I’m not going to tell you what town centre or venue it was in the headline; just like them. But this isn’t about good nor bad publicity. Unlike them, you’re not even finding out if you click on this badass bias baloney!
And, important point: if you do know the venue don’t be a twat and name it in the comments of this article’s Facebook share. I will only delete it.
Don’t mind me and my tricks, I’m just disappointed with Newsquest.. again! So, a bit of a rumble in an urban jungle, police swept in; it happens, often, but news of them rarely gets published. For some reason they felt the need to cover this one, and point the finger at the nearest independent music venue, only around 500 yards up the road from their featured photograph.
Would you’ve read about it if it was on the outskirts of a Wetherspoons, or a McDonalds? Unlikely they’d bite the hand which feeds them; they’ve the capital to take out a full page spread. But a newly opened independent music venue peddling over the dodgy cobblestones of the hospitality industry, why not jab a stick through their spokes?!
If it smells like clickbait it probably is. I just can’t help reading more into this; ideal real estate surrounding the place, political ballyhoo. Retail is dead, unfortunately. Here’s an area only nightlife and the arts can save, but out of the starting trap they pelt, gung-ho slandering a local trio who only wished to freely supply some live music to the area.
Would it be such a target if replaced for a Wagamamma or Greggs?!
If you call out hypocrisy because “it’s a local newspaper for local people,” you’re incorrect; it’s a national company publishing hundreds of so-called local organs across the country. Ever wonder what happened to the stories about Mrs Farnsworth’s prize-winning turnip, or the dog who went into a burning house to save his master’s war medals? All gone, replaced by national headlines, rightwing bias local politics or scoops slamming local businesses who can’t afford to advertise with them.
Elsewhere in the county a teenager was stabbed; a dispute over a bag of plants, and, unless we’re being withheld from vital intelligence in the reports published, it looks like a serious miscarriage of justice. A responsible local newspaper should focus, rally the public and councillors for an inquiry. But, one poxy report on the verdict and it’s brushed under the carpet. Where’s the “pure cold rage” response from the far right knuckle-draggers on this one? Nowhere, because while most of us see in colour, local papers concentrate on clickbait put downs of local establishments instead.
Exaggerating? Moi? Perhaps a smidgen. They didn’t directly accuse the venue, but everyone can read between the lines. Everyone could suggest, “ooh, not going there, if there’s trouble,” and tag their mates to warn them too. But only those with at least half a brain cell know a fight could potentially erupt outside a Christian Science Reading Room, or anywhere else unlikely you could care to name.
If their aim was to professionally publish a balanced piece they’d have approached the owners for a quote, but the first thing they heard about it was the article itself, and they were left to put their point across in the comments section of the Facebook share! As if anyone reads the comments.
Sure, the rag published a story about them opening, snapped a photo of the frontage when driving past, copied and pasted the press release. Whereas the milkman went down there for the opening. And, he saw a great venue, friendly faces, and door staff for safe guarding. A venue booming with potential, already booking local acts, and he saw the owners, with a mixture of excitement and dedication on their faces, and maybe a little anxiety about crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s. That’s because they reached their goal and are passionate about creating a space to showcase and fund local musicians. That’s something we’d angle positively on here at Devizine.
They certainly didn’t open it as a bare knuckle boxing venue, so to entice the public to outcry because of an unfortunate incident in the vague vicinity is unfair, and deliberately defamatory, in my honest opinion.
devizine.com 