr Mick on RAWK who's apparently a bit of a WUM. Never spoken with him. He's probably not a real doctor either.

 

[Anonymous]

Amongst all the righteous indignation, brow beating, great wailing and gnashing of teeth I'm wondering if things have been that bad for that long over at the MEN why the complainants continue to buy it/view it on line? Clearly people must still be viewing/buying given the list of things that are being called out?

Now, I personally do not like the MEN as a newspaper (apologies Stuart but that's how it is) so I do not purchase it. Nobody is forcing you to buy it, so why continue to get yourself wound up? As has been pointed out, City-wise, they are no longer in the inner circle so have clearly done something to piss City off ergo you will not get ALL the City news you might want from it.

Journalism is a tainted profession as it is. We all know its modus operandi and as Stuart himself has pointed out, it is all about what sells and attracts advertisers. Armed with that confirmation of what you already knew, why on earth is anyone wasting their time attacking the MEN as you (and Stuart) on your own are not going to change anything.

As consumers we have the ultimate veto through not having to buy a product or service; use it. Life is too short.

 

[Dr Mick]

Whether I understand how journalism works or not is however wholly irrelevant.

...it's certainly relevant if you're going to use the workings of his job, and the reporting of issues to his colleagues as a basis for personal attack.

So I buy something and it doesn't work properly. Lets say its a mobile telephone. I take it back to the shop to complain and to say I'm not happy with the sub standard nature of the product. The guy in the shop tells me that I don't understand the workings of the mobile telephone industry and how mobile telephones are put together and so I have no right to complain.

That in a nutshell is what you are saying, right?

And where does the personal attack come from? No one forced him to come on here giving it all the lemon like some Billy Big Bollocks. My comments where addressed directly to him, there was no personal attack.

I can't be bothered to check, but I bet the MEN haven't even corrected the mistakes. I don't need to understand the ins and outs of journalism to know that that's a bit shit. Do I?

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

This “you know nothing about journalism and how news is reported” stuff is just a nonsense argument and has absolutely no relevance here. I am the reader. It is not my job to understand how the industry works. I do not even wish to understand. As the reader however aren’t I entitled to expect to receive factually correct news presented to me without mistakes? Any article that carries spelling mistakes, particularly of people’s names, (something so easy to check), is just poor and from a newspaper attempting to be taken seriously is just unacceptable. Isn’t it? I don't need to know how journalism works to understand that.

This isn’t however anything to do with a few dodgy typos, taken in isolation, poor as that it. It is the fact that if the MEN can’t get even the basics right, what faith do we have in them getting all the other things right?

They run ridiculous “ten goal bonanza” type headlines and then a United supporting journalist whose had one too many shandies pops up to try and defend his publication's position and who ends up articulating himself so poorly that one poster quite eloquently summarises the reporter's stance with “so it's our fault your paper is shit?”

I don’t speak for anyone other than myself. I certainly don’t speak for anyone on here. Those happy to accept poor, lazy, error-ridden, biased journalism, you go for it, that's your choice.

Whether I understand how journalism works or not is however wholly irrelevant.

I agree with the thrust of what you're saying there. IT annoys the fuck out of me when people go all esoteric on a particular subject claiming that others just don't "get it".

As an aside, are you a real doctor or are you an imposter like Doctors Who, Dre, Fox and Evil?

Of course i'm not a real doctor. I am in fact a journalist. Don't try and tell me that the good Doctor Dre isn't genuine though. Your clear lack of medical knowledge has let you down there. I'd have quite fancied having a crack at gynercollergy but failed at the first hurdle as I couldn't spell it so I got a job writing captions for the MEN instead.

I've taken my name from Dr Mick Bunnage the erstwhile 'agony uncle' from Loaded magazine, back in the day before all the pictures of lady's breasts got in the way of the articles. I believe there is another Dr Mick on RAWK who's apparently a bit of a WUM. Never spoken with him. He's probably not a real doctor either.

My clear lack of medical knowledge is no secret as evidenced by the absence of "Doctor" from my username.

Loaded was a breath of fresh air when it was first launched, but as you say it ran out of creative gas some considerable time ago.

Erstwhile is one of my favourite words. I must make a point of using it more often.

 

[steviemc]

And where does the personal attack come from? My comments where addressed directly to him, there was no personal attack.

Well I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.

 

[burning blue soul]

Not living in Manchester, I only read the MEN online. And I only link to the City articles so, unless United are playing City, never see articles about them or headlines. The City coverage seems to me to be fine.

same here mate.

reading this thread from a 'removed' viewpoint its like watching mongrels fighting over a used condom!!

fair play to stuart for coming on the forum, its a shame the debate descended into silliness though. i like to hear his viewpoint.

 

[yerwot?]

lock this thread ffs, it's embarassing

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

lock this thread ffs, it's embarassing

You never struck me as one of the board's easily embarrassed BB.

 

[Dr Mick]

And where does the personal attack come from? My comments where addressed directly to him, there was no personal attack.

Well I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.

No personal attack. Its not my style. I'm sufficiently articulate to get my point across without the need to resort to such methods.

Anyway instead of trying to turn this onto me, how about addressing my previous comment regarding the claims that my assumed lack of knowledge of journalism and the newspaper industry detracts from the weight of my argument. I don't know the first thing about supermarkets and retail either but I know selling horse meat packaged as beef is wrong.

I really do not understand how me not knowing how journalism works makes it okay for the MEN to publish such rubbish.