Soton Echo

[Saint Charlie]

What is going on with them? After a few years of basically nothing in the way of Saints stories they suddenly seem to have sources telling them about Lallana and Fonte injuries

 

The last proper exclusive the wrote about us was probably the Schneiderlin signing in 2008 or so!

 

Would be good if they could turn into some kind of decent local press like many other clubs have but not holding my breath.

[jasoneuelllfanclub]

maybe they have a mole in the building now?

[Mowgli]

The Echo is on its way out. Cannot survive financially. Their main source of income is advertising and advertisers are deserting them. They cannot afford to take on proper journalists and rely on desktop (aka google) research rather than traditional investigative journalism. So we are probably as capable of picking up the stories as they are. Actually some are clearly direct lifts from this forum!

 

Given that they have spent decades scaring old ladies with bad news stories and knocking the club, it's difficult to have any sympathy.

[SaintWill71]

The current situation with Saints and the Echo is self detrimental to both sides.

 

Only so much the paper can do with the way it is now, and as for 'investigative' sports reporters, there are next to none of them on local papers as there is rarely a need for them, club and paper relationships are mutually beneficial

[Saint Charlie]

The current situation with Saints and the Echo is self detrimental to both sides.

 

Only so much the paper can do with the way it is now, and as for 'investigative' sports reporters, there are next to none of them on local papers as there is rarely a need for them, club and paper relationships are mutually beneficial

 

Agree with this. The Bournemouth Echo give an excellent representation to the club, and when you go on their site the msot read articles are always the football ones, it would be a key factor for those who still buy a copy too.

[derry]

I do know what they are saying about Lallana makes sense as I know from his father the expected recovery time from the date of injury within a couple of weeks.

[The Kraken]

I imagine that Saints stories are still fairly key to the Echo too. Bear in mind the newspaper still has a daily readership vastly higher than the number of visitors than the SFC website, which is the only medium for published news from the club (other than programmes on matchday).

 

All the b*llocks spouted many that the Echo has undermined the club are just that; b*llocks. They're not a part of the club (in fact the club have made it perfectly clear how the relationships stands) and they have a duty to report all news, good or bad. Some of our fanbase seem to want the paper to only report on the good stuff and completely whitewash the bad (or at the very least put a positive shine on it). That's IMO naive and would be akin to censorship; the local paper should be free to report as it wishes and provide a balaanced report. Which, for the most part, the Echo has continued to do even since the petty and pathetic lock-out they've had to endure for essentially reporting news that was in the public domain already.

 

Cortese needs to get his head out of his arse and really that his control freakery doesn't extend to the media (he should have learnt this from his emabarrassing climb down with the Sun). The Echo leadership also need to offer an olive branch of their own; this childish spat does no-one any favours.

 

The Echo isn't going anywhere soon. Sales numbers are down but web hits are rising day by day which in turn brings in more advertising revenue. A local paper that reports on the club yet asks the difficult questions when needed is a good thing in my book. I don't really want to live in a nanny-state where the Echo has to gloss over the sh*tty things that happen at the club just to stay onside. Yes, some of their negative stories have been pretty poor (the ST idiots who got charged for parking, and the Arsenal ejectees recently being a point in case), but in its defence its a small paper that has zero access to the club and its players yet it still has to fill pages to satisfy its audience.

[SaintWill71]

I imagine that Saints stories are still fairly key to the Echo too. Bear in mind the newspaper still has a daily readership vastly higher than the number of visitors than the SFC website, which is the only medium for published news from the club (other than programmes on matchday).

 

All the b*llocks spouted many that the Echo has undermined the club are just that; b*llocks. They're not a part of the club (in fact the club have made it perfectly clear how the relationships stands) and they have a duty to report all news, good or bad. Some of our fanbase seem to want the paper to only report on the good stuff and completely whitewash the bad (or at the very least put a positive shine on it). That's IMO naive and would be akin to censorship; the local paper should be free to report as it wishes and provide a balaanced report. Which, for the most part, the Echo has continued to do even since the petty and pathetic lock-out they've had to endure for essentially reporting news that was in the public domain already.

 

Cortese needs to get his head out of his arse and really that his control freakery doesn't extend to the media (he should have learnt this from his emabarrassing climb down with the Sun). The Echo leadership also need to offer an olive branch of their own; this childish spat does no-one any favours.

