Oh no, not another Lothian and Borders Police media yarn. Yes, I know, it's a bit like picking on the class dunce, an outright liberty because they are such an easy target - the old shooting fish in a barrel scenario.
But what the hell, it's Friday and I promise this is the last one, for this week at least.
When press office boss Elayne Grimes sent out her summons last Friday to the media inviting them to a "secret" press briefing - you know, the one about the huge drugs operation that had been one year in the planning - it contained a curious but sinister piece of info for journos thinking of pitching up.
La Grim dictated that said media would be expected to have their photograph taken before they could participate in the briefing.
So what, you might say? But does this mean every non-police visitor going in to Fettes has their photo taken as a matter of course? Probably not. This is very likely to do with L and B's paranoia about staff leaking stories and their determination to nail someone for it.
If they have the photographs of most of the region's journos on file, it makes it easier for the rubberheels in the Professional Standards Unit to put a face to a name when they are taping phone calls. And of course if there's a surveillance op on a cop who is suspected of meeting up with members of the press it becomes that bit easier if you have ID in the bag.
L and B have form for this. At a previous briefing on the Sheila Anderson murder inquiry they tried this lark with the Daily Record's Lynn Davidson who rightly told them to stick their camera where the sun don't shine.
But the rubberheels cunning plan came unstuck. At least one national news desk boss phoned La Grim and stated: "My journos won't be attending if you're taking their pictures".
So come Monday morning, it transpired - no doubt coincidentally - that the camera which takes these pics was strangely "out of order". Funny, that.
Friday, 26 September 2008
Thursday, 25 September 2008
Read All About Drug Raids . . . But Not In The Advertiser
Ok, let's see if you can spot the common denominator? Drugs raids this week by Lothian and Borders Police took place in Dalkeith, Loanhead, Bonnyrigg, Pathhead, Penicuik, Gorebridge.
The circulation area of the weekly Midlothian paper, The Advertiser, covers Dalkeith, Loanhead, Bonnyrigg, Pathhead, Penicuik, Gorebridge, and much more.
Operation Evolve, as it was dubbed, was the culmination of a 20 month investigation according to the L and B website and no doubt the media plan for maximising coverage and reassuring Midlothian residents, was as carefully planned as the nuts and bolts police work.
Chief Superintendent Terry Powell, said: "I am sure that as a result of this two day operation, the residents of a number of areas of Midlothian will see a big difference in their quality of life."
But because of the numbnuts who run the police press office, those same Midlothian residents won't be reading about the raids in their local paper.
While the rest of the media (mostly underwhelmed and disinterested) were briefed about the upcoming raids on Monday morning at Fettes, staff at The Advertiser were left in the dark because press office boss Elayne Grimes had forgotten to invite them.
The first the Dalkeith editorial team heard about Operation Evolve was at 3pm on Monday when the Chief Super himself phoned in to ask if they would like to come along on the jaunt.
This was followed up with another desperate call on Tuesday afternoon when the local Superintendent virtually pleaded with the Advertiser team to send along a reporter and snapper. The officer was told politely: "Ta, but no ta".
No surprise really. Most local papers are short staffed and need a bit of forward planning for this type of event. It obviously hadn't dawned on the dimbos in L and B's media office that The Advertiser has a Wednesday deadline so to be offering them a spot on Wednesday morning's raids instead of Tuesday was cutting it fine.
So as well as pissing off the largest daily on their patch, the Edinburgh Evening News, La Grim has also managed to pull the chain of the paper everyone reads in Midlothian.
Keep up the good work, Acting Chief Constable Tom Halpin must be very proud of your efforts.
EDIT: My mistake, just been informed The Advertiser's deadline is actually Tuesday mornings, which makes L and B look even sillier, if that's possible.
The circulation area of the weekly Midlothian paper, The Advertiser, covers Dalkeith, Loanhead, Bonnyrigg, Pathhead, Penicuik, Gorebridge, and much more.
Operation Evolve, as it was dubbed, was the culmination of a 20 month investigation according to the L and B website and no doubt the media plan for maximising coverage and reassuring Midlothian residents, was as carefully planned as the nuts and bolts police work.
Chief Superintendent Terry Powell, said: "I am sure that as a result of this two day operation, the residents of a number of areas of Midlothian will see a big difference in their quality of life."
But because of the numbnuts who run the police press office, those same Midlothian residents won't be reading about the raids in their local paper.
