View Full Version : Why are our media so London-centric?
With the well-documented explosion in reported Covid cases in London and the SE of England over the past fortnight or so, the media seem to be going haywire over it, yet a few weeks back when say, Merseyside, Gtr Mancs and parts of the Midlands were hotbeds for Covid, there seemed to be nowhere near the same amount of frenzied media coverage.
A similar phenomenon seemed to occur during the recent knife crime epidemic where the bulk of the focus seemed to be on London, whilst almost all of the other major cities were just as hard-hit, but received less media attention nationally.
Don't get me wrong, I"m not having a bash at Londoners per se, but it does seem that the press often single out London and the SE region as the be-all-and-end-all of the UK, when and where other regions and areas also matter.
Pamplemousse
16-12-20, 22:23
Probably because most of the media is based there, but also Greater London has ten million people in it, in a country of around 66 million.
LB, there's London and then the rest of the UK. Here in sleepy Northamptonshire not much happens other than a few escaped cattle or a broken down tractor. Have you ever seen the John Cleese film 'Clockwise' made in 1986? Their car gets stuck in a muddy field not far from Northampton, the one and only time I've heard us mentioned outside of our regional news.
I'm a Londoner born and bred.....still living in this total dive of a city too. I totally understand your frustration, Lencoboy.
Perhaps because it is the centre of government and the capital city? I really dunno though as there are just as relevant (and nicer) places in the country they could talk about.
It may also be that they are fixated on London and the South because way back in the Spring, we were hit the worst with the virus, then it sharply and quickly declined.......but now we are hit hard again and the spouted theory was that we had built up some kind of alleged immunity down here, but obviously now that is simply not so. I think they lose their sh*t about London as it is the financial centre and as Pamplemousse already said, a lot of the media are here so they have a vested interest.
Please DO feel free to have a bash at Londoners. Most of them are a pain in the a*se (I'm ok though.....promise!! :roflmao:)
MyNameIsTerry
17-12-20, 06:08
As everyone has said above. Surely it's the same the world over?
Wales is having a big Covid surge right now, it's on the BBC site, yet no big brown trousers moment by the MSM. But I bet if you read a Welsh publication it would be big news.
Knife crime was actually worse in some areas of the country but no one cares.
But perhaps part of it is the political nature of the owners, editors, etc who try to drive their news at us rather than just reporting what is going on? So London is no 1 on the list for everything because all the powerful people are in there and they aren't going to care about a small town.
Surely within London the same applies? Who cares about Tower Hamlets until something bad happens? Even then as long as it's affecting we little people and not the wealthy it's not much of an issue. If all those stabbings were happening in nice areas the media would explode.
I'm sure our American, Aussie, NZers, Canadians, African, European, etc members will say the same.
Outside of these places it has to be something massive to grab press attention. Then it's quickly forgotten. How often do we hear of places around the world where some heinous act has taken place? For instance, I've just had a story pop up about a man in Jamaican who's penis has been ripped off by his neighbours dog! :ohmy:https://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/dogs/t0417.gif
I ditto what debs said except I moved away and now the news for me is about wildlife, farmers and flooding. :D
For instance, I've just had a story pop up about a man in Jamaican who's penis has been ripped off by his neighbours dog! :ohmy:https://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/dogs/t0417.gifYeah I think there's a joke in there somewhere Terry LOL
meltedchic
24-12-20, 12:08
In any part of the world, news is overblown by media. I just don't know what is the reason why they seem to be rumour mongers who inflate the news. Money would be a thing and fame. And I was just wondering why the government don't do anything about it, I mean yes there is press freedom but spreading news like these that affect human safety and health is indeed a major consideration?!
In any part of the world, news is overblown by media. I just don't know what is the reason why they seem to be rumour mongers who inflate the news. Money would be a thing and fame. And I was just wondering why the government don't do anything about it, I mean yes there is press freedom but spreading news like these that affect human safety and health is indeed a major consideration?!
TBH, I don't think any political party here in the UK really takes misinformation seriously enough, sadly, (dare I say it) not even Labour, who, probably just like the Tories (and others) believe that 'one person's fake news/misinformation is another person's free expression', or something along those lines.
