Help required form journo witty clever people to draft a letter (grammar curmudgeons welcome too)

[Coddy]

ok first read \link{http://www.thisissalisbury.co.uk/wiltshire/salisbury/news/SALIS_NEWS0.html\this]

its the mother of two bit(that in he paper is a sub headline) that gets my goat.

am going to write to paper and complain - helprequired for it to be pithy and clever

am so mad that links have gone to pot!

Where??

third para first sentence - but inthe paper it in BOLD onthe front page

you need miranda on this one, don't you. i suggest a pithy few lines requesting details, please, of all the male clergy's parturitive history and why this precisely is relevant to their current job status.

Ohh LOl am chukling already....dont want it to be too churchy as the slaisbury journal isnt the church times!!

Not sure I get the problem with this. I've often seen men referred to as "father of two" in things like this. It's only a bit of backfround into who she is isn't it? They go onto give details of where she was born, her degree, what her husband does... her "mother" status no less relevant than any of these facts.

Sorry!

I dont think they do it for men do they? HMmm I think I disagree but am ready to be proved worng!

Suggest paper adds details of kids to all their journo's bylines... 'by our crime correspondent Duncan Smith, father of two'! Doesn't read too bad on the web but take your point re bold on front page.

Oops, correct grammar should be apostrophe after the 's' in journos... as it's a plural. Must be lack of sleep, honest!

I can't help with the actual wording but you could ask about the number of children of the other people (male) written about in the paper to highlight their inconsistency.

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well thats me told!

Nicksie suggested I had crabs earlier on this week.

How do you know I dont get out a lot!

Am offended about your judging attitude. Sense of humour failure here

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Are there other stories in the paper about men which don't mention their wives' jobs and the number of childen they have? If so, why not write in demanding you are given this information, as it is clearly the most important thing about anyone in the news. That sort of thing. eg I was disappointed to read about Mr X and not be told his wife's occupation or details of his reproductive history. I assume this was an oversight, as in your coverage of XXX appointment, it was mentioned on your front page and several times in the article. etc etc"
I think there is more of a reason to focus on her gender than most, given that she is a trailblazer for women in her field, but I too get boiling mad about women constantly being referred to solely in terms of their relationship to men - ie Wife Dies in Car Crash/Mother of Two Arrested/Mum Wins Competition/Wife Awarded Nobel Prize etc etc, when if it was a man, he would never be referred to in those terms. When did you ever see a headline that said anything like, Husband Dies in Fire? It is sexist and it is based on the concept that women are without value in their own right. So I do see your point Coddy. Or maybe I should get out more...

it does happen to women WAY more than men - and its done with a sort of negative slant in this case as if having kids are some appendage - almost like saying Joe Bloggs, afro carribean with a gammy leg managed to get the job!!!!!!!!

Nicksie, I think it was a but unkind to go for the jugular with Coddy telling her to get out more - whatever your views on it she was only asking for help on how to word something she wanted to say - she felt strongly about it so why should she "go out more" I'd say it was time well spent responding to something she has read in the paper that she disagrees with

thank you Aloha for being so jhelpful. I have the front door open in case the urge takes me

but don't you need permission from your partner to go out? at least get him to undo the chains that tie you to the kitchen sink

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need help with the last bit...the when will women be seen as people in their own right and not jsut related to men bit

aloha?

How about,

'I'm very happy to see yet another trail being blazed for women. But it would be nice to see that woman depicted in terms of her other achievements, not simply the number of times she has given birth'?

Oh fandabbydozey.

ok this is it so far

Ks come and curmudgeon

Whilst delighted upon the appointment of a female Dean to Salisbury Cathedral, I am a little surprised to see her described in the headline As ?Mother of Two?.

Will you, in future, be referring to the reproductive history of all men appointed to high profile posts?

I'm very happy to see yet another trail being blazed for women. But it would be nice to see that woman depicted in terms of her other achievements, not simply the number of times she has given birth.