 

The Echo isn't going anywhere soon. Sales numbers are down but web hits are rising day by day which in turn brings in more advertising revenue. A local paper that reports on the club yet asks the difficult questions when needed is a good thing in my book. I don't really want to live in a nanny-state where the Echo has to gloss over the sh*tty things that happen at the club just to stay onside. Yes, some of their negative stories have been pretty poor (the ST idiots who got charged for parking, and the Arsenal ejectees recently being a point in case), but in its defence its a small paper that has zero access to the club and its players yet it still has to fill pages to satisfy its audience.

 

100% this

[St Marco]

I imagine that Saints stories are still fairly key to the Echo too. Bear in mind the newspaper still has a daily readership vastly higher than the number of visitors than the SFC website.

 

I'd be interested to see your proof for above statement as it would be against current media trends. Plus also if you take in the fact that people buy their tickets through the website that makes it even more remarkable...

[The Kraken]

I'd be interested to see your proof for above statement as it would be against current media trends. Plus also if you take in the fact that people buy their tickets through the website that makes it even more remarkable...

 

Daily readership of the Echo newspaper is mid 80 thousands. Sales figures are around the 30 thousand mark. That's not even taking into account how many people view the Echo website. Can't remember offhand the daily unique visitors to the SFC site, these are figures from last year, but they were far below 80,000. Its all available through google if you can be bothered to look for it, I can't right now.

[SuperMikey]

I work in a small shop and we never fail to sell all of the Echo's we get in - usually 60+. People are interested in the local news, but the journalism is generally of poor quality and I have no interest in anything in it aside from the few pages at the back about Saints. Their poor relationship with the club now is their own fault, if they had acted professionally then they would have more interesting stuff to print.

[DJ_TOAST]

If Cortese doesn't like the Echo, I don't like the Echo.

Simples.

Plus their stories are aload of garbage anyway, always trying to stir the pot and make the club look bad.

[VectisSaint]

Some of our fanbase seem to want the paper to only report on the good stuff and completely whitewash the bad (or at the very least put a positive shine on it).

Really, is there any evidence that such people actually exist, or is this one of those made up fantasy groups of people like the Cult of Cortese?

[The Kraken]

Really, is there any evidence that such people actually exist, or is this one of those made up fantasy groups of people like the Cult of Cortese?

Look at the post above to understand the typical hyerbole: "the Echo....always trying to stir the pot and make the club look bad". Complete nonsense. The vast majority of the Echo's stories are on the positive side; anyone who disagrees with that simply doesn't read the paper, its glaringly obvious.

 

SuperMikey saying the Echo lacked professionalism, when what they actually did was print a story that was already in the public domain and was already being reported by other news agencies.

 

And yes, I've seen comments on here before where people expect the Echo to be totally aligned with the club and question the paper's motives when they publish negative news stories. If you think there are zero people who think this way, fine by me.

[Wes Tender]

Look at the post above to understand the typical hyerbole: "the Echo....always trying to stir the pot and make the club look bad". Complete nonsense. The vast majority of the Echo's stories are on the positive side; anyone who disagrees with that simply doesn't read the paper, its glaringly obvious.

 

SuperMikey saying the Echo lacked professionalism, when what they actually did was print a story that was already in the public domain and was already being reported by other news agencies.

 

And yes, I've seen comments on here before where people expect the Echo to be totally aligned with the club and question the paper's motives when they publish negative news stories. If you think there are zero people who think this way, fine by me.

 

Because there is bad feeling between our chief executive and the Echo's Editor, there is bound to be a suspicion at least that there is an agenda that has arisen from it whereby the club, or at least our chief executive and decisions that are made by him, are not always shown in the best possible light.

 

It would be in everybodys' best interests that a line be drawn under this mutal bad feeling towards each other, but I suspect that the egos of Cortese and Murray won't allow either to hold out the olive branch.

 

To a certain extent, the club holds the whip hand, as it has other media outlets where news can be disseminated, whereas the Echo's circulation relies quite heavily on papers sold to Saints fans, who might boycott it if they feel that their beloved club is portrayed in an unfavourable light.

[SuperMikey]

Look at the post above to understand the typical hyerbole: "the Echo....always trying to stir the pot and make the club look bad". Complete nonsense. The vast majority of the Echo's stories are on the positive side; anyone who disagrees with that simply doesn't read the paper, its glaringly obvious.

