The Grimsby Telegraph..........

Quoted from RichMariner

The problem with these sorts of articles is that they don't give us anything new.

It's the same old tired quotes, rolled out because the journalist has a job to do and footballers have to say something.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

This is no personal criticism to the individuals who write for the Grimsby Telegraph as I appreciate they're probably under-paid and over-worked, and asked to do more than write, but...

I believe it's possible to get something new from an interview. It's too easy to let it slide into a boring said-it-all-before story if you keep asking the same questions.

I remember doing an interview with our loan keeper Alan Fettis in 2003/4 (a relegation season). We had a game against Blackpool and I asked him whether he had any fond memories of playing against Blackpool.

Turns out he actually scored against them, while at Hull, when he was brought on as a sub!

Having learnt my trade as a journalist, and had the initial passion to be one, I feel the true art of journalism has been lost.

I don't think it's in the teaching so much... it's just the world has changed, people want instant news, instant gratification and it's easier to type up 300-400 words of regulatory guff to get new 'content' on site before others report something similar than spend a few days doing some authentic journalism - you know, digging deeper for stories, so we don't have to hear Clarke talk about putting more effort in come Saturday afternoon.

The world is changing, journalism is changing, everyone with a phone now has the ability to be one, demands are changing... it's tough to ask your editor-in-chief for time to write things.

I know someone who used to work for the Pontefract & Castleford Express as a trainee journalist... they got paid an absolute pittance, were expected to work all hours and turn up in the middle of the night if a story broke, and then write literally 20 stories in one day.

You go into journalism for the love of telling stories, not the money, but there comes a point where it's not worth it. This country has so many qualified journalists but not many jobs. They undercut each other to get a chance, so true talent ends up going into other professions like comms and PR.

That's some wider thoughts on the issue of boring stories. I think footballers have a responsibility to speak honestly as it's all too easy for them to waffle away in a monotone voice.

Someone like Matt Dean, if you listen to his line of questioning, is very good at prising out a little extra. His questions are always searching, open ended and usually press his interviewees quite well.

It's probably why I stopped reading the Telegraph's articles a few years ago but continue to listen to Humberside. I don't even read Town's official site to get GTFC news... the stuff I want to know usually breaks on Twitter, and other than Cod Almighty and here I don't venture much further for info.

Quoted from realist

You need to learn about paragraphs. You trained as a journalist, i thought you would need a few basics of grammar for that

Quoted from moosey_club

Wellllll....when he says he trained as a journalist.........he was actually a stunt double for Tommy Target.  

Quoted from Grimsby2012

Less talking and more training and doing the job on the pitch, please.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

That is all well and good Rich but some of us do not belong to social media, by choice. Some of that choice is because you have to be so careful, a lot of what is on there is nearer gossip than gospel. Look at the rubbish that was on twitter prior to the managerial appointment. To be honest I cannot be @rsed to wade through the crap to find the truth.  You probably know that Liam Wood is unbelievably one of the oldest staff members at the GT. I think he has a hipster beard, probably to make himself look older and wiser.

I am reluctant to use the description journalist because to me that conjures up pictures of real pros like Roy Line, John Kirkby and Charlie Eckberg in the press box.  A lot of what Woods, Dean and co.  write is simply culled from cyberspace in some form or other. They are not alone. The cut and paste brigade rules in the newsroom as well. The way it works is governed by the bosses, Mirror Group has streamlined everything to minimise costs and maximise profits.

I agree with you about the interviews. It is hard to keep coming up with a fresh angle. Time they packed it up ..... but they won’t.