But a line really needs to be drawn somewhere, and sadly the horse has long escaped from the stable!
I've just had a story pop up about a man in Jamaican who's penis has been ripped off by his neighbours dog! :ohmy:https://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/dogs/t0417.gif
Poor bugger's had a wuff time of it by the sounds of it. :ohmy:
Poor bugger's had a wuff time of it by the sounds of it. :ohmy:
And still no sign of any dog-hating 'flakes/wokes posting on social media demanding the culling of all dogs worldwide, thank God!!
I'm a Londoner born and bred.....still living in this total dive of a city too. I totally understand your frustration, Lencoboy.
Perhaps because it is the centre of government and the capital city? I really dunno though as there are just as relevant (and nicer) places in the country they could talk about.
It may also be that they are fixated on London and the South because way back in the Spring, we were hit the worst with the virus, then it sharply and quickly declined.......but now we are hit hard again and the spouted theory was that we had built up some kind of alleged immunity down here, but obviously now that is simply not so. I think they lose their sh*t about London as it is the financial centre and as Pamplemousse already said, a lot of the media are here so they have a vested interest.
Please DO feel free to have a bash at Londoners. Most of them are a pain in the a*se (I'm ok though.....promise!! :roflmao:)
Quite right Debs71 - I live and work in London (although I'm not a Londoner) - this city is full of lazy journalists with nothing better to do than just regurgitate the same old junk. God forbid that they might actually go out and do some broader investigative journalism, such as they are paid for. And yes this city is becoming a veritable cesspit.
On the subject of the pandemic, of course London was hit hard and fast back in the Spring - main transit point with 3 connecting airports to spread virus from Europe inwards and outwards and inwards again. Massive city with huge population - is it any surprise that with increased testing among a big population the government is now able to cite a surge in positive tests and keep the fear scenario going? The numbers being racked up on the daily news are probably no bigger than they were back in the spring, the reason being that no mass testing was carried out.
I seriously doubt that there is no built up immunity in the population - immunity does not stop you contracting the virus, just aids the body in fighting off the bug before it can take hold and make you ill. Most of the population in London would have been exposed to the virus which was spreading freely and for the most part untested back in February/March. Viruses mutate and are cyclical and we are now in winter when all respiratory viruses generally circulate. Basic A-level biology, but the government wants to keep making a meal of it and scaring the risk-averse generation silly. No challenge from the media or parliament - what a lot of spineless ineffectual so-called leaders we have. No end in sight I am sorry to say.
And still no sign of any dog-hating 'flakes/wokes posting on social media demanding the culling of all dogs worldwide, thank God!!
When this happens it's usually people who have zero understanding of dogs - like parents who allow kids to use their dogs as trampolines, then they demand the animal is euthanised when it nips the kid as a way of warning for them to get the hell off!
Generally speaking, a problem with a dog means a problem with the owner, or past owner.
In the story of the man minus a bit of penis - the dog apparently went for his crotch area through the gap in the fence as he was chatting to its owner. Seems her dogs are aggressive and there have been other complaints about them, so like I said - the owner is the issue - not the dog.
I had to chuckle about the advertisement which was directly under this story in the Daily Wail - bananas! :roflmao:
When this happens it's usually people who have zero understanding of dogs - like parents who allow kids to use their dogs as trampolines, then they demand the animal is euthanised when it nips the kid as a way of warning for them to get the hell off!
Generally speaking, a problem with a dog means a problem with the owner, or past owner.
In the story of the man minus a bit of penis - the dog apparently went for his crotch area through the gap in the fence as he was chatting to its owner. Seems her dogs are aggressive and there have been other complaints about them, so like I said - the owner is the issue - not the dog.
I had to chuckle about the advertisement which was directly under this story in the Daily Wail - bananas! :roflmao:
Although I mostly spoke about those hypothetical 'anti-dog brigades' in jest, I do agree with a lot of what you have said. It's a bit like us Aspies who have been known to snap at others whenever we have been excessively cornered and/or had our personal space unreasonably invaded, and we have ended up being severely punished for it, sometimes even sent to jail or sectioned, especially pre-21st Century.