While the rest of the media (mostly underwhelmed and disinterested) were briefed about the upcoming raids on Monday morning at Fettes, staff at The Advertiser were left in the dark because press office boss Elayne Grimes had forgotten to invite them.
The first the Dalkeith editorial team heard about Operation Evolve was at 3pm on Monday when the Chief Super himself phoned in to ask if they would like to come along on the jaunt.
This was followed up with another desperate call on Tuesday afternoon when the local Superintendent virtually pleaded with the Advertiser team to send along a reporter and snapper. The officer was told politely: "Ta, but no ta".
No surprise really. Most local papers are short staffed and need a bit of forward planning for this type of event. It obviously hadn't dawned on the dimbos in L and B's media office that The Advertiser has a Wednesday deadline so to be offering them a spot on Wednesday morning's raids instead of Tuesday was cutting it fine.
So as well as pissing off the largest daily on their patch, the Edinburgh Evening News, La Grim has also managed to pull the chain of the paper everyone reads in Midlothian.
Keep up the good work, Acting Chief Constable Tom Halpin must be very proud of your efforts.
EDIT: My mistake, just been informed The Advertiser's deadline is actually Tuesday mornings, which makes L and B look even sillier, if that's possible.
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Grim Reading For Lothian and Borders Drug Raids
Bonnyrigg is not quite Baltimore and fans of David Simon's brilliant The Wire will find it hard to get excited about Lothian and Borders Police raids on drug dealers in Midlothian yesterday and today. Fair play to local commander, Chief Supt Terry Powell, a decent cop, who wants to clean up his backyard of local Barksdales.
But if Mr Powell's Operation Evolve really did take a year to plan, he must be sorely pissed that his force's media experts screwed up their bit of the plan within just one hour.
Elayne Grim and her team really excelled themselves with their half-cocked media briefing at Fettes HQ on Monday. Amateurish doesn't even begin to describe it. Newspaper and broadcasting hacks were summoned for a "secret" pre-raid briefing. It was such a big deal that a note had been sent to all media the previous Friday (surely a security risk putting information like that out four days in advance?).
But the media pack's enthusiasm was somewhat muted when they discovered it was same old, same old Operation Foil under a new guise.
Things quickly went down hill when it was revealed there were only eight places in the vehicles assigned for press but that was ok because another eight could go on Day 2 of the op. The penny didn't drop with La Grim that news editors would not be battering down her door to send hard pressed staff out on a drugs raid on Day 2 when events had already been reported in other media.
Better in the words of one journo present: "We were told it was going to be some of the biggest drug raids ever in the Lothians and everyone was understandably keen to go along. Unfortunately, the police had only arranged for two cars for press and with a press officer driving each, there was only space for eight others.
"Elayne Grimes helpfully left the room to let us 'sort it out ourselves' with remaining police press officers and it turned into a free-for-all."
It gets better. STV and the Beeb claimed four spots, PA was given two and Deadline agency got a reporter slot. That left one space between the Evening News, Sun, Record, Herald and Scotsman so what was La Grim's strategy for allocating media for this operation which had been a year in the planning? Wait for it, wait for it . . .
"We were reduced to putting names in a hat and drawing one out," said the source. "It was a bit messy. Four papers came along after being invited then went away empty-handed because there was not enough transport."
As it turned out the last spot went to the Evening News - that's right, the local Edinburgh daily which even the dimmest PR would acknowledge, should have been top of the list to ensure as much coverage of the raids in the Lothians as possible. The BBC, totally hacked off at the way they had been treated, didn't even bother taking up their places, so two spots went a-wasting.
So what kind of media coverage did this carefully planned operation receive? From what I can tell, The Scotsman ignored it, The Herald gave it a show and the two biggest selling tabs - the Daily Record gave it a couple of pars and The Sun stuck it on page 29, 6 pars. STV carried a piece and the Beeb carried agency copy.
The Evening News, which in days gone by would have splashed the raids with possibly a two page picture spread - er, put it on page 9.
As for the actual seizures? Nothing to write home about, £700 worth of cocaine, £5000 in cash and assorted substances - Dalkeith's wannabe D'Angelo's must be cacking themselves.
Another fine day at the office for Elayne and her team, where Evolution has yet to find currency.
But if Mr Powell's Operation Evolve really did take a year to plan, he must be sorely pissed that his force's media experts screwed up their bit of the plan within just one hour.
Elayne Grim and her team really excelled themselves with their half-cocked media briefing at Fettes HQ on Monday. Amateurish doesn't even begin to describe it. Newspaper and broadcasting hacks were summoned for a "secret" pre-raid briefing. It was such a big deal that a note had been sent to all media the previous Friday (surely a security risk putting information like that out four days in advance?).
