Welcome to the very first entry in my brand new blog. Some of you may know me from my now discontinued Blog on the Times Group of newspapers. Some of you may be wondering why my blog disappeared. Some of you have probably guessed why. Anyway just to clear it up and end all the speculation, the reason it went is that Phil Crowther (the Editor of the Times) and I had a different idea of what my blog should be doing. Phil felt I was far too sensationalist in my presentation of stories and that this threatened the journalistic integrity of the Times Group of Newspapers. He was worried that I may "fall off the end of the pier" with something I said and land the whole group in trouble. He said that he didn't want to censor me, but felt that I was out of control in what I was posting. He's the editor, it's his paper and his call. I have no issue with Phil or the call he's made. If my blog didn't fit his vision, then thats fine. Thanks Phil for letting me share my 60 blogs with your readers. It was great while it lasted.
As for me, I loved my blog on the Times. Many people contacted me and personally thanked me for various issues I covered. People would stop me in the street and tell me how much they agreed with me, or come into the shop and discuss things. In the coming entries here, I will continue with the same themes. I have lots of juicy issues to discuss and hopefully entertain you with. I hope that without the constraints I was previously working under I will be an even better read. By the way, as I am busy I will only be able to moderate comments at irregular intervals. I will put all of them up unless they are illegal.
This entry though is just a quick hello and welcome.
6 comments:
Good luck with blog Rog. The council won't be able to ring up the Times and complain about you any more!
Surely an oxymoron, "editorial independence of The Times"..
..just how much do they take every year from adverts paid for by the Council?
Good to see you make a stand Rog.
By the way... this is the only way I post comments, with this ID. If it isn't like this - - - it isn't me!
Thanks for the support guys.
More the merrier, RogT.
I think we should start calling the Press and the Times 'Council-sponsored papers'. I'm sure Pravda and Izvestia appeared to have more editorial freedom!
HaHa! A perfect excuse to start saving trees!!! I am absolutely disgusted with the Edgware Times. As a protest for their censorship I will return the Keen Driving school lessons I was awarded in 1972 as runner-up in one of their competitions(Finchley Carnival Queen). This was after 3 years of faithful service delivering their crap newspaper in the rain and snow before attending school. I'm angry!!! In all the years of perusing their paper, yours, Rog T were the articles I found most salient. I especially enjoyed "God Hates Fags". The paper has been piling up in my sadly-deceased mum's hallway for months, and d'you know what - I ain't going to tell them. Ha! Ha! Ha! What d'ya think of them apples, Mr Big-Shot Editor!!!-Uh-Oh, Must.Save.Trees!!! (Rog did you cancel Mum's paper yet????).
Well done Rog. I look forward to reading your uncensored blog!
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