It can also be down to how dogs' owners have trained them, in a similar sense to how parents bring up children.
I vaguely recall the mass hysteria and moral panics doing the rounds back in the late 80s and early 90s about vicious Rottweilers, Staffies, Alsations, etc, and the passing of the Dangerous Dogs Act in 1991.
Such breeds still continue to be stigmatised today, despite it often being more to do with the way such dogs are trained and managed, rather than the actual dog breeds themselves as a whole being at fault.
But sadly many people often revel in sweeping generalisations and hyperbole!
Quite right Debs71 - I live and work in London (although I'm not a Londoner) - this city is full of lazy journalists with nothing better to do than just regurgitate the same old junk. God forbid that they might actually go out and do some broader investigative journalism, such as they are paid for. And yes this city is becoming a veritable cesspit.
On the subject of the pandemic, of course London was hit hard and fast back in the Spring - main transit point with 3 connecting airports to spread virus from Europe inwards and outwards and inwards again. Massive city with huge population - is it any surprise that with increased testing among a big population the government is now able to cite a surge in positive tests and keep the fear scenario going? The numbers being racked up on the daily news are probably no bigger than they were back in the spring, the reason being that no mass testing was carried out.
I seriously doubt that there is no built up immunity in the population - immunity does not stop you contracting the virus, just aids the body in fighting off the bug before it can take hold and make you ill. Most of the population in London would have been exposed to the virus which was spreading freely and for the most part untested back in February/March. Viruses mutate and are cyclical and we are now in winter when all respiratory viruses generally circulate. Basic A-level biology, but the government wants to keep making a meal of it and scaring the risk-averse generation silly. No challenge from the media or parliament - what a lot of spineless ineffectual so-called leaders we have. No end in sight I am sorry to say.
How are you doing Dorabella, as I haven't seen any posts from you on here for a few weeks now?
I kind of agree with you about the actual rate of Covid infections probably being a lot lot higher back in February-early May time, but as full community testing didn't really start properly until around late May-mid June, the true number of daily Covid infections were vastly undercounted, as initially those who were already seriously ill in hospital with the main symptoms were only eligible for Covid tests.
Though of course we should still keep being vigilant and sticking by the rules in the meantime, especially until the mass vaccinations really get going.
Surely Birmingham and most other major metropolitan conurbations have been just as hard hit by the pandemic, both then and now, but the national media never seem to make such a song and dance over it, it's almost always London this, London that!
Same for violent crime over recent years, as I already mentioned upthread.
Although I mostly spoke about those hypothetical 'anti-dog brigades' in jest, I do agree with a lot of what you have said. It's a bit like us Aspies who have been known to snap at others whenever we have been excessively cornered and/or had our personal space unreasonably invaded, and we have ended up being severely punished for it, sometimes even sent to jail or sectioned, especially pre-21st Century.
It can also be down to how dogs' owners have trained them, in a similar sense to how parents bring up children.
I vaguely recall the mass hysteria and moral panics doing the rounds back in the late 80s and early 90s about vicious Rottweilers, Staffies, Alsations, etc, and the passing of the Dangerous Dogs Act in 1991.
Such breeds still continue to be stigmatised today, despite it often being more to do with the way such dogs are trained and managed, rather than the actual dog breeds themselves as a whole being at fault.
But sadly many people often revel in sweeping generalisations and hyperbole!Spot on LB. I remember the late 80s/early 90s media obsession with 'killer dogs' very well, because at that time I had a rottweiler called 'Bear'. He was nothing like the vicious, snarling pictures on the front of every daily rag then. But on a walk one afternoon, I passed a young couple about my age and the girl hid behind her BF. That's the impact this kind of propaganda has. Bear just ignored her like he did anyone else. Yes he looked mean but he didn't realise that.
