what's to be done about this epidemic of boring shitey columns in national newspapers about parenting

[hatwoman]

can we have some form of rebellion please? I'm fed up of seeing "articles" that constitute about 30 minutes work. helping out at school fetes? ffs. since when has that been suitable copy for a national bloody newspaper? if you're going to write/publish stuff on subjects like that then surely it has to exceptionally witty or incisive or incredibly well-written. but time and again it's none of those. it's 500 words of old shite. oh gah. I'm off to have a G&T.

I wonder how much these 'journalists' get for such tosh? I'm sure I could knock up something better in between refreshing active convos...

HOw about sending them emails directing them to the MN Friday night bumsex threads?

I think they should pay me for reading such tosh

To be honest - that sort of stuff has been in national newspapers for years. If you want hard news and serious in-depth analysis, then you have to look elsewhere.

I have noticed recently that an awful lot of the stuff in the press and on the radio/telly is being discussed on MN. Which comes first do you think? Do the journalists pose as MNers and ask the questions/start the debate, then write their article, or do they lurk on here for ideas, and take their material from existing threads?

I guess it is an easy way to get copy, whichever way they do it.

hits head on floor having just had dh point out to me Zoe W's latest. we think it reads like something that's been (badly) translated from Chinese.

It just inane drivel. I have given up buying papers because of the influx of shite of the last 10yrs.

MN is free and TBH you get much better writing here.

3littlefrogs - I have wondered the same. Pose as a MNer, start an AIBU about school uniform / au pairs / summer fetes and basically get your article written for you.

Zoe W is getting worse.

Hatwoman, I agree it terrible, I couldn't make it past the second line.

Bleedin' 'ell. Zoe's column there is awful. I used to like her writing, but the parenting malarky is becoming tedious.
Cheap and easy column filling. That's in general, not ZW specifically.

It's the use of initials for names that gets me, I can never remember who is who... T did this and M said that... doesn't make for lively or engaging writing imo.

Kingrollo - I suppose it beats making the effort to write their own stuff. Wish I could get somebody to do my work for me..........

Kingrolo - sorry - I can't even spell...