Juggernauts, Killer Bees & The Media
My fellow workmates are somewhat miffed at our local paper.
We are often early on the scene of some drama or accident on the road, just by the fact that we are on it all day. When a missing motorist is found, usually down a bank and often dead, it will usually be a road worker who will find them, or maybe a truck driver if there is evidence on the road itself of a crash. We found a utility last week, fortunately unoccupied, that had been missing since November. In the last week, apart from the juggernaut/bee incident, there has also been a fatal accident when a car lost it and spun into a landrover towing a horsefloat, and a car rolled 100 metres from where I live. One of the workers once had a woman die in their arms after she slammed into a tree. Vans have gone into rivers, cars have burst into flames and been doused with sand and lemonade, trailer couplings/ smoking wheel bearings have been noticed as traffic goes through a work site and radio messages ahead have averted potential disaster. Suicides prevented when one noticed a parked car had a hose hooked to the exhaust. Things just happen on the road. You read about them rarely.
Yesterday they were hoping for a bit of glory & maybe thanks. They got fuck all.
I have worked on a paper and in my rather spotty callow youth was a cadet reporter in a city newspaper. I have also worked in areas where I have had a lot to do with the media generally, (but more about that some other time) so I was able to explain how the reporting of the attack of the killer bee incident worked.
It is cheaper and quicker to interveiw the victim at the hospital down the road from the paper. The Cop has an office and a phone, so if they are quick off the mark they may be able to interveiw the cop & paramedic involved while they are filling forms and having lunch. Better than driving a 100 kilometres. To my eye too, the story looks as if the reporter involved was a trainee, who had enough for a good front page story with a worthy underlying issue that the editorial can jump on. But that doesn't satisfy the "brothers" in the crew. They understand that in the scheme of things they are pretty low down in the food chain, and regarded as creatures that impede the flow of important travellers on the roads of commerce. This perception is so far from the truth that it inspired me to start blogging, though I wondered for a while if I would have much to blog about, but, hey I'm up and away. And even on a road in little N.Z. can contribute a bit to the Bloggers v The Media revolution that is currently under way
We are often early on the scene of some drama or accident on the road, just by the fact that we are on it all day. When a missing motorist is found, usually down a bank and often dead, it will usually be a road worker who will find them, or maybe a truck driver if there is evidence on the road itself of a crash. We found a utility last week, fortunately unoccupied, that had been missing since November. In the last week, apart from the juggernaut/bee incident, there has also been a fatal accident when a car lost it and spun into a landrover towing a horsefloat, and a car rolled 100 metres from where I live. One of the workers once had a woman die in their arms after she slammed into a tree. Vans have gone into rivers, cars have burst into flames and been doused with sand and lemonade, trailer couplings/ smoking wheel bearings have been noticed as traffic goes through a work site and radio messages ahead have averted potential disaster. Suicides prevented when one noticed a parked car had a hose hooked to the exhaust. Things just happen on the road. You read about them rarely.
Yesterday they were hoping for a bit of glory & maybe thanks. They got fuck all.
I have worked on a paper and in my rather spotty callow youth was a cadet reporter in a city newspaper. I have also worked in areas where I have had a lot to do with the media generally, (but more about that some other time) so I was able to explain how the reporting of the attack of the killer bee incident worked.
It is cheaper and quicker to interveiw the victim at the hospital down the road from the paper. The Cop has an office and a phone, so if they are quick off the mark they may be able to interveiw the cop & paramedic involved while they are filling forms and having lunch. Better than driving a 100 kilometres. To my eye too, the story looks as if the reporter involved was a trainee, who had enough for a good front page story with a worthy underlying issue that the editorial can jump on. But that doesn't satisfy the "brothers" in the crew. They understand that in the scheme of things they are pretty low down in the food chain, and regarded as creatures that impede the flow of important travellers on the roads of commerce. This perception is so far from the truth that it inspired me to start blogging, though I wondered for a while if I would have much to blog about, but, hey I'm up and away. And even on a road in little N.Z. can contribute a bit to the Bloggers v The Media revolution that is currently under way
posted by Dodderyoldfart at 6:25 PM
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