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AMA
Original poster

I used to be a tabloid reporter AMA

564 replies

AprilONeil · 22/08/2020 12:29

Been meaning to offer up a thread on here for a while but tbh have been too nervous, since I know how people round these 'ere parts feel about the tabloids.

Anyway, I used to work as a showbiz reporter on a British tabloid newspaper (would rather not say which one because potentially outing) and have since moved into a more 'worthy' area of journalism.

AMA...

(Dons hard hat)

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
monstermonday · 27/08/2020 05:12

Which tabloid do you feel is the most unbiased?

WonderHike · 27/08/2020 07:16

HeddaGarbled

I spotted this too Grin

WonderHike · 27/08/2020 07:29

But would you judge the entire medical profession because of a bad experience with one doctor?

I would not judge the concept of professional medicine itself; I would judge the system that doctor was operating from within.

Inching · 27/08/2020 07:36

Gosh, OP, what did the Grauniad ever do to you?

Lordamighty · 27/08/2020 07:43

The Guardian is one of the most biased newspapers in publication but it gets a free pass on here because of it’s left wing agenda. Some of their journalists wage a persistent campaign to undermine women’s rights. The OP is just pointing out the hypocrisy when people come on & wail about the DM.

KatherineParr4 · 27/08/2020 07:44

Are there big stories about the Royal Family that are hushed up? A few people have asked about William and you are being very evasive!

Lepetitpiggy · 27/08/2020 07:56

Oh God, Bryony Fucking Gordon- I tried to read that desperately dreadful book about her alcoholism. Had to stop when she mentioned about 28 times in the first chapter about wearing Haivananas - or whatever those posh flip flops are called. Hideous woman.

Willowmartha1 · 27/08/2020 08:00

@Lepetitpiggy ha ha I agree I used to read her and her mums column in the telegraph magazine she was horrible about her mum always moaning about her and the mum seemed lovely !!

Original poster
AprilONeil · 27/08/2020 08:36

@HeddaGarbled

Though you’ve clearly got a bee in your bonnet about the Guardian!
Grin Ha I know - I do and I don't. I try and read the Guardian as often as any other paper. I think G2 does fab features, as does the Observer Magazine, and I love some of the columnists, like Hadley Freedman and Suzanne Moore (could live without OJ though Hmm).

Also, sadly The Independent is no longer around in print otherwise I could use them as a comparison too.

What I do have a bee in my bonnet about though is how the Guardian is held up as a paragon of virtue when they do everything other papers are accused of too:

Editorial bias - pretty obvious bias on topics like trans, Brexit etc
Links to politicians - they literally held open columnist Seumas Milne's job for a year while he went to work as Corbyn's top aide
Racism - as Jewish and some Hindu people will confirm. Plus the other week they literally used a picture of another black rapper when they were writing a story about Wiley Hmm
Privately educated - see Private Eye pic above
Nepotism - like I said earlier, former editor gave his own daughter a job and lots of other people got in there through their connections

They're literally no different to any other paper, tabloid or broadsheet - and that's fine! But pretending they are irks me.

OP posts:
Original poster
AprilONeil · 27/08/2020 08:39

@WonderHike

But would you judge the entire medical profession because of a bad experience with one doctor?

I would not judge the concept of professional medicine itself; I would judge the system that doctor was operating from within.

But that doesn't make sense if the doctor (or in this instance the journalist) had breached the rules of the profession.

They clearly didn't follow the rules and that's why the OP won for libel, just like you could win for medical negligence if a doctor didn't follow the rules set by their professional body.

OP posts:
Original poster
AprilONeil · 27/08/2020 08:41

@monstermonday

Which tabloid do you feel is the most unbiased?
I don't think any of them are and that's fine. That's why it's great we have plurality of the press.

The Times is usually acknowledged as the most neutral in terms of all the newspapers.

OP posts:
Original poster
AprilONeil · 27/08/2020 08:44

[quote lolawasashowgirl]@AprilONeil this is such an interesting thread and is challenging many of my preconceptions about the media. I don't think any other OP on an AMA has ever gone to the trouble you have to answer so many questions in such a thoughtful way so thank you. [/quote]
Thank you - and to others that have said similar comments, it's really kind. I feel quite passionate about the media and especially a lot of the - understandable - misconceptions about it.