 

SuperMikey saying the Echo lacked professionalism, when what they actually did was print a story that was already in the public domain and was already being reported by other news agencies.

 

And yes, I've seen comments on here before where people expect the Echo to be totally aligned with the club and question the paper's motives when they publish negative news stories. If you think there are zero people who think this way, fine by me.

 

If you've got a close relationship with a person or an organisation that is vital to what's published in your newspaper or magazine, you have to do everything to keep that relationship intact. Everyone knows that NC can be volatile, it was an incredibly short-sighted move by the Echo to go against the club and report a story which would have been official by the time the next edition was printed anyway. Pointless, and they're currently facing the consequences of their failure to act professionally.

[The Kraken]

If you've got a close relationship with a person or an organisation that is vital to what's published in your newspaper or magazine, you have to do everything to keep that relationship intact. Everyone knows that NC can be volatile, it was an incredibly short-sighted move by the Echo to go against the club and report a story which would have been official by the time the next edition was printed anyway. Pointless, and they're currently facing the consequences of their failure to act professionally.

 

No you don't. You simply don't; especially if you are to be seen as an impartial source of information. Ask Steve Grant how he feels about this site being totally independent from Southampton FC, and ask him why its important; then you might start to understand. There is a balance between being in cahoots with the club, and being supportive yet independent. pandering to the club's every whim is not independent, not in the slightest.

 

The way the Echo published the training ground story was daft, but they simply couldn't just ignore it. If you think they should then you're on the way to a censored press, and good luck with that, its not for me. They should have printed a small story acknowledging the info but stating that a full, club-backed exclusive would follow in tomorrow's edition. You seem to think they should have ignored it and pretend it didn't happen, just to pacify the club. Nope, can't agree with that.

[SuperMikey]

No you don't. You simply don't; especially if you are to be seen as an impartial source of information. Ask Steve Grant how he feels about this site being totally independent from Southampton FC, and ask him why its important; then you might start to understand. There is a balance between being in cahoots with the club, and being supportive yet independent. pandering to the club's every whim is not independent, not in the slightest.

 

The way the Echo published the training ground story was daft, but they simply couldn't just ignore it. If you think they should then you're on the way to a censored press, and good luck with that, its not for me. They should have printed a small story acknowledging the info but stating that a full, club-backed exclusive would follow in tomorrow's edition. You seem to think they should have ignored it and pretend it didn't happen, just to pacify the club. Nope, can't agree with that.

 

Difference is that this is a forum for fans, not a f*cking newspaper. Concessions have to be made if you want to maintain a relationship like Saints and the Echo had. All the club asked was that the story be put back until after the official release, not a massive thing to have to do really. It was just really petty of the paper to go ahead and throw away the opportunity for interviews and possibly the odd snippet of goings-on in the club. It's their fault they've got to scrape around on Google and forums for information now.

 

I agree that maybe an acknowledgement would have been the best way to go, the information was already out there, but if somebody specifically asks you to not publish something and you just do it anyway, don't then complain when your privileges get taken away.

[The Kraken]

Difference is that this is a forum for fans, not a f*cking newspaper. Concessions have to be made if you want to maintain a relationship like Saints and the Echo had. All the club asked was that the story be put back until after the official release, not a massive thing to have to do really. It was just really petty of the paper to go ahead and throw away the opportunity for interviews and possibly the odd snippet of goings-on in the club. It's their fault they've got to scrape around on Google and forums for information now.

 

I agree that maybe an acknowledgement would have been the best way to go, the information was already out there, but if somebody specifically asks you to not publish something and you just do it anyway, don't then complain when your privileges get taken away.

 

Why are you swearing at me? There are many similarities between the Echo newspaper and this site. Particularly in that they represent news relating to SFC but are funded entirely separately, by their own means. Which means they are independent to the club (and should remain so too IMO).

 

Your's is an interesting viewpoint; essentially you feel the club are right to have expected the Echo to not repeat news that's in the public domain. And because they did, you think the club are again right to ban all Echo staff from the ground and training ground, and refuse to have anything to do with them. Even now, years after the event. Fair enough, but I don't subscribe to that "logic". I believe its petty and vindictive, and shows exactly how Mr Cortese seeks (unsuccessfully) to dictate terms to the press. In essence he's actually missing a trick; by keeping the Echo close and giving them morsels of actual inside information he can control them much more effectively to his ends. Still, he's chosen not to do that so its a moot point.