Pamplemousse
26-12-20, 22:51
Spot on LB. I remember the late 80s/early 90s media obsession with 'killer dogs' very well, because at that time I had a rottweiler called 'Bear'. He was nothing like the vicious, snarling pictures on the front of every daily rag then. But on a walk one afternoon, I passed a young couple about my age and the girl hid behind her BF. That's the impact this kind of propaganda has. Bear just ignored her like he did anyone else. Yes he looked mean but he didn't realise that.
As ever, it's environment and training. Some of the soppiest dogs I've met were rotties!
It's a bit like us Aspies who have been known to snap at others whenever we have been excessively cornered and/or had our personal space unreasonably invaded, and we have ended up being severely punished for it, sometimes even sent to jail or sectioned, especially pre-21st Century.
Yes, it is a bit like that (although I'm ASD, not Aspergers) and it's all down to ignorance.
It can also be down to how dogs' owners have trained them, in a similar sense to how parents bring up children.
Too many owners don't understand dogs or pack mentality. Dogs must have a place in the 'pack' and it must be lower than the humans to make the dog feel safe. Part of being a friend to a dog is doing what is best for them, not just us. If this doesn't happen there can be severe behavioural problems which at worst will end up with the dog being euthanised. One of the most basic rules people ignore is with food where people feed their dogs from their own plate, as they are eating. My pooch gets lots of lovely titbits, but after we have finished eating because that is how packs work. My MIL was a lovely woman who loved dogs but she made the mistake of feeding her dog from her plate as she was eating and in the end she was unable to eat anything without him clawing the shit out of her leg, while two rivers of drool dripped onto her slippers - and it became very annoying - even for her. When she put him out of the room, or in the garden, he barked his head off so she would feed him treats to shut him up which further reinforced the behaviour.
People who don't understand dogs also confuse canine play for aggression. I had a very large (and very daft) lurcher. He was epically playful - which many other walkers mistook for aggression because he had a loud bark - which is a dog's voice. Everything about his body language said 'play with me' but I've lost count of the amount of times he's been hit with walking sticks or had stones thrown at him when playing with small dogs. Along with the, 'Get that bloody animal on a lead' - while their yappy little foofoo is off lead - as if their dog had more right than mine? Really grinds my gears does this! :mad:
So I'm wittering on and probably digressing but this is a subject which stirs my colon because I am a human example of how ignorance can mess up someone's head, so I'm firmly on the pooches side!
I vaguely recall the mass hysteria and moral panics doing the rounds back in the late 80s and early 90s about vicious Rottweilers, Staffies, Alsations, etc, and the passing of the Dangerous Dogs Act in 1991.
Sheep mentality Len. One runs, they all run. I have known dogs of all those breeds and all of them as soppy as soppy can be!
One Alsatian I knew was an absolute hoot. Her owner used to like a drinkypoo and she would visit the neighbours so she could have a drink without her husband nagging her, but the dog was very clever and all the bloke had to do was to open the front door and the dog would go and sit outside the front door of whatever house his Mrs was in! :roflmao:
Yes, it is a bit like that (although I'm ASD, not Aspergers) and it's all down to ignorance.
Too many owners don't understand dogs or pack mentality. Dogs must have a place in the 'pack' and it must be lower than the humans to make the dog feel safe. Part of being a friend to a dog is doing what is best for them, not just us. If this doesn't happen there can be severe behavioural problems which at worst will end up with the dog being euthanised. One of the most basic rules people ignore is with food where people feed their dogs from their own plate, as they are eating. My pooch gets lots of lovely titbits, but after we have finished eating because that is how packs work. My MIL was a lovely woman who loved dogs but she made the mistake of feeding her dog from her plate as she was eating and in the end she was unable to eat anything without him clawing the shit out of her leg, while two rivers of drool dripped onto her slippers - and it became very annoying - even for her. When she put him out of the room, or in the garden, he barked his head off so she would feed him treats to shut him up which further reinforced the behaviour.
