To be irritated by Evening Standard?

[BootyMum]

Sorry in advance, this is probably a silly topic but it really annoyed me... Does anyone else find the London Evening Standard newspaper irritating and ridiculously syncophantic? I often end up wondering how they find some of the 'ordinary' people that are featured in their articles and magazine. They mostly seem to be high earning professionals in wealthy areas. I thought their 'Dispossessed Campaign' was perhaps a step in the right direction, featuring those in London who are struggling on minimum wage and often in vital but unseen services such as cleaners etc.
However now really irritated by boy featured on yesterday's front page - "Boy gives savings to our campaign". Wow, I thought, how amazing and read on. Remember, this was front page news. It turned out that the 14 year old [who earned £5 - £10 per week from parents in return for odd jobs around the house] had donated a grand total of £17... Okay, that's nice of him but not exactly front page news... Then I read that his father who is named and is "a creative director at a design company" graciously matched son's donation of £17. WTF? It is described in the article as a "generous act". What planet do these people live on? So Dad gets a bit of front page free advertising for donating a rather insubstantial sum to a campaign for people who probably earn a tenth of what he is. Don't get me wrong, I think it is great that this father and son donated anything but just wonder what exactly about their story made it front page news.. and also wondered who they know at the Evening Standard to have made front page news??? Right, rant over. AIBU?

It's because it's now edited by Geordie Greig, imo. A former editor of Tatler doesn't really understand a "hard news" agenda and is much more interested in celebrity parties.

It definitely has more of the the feel of a mag than a newspaper these days. Which, in itself, may not be a bad thing if it's done well.

yanbU, they are soooo up Boris Johnsons arse

very targeted at people that WANT to live in Chelsea, I did not realise it was edited by ex Tatler but now I do alot falls into place!

dont read it, cack

Oh, yeah, also can't stand Boris Johnson. Really, what planet is he on??? Ever since he described his £250,000 for that column he writes as "chicken feed" or whatever. Why are so many people taken in by him, he spouts some Latin and convoluted mumbo jumbo and everyone seems to feel he is some kind of genius??? He is a comedy act, quite amusing in his own way with his pants around his ankles and love children [apparently...] but again I feel so far removed from the 'average' person in London that he hasn't a clue about the reality of people's lives. Or perhaps that's just all politicians voting themselves pay rises and expenses whilst they say everyone else must tighten their belts...

I like it

Not for the news, not because it is unbalanced or good journalism - it's not, not at all, it's right wing and I like shouting at how ridiculous some of it is, BUT...

I used to work in London, with actual people, and now I am a SaHM, I like it that DP can bring it home for me to look at and bring a bit of London back to me.

I know, sad I am.

Lx

YANBU. It's shite and patronising (all the shit about 'This poor Dispossessed Mother has donated £10 to our campaign'). Labelling people Dispossessed with a capital D is reminiscent of Victorian work-house ethic and only reinforces the MASSIVE equity divide between rich and poor Londoners...which of course the Standard doesn't want to address because it's run by Tatlerites. Notice that nowhere have they addressed the issue that the richest 10% of Londoners have £933,000 in assets on average whilst the poorest 10% have £3600. How they have the face to carry on with this hideous 'Dispossessed' nonsense AND yet make front-page news out of blasting Miliband's mansion tax proposals makes me want to retch. It's all bleeding hearts and concern on the face, but 'I'm all right Jack, fuck you' when you scratch the surface of their editorial policy.

Excellent point Quodlibet! I did wonder if it was helpful to treat people doing useful vital jobs for London on minimum wage as charity cases... I mean really isn't there enough wealth in parliament to go around? Really does the cleaner the Evening Standard highlighted only deserve minimum wage £6 for the hard work she does? Especially when that Conway chap was able to pay his sons, what was it, £30,000 of tax payers money for part-time 'researcher' work whilst they were studying at university and it transpired that the two boys hadn't actually done very much at all for their money. Sure know who I would want my tax pounds to give a reasonable living wage rather than the related hangers on that parliament seems to attract.