 

The Echo buggered up in their procedure, but their aim was correct: they reported the news that was out there. To have an accusation of unprofessionalism thrown at them for that is slightly ironic, as they were actually being the complete opposite, they were being professional and independent. If anything I believe it is SFC that have acted unprofessionally throughout this whole spat (though admittedly the Echo haven't helped themselves either).

Edited 10 January, 2013 by The Kraken

[Turkish]

If you've got a close relationship with a person or an organisation that is vital to what's published in your newspaper or magazine, you have to do everything to keep that relationship intact. Everyone knows that NC can be volatile, it was an incredibly short-sighted move by the Echo to go against the club and report a story which would have been official by the time the next edition was printed anyway. Pointless, and they're currently facing the consequences of their failure to act professionally.

 

Utter bol*ocks.

[St Marco]

Utter bol*ocks.

 

I don't think it is.

 

The Echo over the years were given exclusives nearly every day .Had complete access to the club and staff/players. Which in turn makes the paper more desirable by fans. Which thus get's them more money. They benefit more from having a close relationship with the club.

They were asked to delay releasing some info for a few hours by the club and they didn't.

 

If I was told some information by a company but was told to not tell anyone else and then I told someone else I would not expect my relationship with the company to be the same. It shows you can't be trusted and you would happily sell any exclusive information you have. It broke the trust the club had with them.

[Turkish]

I don't think it is.

 

The Echo over the years were given exclusives nearly every day .Had complete access to the club and staff/players. Which in turn makes the paper more desirable by fans. Which thus get's them more money. They benefit more from having a close relationship with the club.

They were asked to delay releasing some info for a few hours by the club and they didn't.

 

If I was told some information by a company but was told to not tell anyone else and then I told someone else I would not expect my relationship with the company to be the same. It shows you can't be trusted and you would happily sell any exclusive information you have. It broke the trust the club had with them.

 

The club also benefits from having a close relationship with the echo by the way. I guess no one considered that when according to supermikey because Cortese is a stroppy little f*cker they should bow down before him if he asks them too.

[Sour Mash]

Difference is that this is a forum for fans, not a f*cking newspaper. Concessions have to be made if you want to maintain a relationship like Saints and the Echo had. All the club asked was that the story be put back until after the official release, not a massive thing to have to do really. It was just really petty of the paper to go ahead and throw away the opportunity for interviews and possibly the odd snippet of goings-on in the club. It's their fault they've got to scrape around on Google and forums for information now.

 

I agree that maybe an acknowledgement would have been the best way to go, the information was already out there, but if somebody specifically asks you to not publish something and you just do it anyway, don't then complain when your privileges get taken away.

How many stories should a local paper "hold-off" publishing to keep the local football club chairman happy? Anything remotely big/important? Where would you draw the line?

[Window Cleaner]

How many stories should a local paper "hold-off" publishing to keep the local football club chairman happy? Anything remotely big/important? Where would you draw the line?

 

the demarcation is decided by 3 criteria

 

1: Will it sell papers

2: Is it libellous

3: Is there a D Notice

 

A yes and 2 noes and it's published

[St Marco]

The club also benefits from having a close relationship with the echo by the way. I guess no one considered that when according to supermikey because Cortese is a stroppy little f*cker they should bow down before him if he asks them too.

 

If you said that 10 years ago then I would agree but we live in a different world now. There are many different ways to get information out to people i.e websites, twitter, facebook, sms, news 24 channels, sports radio and of course things like newsnow.

The club has not been affected at all by not dealing with The Echo anymore. Look at what has happened in three years. Where as by all accounts The Echo has changed a lot internally.

 

For fans it is a shame but I don't think you can blame the club for the stance it has taken with them. If you bite the hand that feeds then it is your own fault when it no longer feeds you anymore. It happens at other clubs i.e Fergie and bbc.

[SuperMikey]

The club doesn't need the Echo a fraction of the amount that the Echo needs the club. We've got an OS and we're a Premier League club so there's going to be national press interest in goings on at the club. Ultimately it's in the best interests of the Echo to keep their contacts at the club sweet so they get their stories. Burning bridges isn't exactly going to help things.