OP posts:
Chanel05 · 27/08/2020 09:33

To what extent do you think some of the younger reality stars rely on celebrity culture/papping? Does it happen quite quickly when they get swept up in it?

Lauren Goodger had(s?) a piece in a celeb mag and would regularly say that a tabloid has mentioned Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan and how jealous she is, then she would say how ridiculous this was. However, would then follow it up with, "we were together for 12 years bla bla bla". Is there jealousy there? Surely, whilst they were together for a number of years, this just isn't relevant anymore.

hiphophippity · 27/08/2020 09:59

William rumours?? Just an emoticon reply would do Grin

Iamthewombat · 27/08/2020 10:10

I’m curious about why The Guardian persist with the begging messages every time you look at the website, telling you how many articles you have looked at in the past year. I’d like to know why they don’t just put up a paywall instead of trundling out the messages about “we have a small favour to ask” and “we want to keep quality unbiased reporting free” etc etc.

(Not that you get much unbiased reporting in The Guardian, but anyway)

@AprilONeil I noticed that you referenced the wheedling for money from The Guardian upthread: do you think that eventually all of the printed national dailies will need to put up a paywall on their websites? I don’t know what the finances of free to access news websites like eg Mail online or the Express website look like, but surely they must be losing money too despite being rife with ads?

Inching · 27/08/2020 10:39

I feel quite passionate about the media and especially a lot of the - understandable - misconceptions about it.

Well, obviously you haven't spoken or been asked about the 'more worthy' (to quote you) area of journalism you work in now, but everything you've said about your 'showbiz' years only confirms my ideas, which turn out not to be 'misconceptions' at all, that you lump together anyone in the public eye with Love Island contestants as canny 'fame-seekers' who have traded their privacy for money, and whose spats and cellulite somehow count as 'public interest'.

ILoveFlumps · 27/08/2020 11:31

AprilONeil Thanks for your response. In answer to your questions:

No I was not approached for comment. In any way shape or form. The fact the journalist just took one side of a story and ran with it, without checking any facts whatsoever was highly distressing.

I also wouldn’t judge all journalists for her mistakes. BUT. It has certainly made me question them, and doubt their ability to accurately report certain situations.

I have no idea if she’s still writing. On a side note. What would happen to a journalist in this instance? I successfully sued for Libel. They were wrong. Would there be any repercussions for journalists in this instance, or would it be a slap on the wrist? Would it affect their career in general?

I can imagine there are a lot of law suits on a daily basis, and I figured it was deemed par for the course in your industry and no one really learns from it.....

Noshowlomo · 27/08/2020 12:10

God this thread is amazing.
Which of the MIC lot are the biggest dickheads?

KatherineParr4 · 27/08/2020 12:42

@hiphophippity

William rumours?? Just an emoticon reply would do Grin
The OP gave one earlier. I think it's my lips are sealed.
Grrrpredictivetex · 27/08/2020 14:24

@hiphophippity

William rumours?? Just an emoticon reply would do Grin
She gave one already. It was 🤐
Grrrpredictivetex · 27/08/2020 14:29

Have you ever heard the rumour that it was PA crown 🤴 who was gay not PE 🤴 ? I knew a tabloid photographer many years ago and he swore it was. Allegedly 🤷‍♀️

Suewiththeredford · 27/08/2020 17:19

No that’s MintyBiscount Linley.

KIatschundTratsch · 27/08/2020 17:27

Surely not tex because unless bi or gay much later in life, that would have been an excellent defence against the allegations, well, better than memories of pizza at any rate.

ifhedoesntlikeithecanstuffit · 27/08/2020 19:44

Havent RTFT but heard from someone in the know that George Clooney was definitely gay, and he and his wife have an arrangement with another couple. Sorry if this has already been discussed......?

CindersCatsSister · 27/08/2020 21:21

What are your thoughts about India Knight/Eric Joyce and the apparent minimal reporting of his paedophilia?

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