People who don't understand dogs also confuse canine play for aggression. I had a very large (and very daft) lurcher. He was epically playful - which many other walkers mistook for aggression because he had a loud bark - which is a dog's voice. Everything about his body language said 'play with me' but I've lost count of the amount of times he's been hit with walking sticks or had stones thrown at him when playing with small dogs. Along with the, 'Get that bloody animal on a lead' - while their yappy little foofoo is off lead - as if their dog had more right than mine? Really grinds my gears does this! :mad:
So I'm wittering on and probably digressing but this is a subject which stirs my colon because I am a human example of how ignorance can mess up someone's head, so I'm firmly on the pooches side!
Sheep mentality Len. One runs, they all run. I have known dogs of all those breeds and all of them as soppy as soppy can be!
One Alsatian I knew was an absolute hoot. Her owner used to like a drinkypoo and she would visit the neighbours so she could have a drink without her husband nagging her, but the dog was very clever and all the bloke had to do was to open the front door and the dog would go and sit outside the front door of whatever house his Mrs was in! :roflmao:
Your first paragraph.
A lot of that attitude still seemed to persist well into the 2000s, especially when the NHS and allied organisations started going down the 'zero tolerance' route from around 1999-2000 onwards, which I think has been a virtual failure from the off, especially as attacks on such staff have reportedly continued to increase year-on-year ever since, which I think is partly due to the failure to address many of the underlying causes of certain people acting out, where sadly, knee-jerk policies in treating the symptoms instead were instigated!
I think ZT policies were (and still are) perfect fodder for those power-mad staff members with agendas who work in such places, and in turn seemed to give them carte blanche to physically abuse vulnerable people in their care, disguised as 'physical restraint'.
Double standards 'do as I say, not as I do' attitudes IMO!
Your third paragraph.
It does seem that certain dog owners act as if they own certain public open spaces where they let their dogs loose off the leads and run around. I have been in situations where I have walked our dog on a lead onto such spaces and an 'unleashed' dog who was already there runs towards our 'leashed' dog, and the owner of the 'unleashed' dog getting indignant for seemingly invading their space!
Similar in effect to drivers who seem to think that they own the roads.
Your fifth paragraph.
A typical media-fuelled 'pack mentality' thing, similar to the great 'hoodie' scare of the 2000s, and numerous scares about BAME persons over the years, all of which in turn often become self-fulfilling prophecies!
How are you doing Dorabella, as I haven't seen any posts from you on here for a few weeks now?
I kind of agree with you about the actual rate of Covid infections probably being a lot lot higher back in February-early May time, but as full community testing didn't really start properly until around late May-mid June, the true number of daily Covid infections were vastly undercounted, as initially those who were already seriously ill in hospital with the main symptoms were only eligible for Covid tests.
Though of course we should still keep being vigilant and sticking by the rules in the meantime, especially until the mass vaccinations really get going.
Surely Birmingham and most other major metropolitan conurbations have been just as hard hit by the pandemic, both then and now, but the national media never seem to make such a song and dance over it, it's almost always London this, London that!
Same for violent crime over recent years, as I already mentioned upthread.
Haven't been posting for a while Lencoboy - have shut myself off from the news, commentary and general paranoia for a while to preserve my own sanity. Now am in lockdown-in-all-but-name London and twiddling my thumbs at the endlessness of all this nonsense.
Quite right what you said about Brum - it was hit as hard as London back in the spring .... and that high rate of positive tests in Brum and the surrounding commuter belt has never really fallen to really low levels - big conurbation with transit hub, airport and high population of multi-generational households ... not much different to London where the highest infection rates have been registered. But under-reported as always in favour of the sacred cow called London. Am so fed up with all this my teeth are starting to itch!!
Hope you're doing OK. D.
Haven't been posting for a while Lencoboy - have shut myself off from the news, commentary and general paranoia for a while to preserve my own sanity. Now am in lockdown-in-all-but-name London and twiddling my thumbs at the endlessness of all this nonsense.
Quite right what you said about Brum - it was hit as hard as London back in the spring .... and that high rate of positive tests in Brum and the surrounding commuter belt has never really fallen to really low levels - big conurbation with transit hub, airport and high population of multi-generational households ... not much different to London where the highest infection rates have been registered. But under-reported as always in favour of the sacred cow called London. Am so fed up with all this my teeth are starting to itch!!