[Turkish]

If you said that 10 years ago then I would agree but we live in a different world now. There are many different ways to get information out to people i.e websites, twitter, facebook, sms, news 24 channels, sports radio and of course things like newsnow.

The club has not been affected at all by not dealing with The Echo anymore. Look at what has happened in three years. Where as by all accounts The Echo has changed a lot internally.

 

For fans it is a shame but I don't think you can blame the club for the stance it has taken with them. If you bite the hand that feeds then it is your own fault when it no longer feeds you anymore. It happens at other clubs i.e Fergie and bbc.

 

I'd like to see your yardstick for measuring how affected the club has been. Of course the echo wont score goals, pick teams and buy players. However it's useful to the club in other ways. For example it has good relationships with a lot of local businesses and the club and Cortese can use this to promote themselves to them. We clearly aren't doing a very good job of this at the moment by the fact we have over 1000 empty corprate seats and only half the boxes full despite being in the premier league. The echo could have helped with that, so from that point of view it has affected the club and not positively.

 

It's all very well lauding it and arrogant comments like Super Mikeys "we dont need them we are in the premier league" comment and that they should do what they have to to keep Cortese sweet. What if it all goes sour? What if we go down and start to struggle financially again? You can guarentee we'll go cap in hand to those we are showing distain for at the moment and it's not just the echo, it's a lot of local business. Always remember, be nice to the people you meet on the way up as you might need them on your way down.

[Redondo Saint]

No you don't. You simply don't; especially if you are to be seen as an impartial source of information. Ask Steve Grant how he feels about this site being totally independent from Southampton FC, and ask him why its important; then you might start to understand. There is a balance between being in cahoots with the club, and being supportive yet independent. pandering to the club's every whim is not independent, not in the slightest.

 

The way the Echo published the training ground story was daft, but they simply couldn't just ignore it. If you think they should then you're on the way to a censored press, and good luck with that, its not for me. They should have printed a small story acknowledging the info but stating that a full, club-backed exclusive would follow in tomorrow's edition. You seem to think they should have ignored it and pretend it didn't happen, just to pacify the club. Nope, can't agree with that.

 

 

The Echo showed a complete lack of integrity. This is the issue for Cortese in my opinion.

[John B]

The Echo showed a complete lack of integrity. This is the issue for Cortese in my opinion.

 

The issue is that Cortese wants to control what goes into the Echo

 

The Editor controls what goes into a peper that is the way things work

[FloridaMarlin]

A lot of sense spoken by The Kraken.

As a newspaper, the Echo has a duty to all its readers, not just Saints fans.

Those readers include the residents of Marchwood and the environs of the training ground who expect their paper to report on isues that might affect them, such as a major development taking place in their back garden.

The Echo would have been failing in its duty as a newspaper (and risk losing credibility) if it had not reported something that was already in the public domain.

If Cortese needs to take issue with anyone, it should be New Forest District Council. Hold on, he can't. All they have done is follow the planning regulations which are part of the democratic process.

Let's not be under any illusions. A newspaper is primarily a business, and like any business has to make money. A newspaper's way of making money is to sell as many copies as it can.

As editor of the paper, Ian Murray has to take the decisions he thinks will maximise the paper's circulation and profit.

In making those decision, he has to decide between short-term gain, or a more strategic long-term view.

The paper's circulation figures will determine whether he is right or wrong, and the Echo's board will decide whether to act on those figures or not.

As long as you live in a democracy and accept that an essential part of that democracy is a free press - and even Leveson accepts that! - then you have to accept the foibles of the media.

Besides, who is to say how far Cortese would have tried to push other envelopes with the Echo?

He gets the Echo to back down on the training ground story, what next. Don't print that we're selling our best player? Can you hold off on the story that we're sacking the manager?

At some point, the Echo have to draw a line in the sand.

A paper can get itself into an infinite number of fights, the secret is only to get into the fights you have a chance of winning.

Only Ian Murray will know whether he entered this fight with thoughts that he could win it.

The problem that all papers face these days is that football clubs are now their competitors. Their websites mean they are seeking the same readership and are in the same market as newpapers.

Clubs have the upper hand there, as they control access to players and the manager.

It's up to fans whether they prefer the manufactured, massaged and processed 'news' that appears on the club website, or whether they prefer the objective view of an independent media organisation.

I know which I prefer.