But the media pack's enthusiasm was somewhat muted when they discovered it was same old, same old Operation Foil under a new guise.
Things quickly went down hill when it was revealed there were only eight places in the vehicles assigned for press but that was ok because another eight could go on Day 2 of the op. The penny didn't drop with La Grim that news editors would not be battering down her door to send hard pressed staff out on a drugs raid on Day 2 when events had already been reported in other media.
Better in the words of one journo present: "We were told it was going to be some of the biggest drug raids ever in the Lothians and everyone was understandably keen to go along. Unfortunately, the police had only arranged for two cars for press and with a press officer driving each, there was only space for eight others.
"Elayne Grimes helpfully left the room to let us 'sort it out ourselves' with remaining police press officers and it turned into a free-for-all."
It gets better. STV and the Beeb claimed four spots, PA was given two and Deadline agency got a reporter slot. That left one space between the Evening News, Sun, Record, Herald and Scotsman so what was La Grim's strategy for allocating media for this operation which had been a year in the planning? Wait for it, wait for it . . .
"We were reduced to putting names in a hat and drawing one out," said the source. "It was a bit messy. Four papers came along after being invited then went away empty-handed because there was not enough transport."
As it turned out the last spot went to the Evening News - that's right, the local Edinburgh daily which even the dimmest PR would acknowledge, should have been top of the list to ensure as much coverage of the raids in the Lothians as possible. The BBC, totally hacked off at the way they had been treated, didn't even bother taking up their places, so two spots went a-wasting.
So what kind of media coverage did this carefully planned operation receive? From what I can tell, The Scotsman ignored it, The Herald gave it a show and the two biggest selling tabs - the Daily Record gave it a couple of pars and The Sun stuck it on page 29, 6 pars. STV carried a piece and the Beeb carried agency copy.
The Evening News, which in days gone by would have splashed the raids with possibly a two page picture spread - er, put it on page 9.
As for the actual seizures? Nothing to write home about, £700 worth of cocaine, £5000 in cash and assorted substances - Dalkeith's wannabe D'Angelo's must be cacking themselves.
Another fine day at the office for Elayne and her team, where Evolution has yet to find currency.
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
Batchelor Bunks Off From Beeb
The haemorrhage of experience from BBC Scotland News and Current Affairs appears to be continuing and follows hot on the heels of David Robertson announcing live on air that he was quitting his Reporting Scotland anchor slot.
Veteran, though she may not like the term, environment correspondent Louise Batchelor is said to be leaving - destination unknown.
It remains to be discovered whether she'll be replaced. The role may be in jeopardy as economies continue to cut a swathe through BBC Scotland's journalism.
Award winning Louise has been with the Beeb for 30 years, joining Radio Scotland when it was founded in 1978 and has been BBC Scotland's Transport and Environment corr for the past 15 years.
Veteran, though she may not like the term, environment correspondent Louise Batchelor is said to be leaving - destination unknown.
It remains to be discovered whether she'll be replaced. The role may be in jeopardy as economies continue to cut a swathe through BBC Scotland's journalism.
Award winning Louise has been with the Beeb for 30 years, joining Radio Scotland when it was founded in 1978 and has been BBC Scotland's Transport and Environment corr for the past 15 years.
Monday, 22 September 2008
Farcical Fettes Press Office Flops Again
Rearrange the following words to form the basis a well established fact: press office, piss up, Lothian and Borders Police, brewery.
Much anger, bemusement, confusion but also resignation from assembled hacks who attended a media briefing at Fettes HQ this morning. The proceedings, overseen by press office boss Elayne Grim and four supporting staff, are in the Couldn't Make It Up category. I won't blog on it just now for operational reasons but look forward to adding more tomorrow - it's a hoot but also sadly a reflection on the inepdtitude of the media double act which is Acting Chief Constable Tom Halpin and La Grim.
It was interesting to note that at least (and at last) the Edinburgh Evening News have finally woken up to the jokers who are in charge of media relations at the Edinburgh force - see last Wednesday's splash.
This follows on from the disgraceful revelation that L and B failed to disclose an alleged rape of a female passenger at the hands of a bogus private hire car driver. For six days they kept schtum about the sexual assault, only going public on the case when the plods released they were not going to get a quick arrest.
