Hold the front page!

I despair I’ve been watching Paul Moulton and Richard Butt glad handing about a meet the public stunt this weekend. Now it may be news after the event but is it news now or just mutual back scratching (link):

https://youtu.be/ulRfzSgLavo

Don’t get me wrong I have nothing against either Butt or Moulton who are both very personable people but seeing a conversation they could have had privately in a pub turned into news leaves me cold.

The interview pointedly does not say what the circulation of the papers is these days and if it is rising falling or stagnant.

However this is not a slag of the newspapers piece because Moulton could easily have had the same sort of NON conversation with Brindley or Tim Glover up at Manx Radio.

There is a total disconnect I think between what we get served up as news fodder and what might, could, should be of interest. In the latter regard IOM Newspapers did for a time last year push the boundaries a bit mainly due to the efforts of ‘sleuth’ (if you don’t know who I mean I won’t enlighten you).

However for the most part media on the Island generally exists in their own bubble where a huddle of people at a Chamber bash is representative of the community or a few score people (including politicians) collecting rubbish on the beach is cutting edge. Let’s be blunt the media even try to spin ‘The Year of our Island’ (endlessly) even though most people, other than those getting ‘a wodge’ from it think its a load of shite!

It's so dire it makes me want to ‘take up my quill again’ - oh good gracious (as John Moss would say) I have!

The next non event to be passed of as ‘news’ will be Tynwald Day and they’ll all be banging away at that - even ‘lord help us’ the outfit that passes for the BBC presence on the Isle of Man. Which makes me think why didn’t IOM Newspapers take a stand at Tynwald to do this (have they?) or does ‘Shoprite Central’ have more pulling power!

Anyway good luck to Richard Butt talking to the public even if it is something Stuart Peters tries every day on Manx Radio - is that a success I don’t know!

I think for most people the priorities are hoeing the garden, taking the dog for a walk, watching Netflix or playing with the Xbox etc - or indeed as I intend to do this weekend having a stroll around the Curraghs.

Image: Paul and Richard reprise Lemon and Matthau in ‘Hold the Front Page’.

Bernard Moffatt