[The Kraken]

Superbly put FM, and I wholeheartedly echo those setiments (pun entirely intended), especially this part:

 

It's up to fans whether they prefer the manufactured, massaged and processed 'news' that appears on the club website, or whether they prefer the objective view of an independent media organisation.

I know which I prefer.

 

Spot on.

[CB Fry]

The Echo showed a complete lack of integrity. This is the issue for Cortese in my opinion.

 

 

 

Some of the views on this thread seem to equate "integrity" with supine, spineless unquestioning propaganda where everything the club does is right.

 

A newspaper whose objective is no never question the club regardless of what they do?

 

Seriously there are some utter fuc king idiots on this forum.

[St Marco]

A newspaper whose objective is no never question the club regardless of what they do?

 

Seriously there are some utter fuc king idiots on this forum.

 

Who has said that?

 

Think you must be the idiot if you honestly believe a company will continue to get exclusivity/special treatment after it has gone against that companies wishes. No company would do that regardless of what business it is in.

 

Has nothing to do with propoganda or any of that ********. Nor thinking everything the club does is right.

 

It is about money. The Echo decided to cash in on an annoucment by announcing it before the club did even though they were asked not to.

 

If the company comes to you and says please delay mentioning it for a few hours until we have it up on our site that really isn't asking much is it? It isn't like they have a story on someone being corrupt, having an affair or anything like that. Just a story about the clubs expansion/plans.

 

To think they would be all like "Hey I know you went against our wishes and printed a story anyway but we just wanted to let you know it is all cool between us. Here have some all access passes to the players lounge so you can go get some stories to help sell your paper and make the owner a bit more money, and here is a special area where your photographer can get some photos, you have the best place to get those shots! No hard feelings, it is on us!"

 

Yeah to expect something like that is a bit more "idiotic" I think....

[aintforever]

Who has said that?

 

Think you must be the idiot if you honestly believe a company will continue to get exclusivity/special treatment after it has gone against that companies wishes. No company would do that regardless of what business it is in.

 

Has nothing to do with propoganda or any of that ********. Nor thinking everything the club does is right.

 

It is about money. The Echo decided to cash in on an annoucment by announcing it before the club did even though they were asked not to.

 

If the company comes to you and says please delay mentioning it for a few hours until we have it up on our site that really isn't asking much is it? It isn't like they have a story on someone being corrupt, having an affair or anything like that. Just a story about the clubs expansion/plans.

 

To think they would be all like "Hey I know you went against our wishes and printed a story anyway but we just wanted to let you know it is all cool between us. Here have some all access passes to the players lounge so you can go get some stories to help sell your paper and make the owner a bit more money, and here is a special area where your photographer can get some photos, you have the best place to get those shots! No hard feelings, it is on us!"

 

Yeah to expect something like that is a bit more "idiotic" I think....

 

The club and Echo's relationship has always been mutually beneficial, the paper sells more and the club get free publicity to it's target audience, and the fans get to read interesting stuff about their club. Cortese's girly tantrum is doing no one any good.

 

I don't read the Echo but I know alot of older people for whom that is their only source of info on the club. If the Echo folds it's only the Southampton people who will lose out.

[CB Fry]

Who has said that?

 

Think you must be the idiot if you honestly believe a company will continue to get exclusivity/special treatment after it has gone against that companies wishes. No company would do that regardless of what business it is in.

 

Has nothing to do with propoganda or any of that ********. Nor thinking everything the club does is right.

 

It is about money. The Echo decided to cash in on an annoucment by announcing it before the club did even though they were asked not to.

 

If the company comes to you and says please delay mentioning it for a few hours until we have it up on our site that really isn't asking much is it? It isn't like they have a story on someone being corrupt, having an affair or anything like that. Just a story about the clubs expansion/plans.

 

To think they would be all like "Hey I know you went against our wishes and printed a story anyway but we just wanted to let you know it is all cool between us. Here have some all access passes to the players lounge so you can go get some stories to help sell your paper and make the owner a bit more money, and here is a special area where your photographer can get some photos, you have the best place to get those shots! No hard feelings, it is on us!"

 

Yeah to expect something like that is a bit more "idiotic" I think....

 

 

 

Supermikey talks about "doing everything to keep the relationship intact" and other such guff. And what you're saying here is garbage too, well done.

 

And as it wasn't a story about corruption as you say, it was good news so what's the problem? Apart from pointless pettyness.