By then of course, the media are asking why their readers (ie, the public who are supposed to be protected by L and B police) are only being told about this now and why should they run week-old news? But more importantly from a crime solving perspective, potential witnesses, late night revellers, taxi drivers etc, who could be of enormous help in providing leads in tracing the attacker, were being asked to recall an incident which happened almost a week before. Thank goodness, that in that six day news blackout period, the suspect has not struck again.
The pathetic L and B police press office, closely monitored by Tommy H, churn out the usual crap about the need to ensure information is accurate, the sensitive nature of the inquiry, not causing unneccessary alarm, blah de blah.
Who do they think they are kidding? This unacceptable sitaution has its roots with Halpin and Grymes who both mistakenly believe the best policy is to tell the media nothing, unless they get caught out or it's totally unavoidable.
I'm glad the Evening News are beginning to show some balls in holding L and B to account but it's about time others in the Scottish media banded together to ensure this poor excuse for a media operation is put under scrutiny and their failures are properly exposed.
Much anger, bemusement, confusion but also resignation from assembled hacks who attended a media briefing at Fettes HQ this morning. The proceedings, overseen by press office boss Elayne Grim and four supporting staff, are in the Couldn't Make It Up category. I won't blog on it just now for operational reasons but look forward to adding more tomorrow - it's a hoot but also sadly a reflection on the inepdtitude of the media double act which is Acting Chief Constable Tom Halpin and La Grim.
It was interesting to note that at least (and at last) the Edinburgh Evening News have finally woken up to the jokers who are in charge of media relations at the Edinburgh force - see last Wednesday's splash.
This follows on from the disgraceful revelation that L and B failed to disclose an alleged rape of a female passenger at the hands of a bogus private hire car driver. For six days they kept schtum about the sexual assault, only going public on the case when the plods released they were not going to get a quick arrest.
By then of course, the media are asking why their readers (ie, the public who are supposed to be protected by L and B police) are only being told about this now and why should they run week-old news? But more importantly from a crime solving perspective, potential witnesses, late night revellers, taxi drivers etc, who could be of enormous help in providing leads in tracing the attacker, were being asked to recall an incident which happened almost a week before. Thank goodness, that in that six day news blackout period, the suspect has not struck again.
The pathetic L and B police press office, closely monitored by Tommy H, churn out the usual crap about the need to ensure information is accurate, the sensitive nature of the inquiry, not causing unneccessary alarm, blah de blah.
Who do they think they are kidding? This unacceptable sitaution has its roots with Halpin and Grymes who both mistakenly believe the best policy is to tell the media nothing, unless they get caught out or it's totally unavoidable.
I'm glad the Evening News are beginning to show some balls in holding L and B to account but it's about time others in the Scottish media banded together to ensure this poor excuse for a media operation is put under scrutiny and their failures are properly exposed.
Saturday, 20 September 2008
Night On The Tiles
A fine way to end the week, a couple of Friday tea-time pints with two big beasts from the Scottish redtops. Competition between the Daily Record and Scottish Sun is as fierce as ever but that didn't stop news editors, Andy Lines from the Record, and his Sun counterpart Alan Muir, sharing the Glasgow to Aberdeen train journey, accompanied by Sun hack Gordon Tait.
The trio were guests of North Scot Press Agency reporter Stuart Patterson who was hosting a table at last night's Grampian Media Ball at the Marcliffe.
Mr Lines has been promising me a pint since he took over the hot seat at Central Quay a year ago so it was the chance to kill two birds with the one pint (ok, it was several).
Big Alan put a gloss on the proceedings by confirming my story on crooked roofing boss Steven Jardine was getting a show in Saturday's paper. The Sun had snatched some cracking pictures of electronic tag wearing Jardine up on the roof of some unsupsecting Edinburgh homeowner as he takes the reigns of his building company which defrauded an English council of more than £300,000.
The page 17 story Fiddler On The Roof worked a treat for Sun reporter Brian Lewis, who recently moved over to the Currant Bun from agency Deadline Scotland. What the story didn't mention was the fact that Jardine, released from an English prison after serving only one year of a 29 month sentence, has also been a regular at the Virgin Active health club in Edinburgh's Fountain Park.
The gym is of course only a bicep curl away from the Record's Dundee Street office but I'll spare the blushes of the three Record hacks who are Virgin gym members but failed to spot the tag-wearing criminal who left them for standing on the treadmill.
The trio were guests of North Scot Press Agency reporter Stuart Patterson who was hosting a table at last night's Grampian Media Ball at the Marcliffe.
Mr Lines has been promising me a pint since he took over the hot seat at Central Quay a year ago so it was the chance to kill two birds with the one pint (ok, it was several).