Hope you're doing OK. D.
I'm doing fine, ta, still alive and well!
I can't say I really blame you for taking a break from all this Covid stuff for the past few weeks, as just like you, I am really sick to the back teeth of it all, and what seriously isn't helping is all the Covidiots still selfishly acting 'ard and blatantly disobeying the rules.
Really can't wait until the Oxford AZ vaccine and various others start being doled out en masse!
It does seem that certain dog owners act as if they own certain public open spaces where they let their dogs loose off the leads and run around. I have been in situations where I have walked our dog on a lead onto such spaces and an 'unleashed' dog who was already there runs towards our 'leashed' dog, and the owner of the 'unleashed' dog getting indignant for seemingly invading their space!
Similar in effect to drivers who seem to think that they own the roads.
I only ever let my dog off the lead where there is open space and I have full view of her. Plus, she is excellent at recall. The Tom Hardy of the canine world could be giving her the wuff on and she would turn her back on him for a bit of bacon lol. It's about common sense and being respectful. The moment I see a leashed dog and a nervous looking owner, my girl is back on her lead, but it's great when she can chase around with other dogs with owners who understand dog behaviour. It's noisy but I stick my earbuds back in lol
And I hear you about drivers. Some people get behind a wheel and turn into dicks! :mad:
A typical media-fuelled 'pack mentality' thing, similar to the great 'hoodie' scare of the 2000s, and numerous scares about BAME persons over the years, all of which in turn often become self-fulfilling prophecies!
Great hoodie scare? What's this? Where was I? Why am I not aware of this? :ohmy:
I only ever let my dog off the lead where there is open space and I have full view of her. Plus, she is excellent at recall. The Tom Hardy of the canine world could be giving her the wuff on and she would turn her back on him for a bit of bacon lol. It's about common sense and being respectful. The moment I see a leashed dog and a nervous looking owner, my girl is back on her lead, but it's great when she can chase around with other dogs with owners who understand dog behaviour. It's noisy but I stick my earbuds back in lol
And I hear you about drivers. Some people get behind a wheel and turn into dicks! :mad:
Great hoodie scare? What's this? Where was I? Why am I not aware of this? :ohmy:
Surely you must remember the big moral panic over 'chav' culture from approximately 2003 right up until the end of the noughties?
Chavs were often notorious for going around duffing people up and/or robbing them simply for kicks, even random strangers unprovoked, and listened to rap and rave music full blast.
Hoodies were one of the main garments worn by chavs, so were highly stigmatised, even when worn by respectable persons.
There was a notorious outright ban on the wearing of such garments in the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent back in 2005.
Surely you must remember the big moral panic over 'chav' culture from approximately 2003 right up until the end of the noughties?
Ah, yes. Chavs. Have the book somewhere. Wasn't Stoke listed as a Chav city? :unsure: Which of course is outrageous! :lac:
Hoodies were one of the main garments worn by chavs, so were highly stigmatised, even when worn by respectable persons.
Had a few hoodies meself Len. Still do. They come in very handy for those 'bad hair days', no?:yesyes:
There was a notorious outright ban on the wearing of such garments in the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent back in 2005.
Come to think of it, back then, I wore hoodies, Reebok trainers, England footie t shirts and Burberry perfume. ERMAGERD, I WAS A CHAVETTE! :ohmy:
WiredIncorrectly
31-12-20, 16:48
Because of The City of London.
Without saying which borough I am from, suffice it to say that we're a forgotten part of London until someone is murdered or something just as awful; I would say it's not 'London' that they are obsessed with, it's bad things. We have almost 1/7th of the UK population living here, we were first in the UK to see a Covid explosion and among the first to see the new variant. I think that's all it is.
MyNameIsTerry
01-01-21, 02:53
Without saying which borough I am from, suffice it to say that we're a forgotten part of London until someone is murdered or something just as awful; I would say it's not 'London' that they are obsessed with, it's bad things. We have almost 1/7th of the UK population living here, we were first in the UK to see a Covid explosion and among the first to see the new variant. I think that's all it is.