 

The club might shift a few more corporates tickets with the help of the Echo. But hey you carry on with this delusion that the relationship is entirely one way and the club working with the Echo would be doing the Echo some huge favour.

 

The club shutting the Echo out is the club showing contempt for many ordinary fans.

 

I'm with the Echo on this every day of the week.

[St Marco]

Supermikey talks about "doing everything to keep the relationship intact" and other such guff. And what you're saying here is garbage too, well done.

 

And as it wasn't a story about corruption as you say, it was good news so what's the problem? Apart from pointless pettyness.

 

The club might shift a few more corporates tickets with the help of the Echo. But hey you carry on with this delusion that the relationship is entirely one way and the club working with the Echo would be doing the Echo some huge favour.

 

The club shutting the Echo out is the club showing contempt for many ordinary fans.

 

I'm with the Echo on this every day of the week.

 

It is a local newspaper.....a community paper that is supposed to report on local things. It should be reporting about the club both positive and negative. I don't think anyone has issue with that.

BUT if the club asked them to delay reporting something for a few hours so they could say it first on their own site then personally I think they only have themselves to blame for doing that. If it was a story about Cortese banging a plyers wife then go for it, if it was a story about Adkins headbutting a little old lady then again go for it. The report was none of those things. Is it really against journalism code for a company to request a positive story be postponed for a few hours so they can break the story first? A local newspaper?

 

From a business point of view not one bit. Have you not heard of press embargos? It would be like someone at Empire (film magazine) going on a set of a movie and seeing behind the scenes stuff and then giving spoilers about the story in their magzaine. Do they do that? No they don't. Are they told to keep quiet on what they see when on set? yes they are. Would they be invited back on set if they were asked not to tell their readers what was going on but they did anyway? Of course not. So what is the difference here?

 

The last bit about the club shutting the echo out is contempt for fans is just stupid. Most fans do not give a **** about The Echo. Seriously if you did a poll on here asking people if they buy the echo just for Saints news very few would say they do.

 

What annoys me about this whole argument is this perception that somehow fans ("ordinary") don't have access to computers, they don't have access to the internet and best of all don't know how to use them. It is a load of ********. Old people and young people all know how to use computers and if interested in any topic will find it. Wether that be local news, porn or football news. Trying to imply that "the ordinary fan" is someone who has zero access to those things is laughable.

 

Let me put it to you another way. When something happens in the world of football (lets pick something small and recent i.e Appy wanting to speak to Blackburn) how did you find out about that? Did you find out on the internet? The tv? Or did you read a local newspaper? Pretty sure it was not the last one.....Point being the world has moved on and people know how to get information if they want it. We know just as much about other clubs because of it as we do our own.

The viewership of The Echo just like every other print media has declined and will continue to decline. It has nothing to do with freedom of press, nothing to do with propoganda or some ceo at a company. It is to do with the shift in how we get our information.

These ordinary fans that you talk of are not as dumb as you like to think they are.

[The Kraken]

Marco; just wondering. You are aware that various other news agencies (local and national) were reporting on the training ground plans around the same time as the Echo went to print, aren't you?

[St Marco]

Marco; just wondering. You are aware that various other news agencies (local and national) were reporting on the training ground plans around the same time as the Echo went to print, aren't you?

 

Of course. But like I said above it was basically asking them for an embargo. It happens in the press almost daily. Some will break rank and run the story and then won't be given the same access as they were before. That is normal in business especially something like sport/entertainment based. The Echo broke the embargo and thus lose out on access. That is how it is all around the world. To try and imply the way we have acted is somehow uniqe is just wrong.

[aintforever]

The last bit about the club shutting the echo out is contempt for fans is just stupid. Most fans do not give a **** about The Echo. Seriously if you did a poll on here asking people if they buy the echo just for Saints news very few would say they do.

 

What annoys me about this whole argument is this perception that somehow fans ("ordinary") don't have access to computers, they don't have access to the internet and best of all don't know how to use them. It is a load of ********. Old people and young people all know how to use computers and if interested in any topic will find it. Wether that be local news, porn or football news. Trying to imply that "the ordinary fan" is someone who has zero access to those things is laughable.

 

I think you are missing the point. Virtually everyone has access to the internet but many older people like my parents won't go looking for news on the OS, they will just pick up the Echo and read whatever is on the back page.