Big Alan put a gloss on the proceedings by confirming my story on crooked roofing boss Steven Jardine was getting a show in Saturday's paper. The Sun had snatched some cracking pictures of electronic tag wearing Jardine up on the roof of some unsupsecting Edinburgh homeowner as he takes the reigns of his building company which defrauded an English council of more than £300,000.
The page 17 story Fiddler On The Roof worked a treat for Sun reporter Brian Lewis, who recently moved over to the Currant Bun from agency Deadline Scotland. What the story didn't mention was the fact that Jardine, released from an English prison after serving only one year of a 29 month sentence, has also been a regular at the Virgin Active health club in Edinburgh's Fountain Park.
The gym is of course only a bicep curl away from the Record's Dundee Street office but I'll spare the blushes of the three Record hacks who are Virgin gym members but failed to spot the tag-wearing criminal who left them for standing on the treadmill.
Friday, 12 September 2008
Mouthing Off For DMA Scotland
This blog was set up to spout inane nonsense, pass on the odd bit of gossip, have the occasional rant - and oh yes - to plug PR clients.
So here comes a gratuitous plug for the Direct Marketing Association Scotland.
If you know of anyone working in direct marketing please pass on this link to the 2008 DMA Young Spark Award.
Its all self explanatory - looking to unearth the next big talent in DM.
And sadly, there is no truth in the rumour that the more entries received (deadline 1 Oct), the higher my fee.
Press release is here: Big Mouth Leach Sits in Judgement of Direct Marketing Talent.
So here comes a gratuitous plug for the Direct Marketing Association Scotland.
If you know of anyone working in direct marketing please pass on this link to the 2008 DMA Young Spark Award.
Its all self explanatory - looking to unearth the next big talent in DM.
And sadly, there is no truth in the rumour that the more entries received (deadline 1 Oct), the higher my fee.
Press release is here: Big Mouth Leach Sits in Judgement of Direct Marketing Talent.
Monday, 8 September 2008
Scottish Sun Prevents Mass Tartan Army Suicides
I've been chastised by a few people for not keeping this blog updated but sometimes that little thing called 'work' gets in the way. However, I will try to do better . . .
The recent BBC2 programme on the Lockerbie Disaster caught the eye of one veteran ex Beeb journalist who tells me: "As someone who reported on the Lockerbie crash I watched the nearly-20-years-on BBC2 tv programme. Immediately after the final credits, BBC2 broadcast a trail(for a restaurant/cookery programme) which began with the words ...... "It doesn't take much for your dreams to fall apart".
And on a similar note, I couldn't help laugh at today's Scottish Sun, although I'm sure I wasn't meant to. The Super Goals sports supplement, containing every horrible cough and splutter on Scotland's pisspoor performance against Macedonia on Saturday, came in a neat 4 page wraparound titled: "A Major Scottish Sun Series on Suicide". The opening par by Yvonne Bolouri said: "If you were suicidal would you know where to seek help?"
It goes on - "The Scotish Sun Suicide Awarness pullout, heralding a week-long series, contains everything you need to know about getting help".
Sports scribe Bill Leckie should do the honourable thing and make sure Scotland manager George Burley has a copy tucked in his suitcase as he heads with his beleaguered squad to Iceland - and watch Sun sales soar if we don't get a result on Wednesday in Reykjavik.
The recent BBC2 programme on the Lockerbie Disaster caught the eye of one veteran ex Beeb journalist who tells me: "As someone who reported on the Lockerbie crash I watched the nearly-20-years-on BBC2 tv programme. Immediately after the final credits, BBC2 broadcast a trail(for a restaurant/cookery programme) which began with the words ...... "It doesn't take much for your dreams to fall apart".
And on a similar note, I couldn't help laugh at today's Scottish Sun, although I'm sure I wasn't meant to. The Super Goals sports supplement, containing every horrible cough and splutter on Scotland's pisspoor performance against Macedonia on Saturday, came in a neat 4 page wraparound titled: "A Major Scottish Sun Series on Suicide". The opening par by Yvonne Bolouri said: "If you were suicidal would you know where to seek help?"
It goes on - "The Scotish Sun Suicide Awarness pullout, heralding a week-long series, contains everything you need to know about getting help".
Sports scribe Bill Leckie should do the honourable thing and make sure Scotland manager George Burley has a copy tucked in his suitcase as he heads with his beleaguered squad to Iceland - and watch Sun sales soar if we don't get a result on Wednesday in Reykjavik.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