That sounds like the rest of us then. Horrendous murder hits the news otherwise it's like we don't exist to the nationals.
So perhaps it's fairer to say things affecting certain affluent areas of London?
That reminds me of a thread from 2019 in the GAD sub-section entitled 'London crime-fear of being killed', and someone from there spoke in said thread about murders and other violent incidents that occured in the Gtr London area even as late as the mid-90s that never even made their respective local news headlines, let alone the national news headlines, which obviously implies a lot of things still went on up and down the country as a whole in the past, but often under, or un-publicised.
Mind you, back then in the 90s it was mostly Gunchester and Shottingham that were singled out as the 'badlands' of England!
WiredIncorrectly
18-12-21, 15:14
Did you know there are two London's in the UK? There is "London" and "The City of London".
Did you know there are two London's in the UK? There is "London" and "The City of London".
Ah, the wider 'Greater London' conurbation and the 'City of London' (aka central London).
Here in the Midlands, it kind of makes sense that the 'county' comprising Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton has been known as 'West Midlands' since the early 70s.
Just imagine all the angst and indignation had said 'county' been named 'Greater Birmingham' or 'Birminghamshire' ('Birms' for short)?
Especially with Cov and Wolvo both being large cities in their own right.
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Brum or Brummies in general, but any of the other metropolitan boroughs of the WM literally being part of Brum would seem blatantly incongruous.
Ditto for Lichfield, Tamworth and the borough of North Warwickshire.
Ah, the wider 'Greater London' conurbation and the 'City of London' (aka central London).
Here in the Midlands, it kind of makes sense that the 'county' comprising Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton has been known as 'West Midlands' since the early 70s.
Just imagine all the angst and indignation had said 'county' been named 'Greater Birmingham' or 'Birminghamshire' ('Birms' for short)?
Especially with Cov and Wolvo both being large cities in their own right.
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Brum or Brummies in general, but any of the other metropolitan boroughs of the WM literally being part of Brum would seem blatantly incongruous.
Ditto for Lichfield, Tamworth and the borough of North Warwickshire.
There has also been talk in the past (but not recently) of 'city regions' being created across England, and my immediate thought was 'much of the West Mids 'region' might had become a 'giant' City of B'ham, which would have seemed totally incongruous with many settlements further apart from the actual city of B'ham, let alone the cities of Coventry and Wolvo.
Also it could have meant changing all the postcodes to be prefixed with 'B' (which ours already are) and all the landline dialling codes changed to '0121' (or '021' prior to 1995), though the latter is increasingly irrelevant nowadays what with the advent of mobiles and landlines likely to become outmoded over the coming years.
BTW, these scenarios are just random musings right now and nothing mega serious.
WiredIncorrectly
21-12-21, 12:39
Ah, the wider 'Greater London' conurbation and the 'City of London' (aka central London).
Here in the Midlands, it kind of makes sense that the 'county' comprising Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton has been known as 'West Midlands' since the early 70s.
Just imagine all the angst and indignation had said 'county' been named 'Greater Birmingham' or 'Birminghamshire' ('Birms' for short)?
Especially with Cov and Wolvo both being large cities in their own right.
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Brum or Brummies in general, but any of the other metropolitan boroughs of the WM literally being part of Brum would seem blatantly incongruous.
Ditto for Lichfield, Tamworth and the borough of North Warwickshire.
I'm a brummie, but I think the term brummie is a bit of a strange one because when people think of a brummie, they usually mean somebody from the black country because that accent is the true one. I live in the black country and I'm still not used to this accent.
Today the national news media have been harping on about 1 in 20 people in London infected with Covid right now.
I'm pretty damn certain that Birmingham and the wider West Mids conurbation are also very hard hit right now, but the national news media don't seem to be making a song and dancing over it. Ditto for the other major English cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, etc.
As per usual it's London seemingly being singled out as the 'be-all-and-end-all' of England once again, like they seem to be whenever for instance, murders happen there, as if such events in other parts of the country don't matter a lot of the time, as far as the national headlines are concerned.