 

Thanks to Cortese they will be more likely to read (and believe) negative sh!te, like how the club is in debt or how club legends have been snubbed. It's impossible to gauge what effect negative publicity has on the club 9probably not alot) but attendances have not been great and any bad PR is completely pointless.

[The Kraken]

Its not an embargo if other news agencies are reporting it though, really. Its just the Echo being left behind.

 

I've said before I don't think the Echo did themselves any favours. That said, they had to do something to acknowledge the news was "out". They probably should have run a small story with a promise of further information the next day. Whether that would have sufficed for Cortese, I guess we'll never know. The club themself were caught out by the nationals publishing, and so published themselves but (from memory) late at night.

 

All a bit silly, but the reaction from the club is over the top IMO, and they're cutting off their nose to spite their face.

[Sour Mash]

It is a local newspaper.....a community paper that is supposed to report on local things. It should be reporting about the club both positive and negative. I don't think anyone has issue with that.

BUT if the club asked them to delay reporting something for a few hours so they could say it first on their own site then personally I think they only have themselves to blame for doing that. If it was a story about Cortese banging a plyers wife then go for it, if it was a story about Adkins headbutting a little old lady then again go for it. The report was none of those things. Is it really against journalism code for a company to request a positive story be postponed for a few hours so they can break the story first? A local newspaper?

 

From a business point of view not one bit. Have you not heard of press embargos? It would be like someone at Empire (film magazine) going on a set of a movie and seeing behind the scenes stuff and then giving spoilers about the story in their magzaine. Do they do that? No they don't. Are they told to keep quiet on what they see when on set? yes they are. Would they be invited back on set if they were asked not to tell their readers what was going on but they did anyway? Of course not. So what is the difference here?

 

The last bit about the club shutting the echo out is contempt for fans is just stupid. Most fans do not give a **** about The Echo. Seriously if you did a poll on here asking people if they buy the echo just for Saints news very few would say they do.

 

What annoys me about this whole argument is this perception that somehow fans ("ordinary") don't have access to computers, they don't have access to the internet and best of all don't know how to use them. It is a load of ********. Old people and young people all know how to use computers and if interested in any topic will find it. Wether that be local news, porn or football news. Trying to imply that "the ordinary fan" is someone who has zero access to those things is laughable.

 

Let me put it to you another way. When something happens in the world of football (lets pick something small and recent i.e Appy wanting to speak to Blackburn) how did you find out about that? Did you find out on the internet? The tv? Or did you read a local newspaper? Pretty sure it was not the last one.....Point being the world has moved on and people know how to get information if they want it. We know just as much about other clubs because of it as we do our own.

The viewership of The Echo just like every other print media has declined and will continue to decline. It has nothing to do with freedom of press, nothing to do with propoganda or some ceo at a company. It is to do with the shift in how we get our information.

These ordinary fans that you talk of are not as dumb as you like to think they are.

But where should the Echo draw the line? How many stories should they hold back on? They're a newspaper, they report news.

[St Marco]

I think you are missing the point. Virtually everyone has access to the internet but many older people like my parents won't go looking for news on the OS, they will just pick up the Echo and read whatever is on the back page.

 

Thanks to Cortese they will be more likely to read (and believe) negative sh!te, like how the club is in debt or how club legends have been snubbed. It's impossible to gauge what effect negative publicity has on the club 9probably not alot) but attendances have not been great and any bad PR is completely pointless.

 

You see this was what I was talking about in regards to your parents. They won't look on the internet for football news and fair play to them. But your find that 82% of the country use the internet daily and of that number the age group of 65-74 51% use the internet daily. Of the 55-64 group it is 69%. (2010 ofcom numbers) That means more older people use the internet then those that don't. So the question I was trying to highlight was if they are someone who has access to the internet and use it daily but don't look at certain things i.e football then how much of a fan of it are they really? My grandfather who is about 84 loves gardening, plants etc. Whenever I see him looking at the net he is looking at places that have news about it i.e bbc gardening.

If these people have little interest in the topic then as I said above I doubt they bought the paper to read about it.

[St Marco]

But where should the Echo draw the line? How many stories should they hold back on? They're a newspaper, they report news.

 

They should report whatever they want. Both good news and bad news.

 

But if the club have something to show the public and gave The Echo a tour/pictures/information under the instruction of with holding that info until a certain time (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_embargo) then they should honor it regardless of what others have done.