In fact, even my dad kind of fell for it earlier when they mentioned 1 in 20 people in London having Covid, he admitted that he previously (wrongly) assumed it was the whole of England they were referring to.
Our local news said it was 1 in 11. It's pretty bad around here, Lenco.
I haven't really noticed any London bias to be honest.
Our local news said it was 1 in 11. It's pretty bad around here, Lenco.
I haven't really noticed any London bias to be honest.
Yes but the media are hardly making a song and dancing over your area (Woking, I think) if it is actually worse than Gtr London.
Though of course some may wrongly assume that Woking is part of London, which it actually isn't, just the same as many people incorrectly assume about Solihull in the West Mids being a 'suburb' of B'ham, which it isn't and never has been.
I just concentrate on what's going on in my area, I'm afraid. I can see why it's important to highlight just how bad things are in London just as it was when Manchester/ Newcastle/ Cornwall were badly affected. Plenty of media coverage then.
Woking got a lot of coverage when surge testing was deployed a few months back but never heard it described as being in London.
I just concentrate on what's going on in my area, I'm afraid. I can see why it's important to highlight just how bad things are in London just as it was when Manchester/ Newcastle/ Cornwall were badly affected. Plenty of media coverage then.
Woking got a lot of coverage when surge testing was deployed a few months back but never heard it described as being in London.
It's more those who are unfamiliar with certain regions that often incorrectly assume that certain settlements are part of the major cities in closest proximity.
The BBC have been at it again today saying that knife crimes in London have now surpassed the previous record of 2008, including two fatal incidents there today.
Surely every murder in such circumstances is tragic, no matter where or when it occurs, but still, why is London more important than the rest of England (including my home county of Staffs) when it comes to media coverage of such ghastly events?
I suppose more crime happens in London? Perhaps it’s also more gang related?
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I suppose more crime happens in London? Perhaps it’s also more gang related?
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Birmingham has very similar problems too, surely so does other major cities like Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, etc.
But the national news media rarely ever seem to give them a look-in, unless it's something mega serious; e.g, terror-related, for example the fatal stabbing incident involving 3 people in a park in Reading in the summer of 2020.
Had it just been a consequence of a typical tit-for-tat feud between youths in said area, it probably would have paled into relative insignificance as far as the national media were concerned.
But hey ho, in London the slightest violent incident is almost always considered indicative of a 'national emergency' by the media.
Does it matter? I’m in London and I don’t feel like I’m any more important than someone who lives in Devon or Birmingham?
I think it’s maybe just that in general, more things happen in London because there are more people and more headquarters? It’s where the government are for one.
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Does it matter? I’m in London and I don’t feel like I’m any more important than someone who lives in Devon or Birmingham?
I think it’s maybe just that in general, more things happen in London because there are more people and more headquarters? It’s where the government are for one.
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Don't get me wrong, I'm not a London(er)-hater in any way, Scass.
I'm merely perplexed in the sense that while the knife crime epidemic is actually a nationwide issue, the media still seem to treat it as if it's an exclusively London-specific issue.
Mind you, it was Manchester and Nottingham that seemed to be getting most of the flak back in the 90s and early 2000s when gun crime was seemingly at its peak in the UK, hence the gun-themed nicknames of both cities!
Of course, Birmingham also went through a bit of a bad patch with gun crime back in the late 90s and early 2000s.
I don't think you're right about this, Lenco but surely you wouldn't want your area to be brought into the media spotlight either?
Anyway Croydon isn't "London"..It actually used to be in Surrey and still is in terms of postal address. Now it's termed as "South London" by the media. I used to live about 5 miles away as a child and going to Croydon was a treat as it had posh shops.
I don't think you're right about this, Lenco but surely you wouldn't want your area to be brought into the media spotlight either?
Perhaps not, especially the way certain people love to bad-mouth certain places these days.
Whilst my area is not notorious for murders per se, it used to get labelled a 'c*@v town' back in around 2003-04, whose reputation as such has mostly lessened since probably around the late 2000s, by which time the mass media circus and ensuing moral panics surrounding said youth subculture in general had finally started to die down.
So I guess, swings and roundabouts, and all that.
Wishing you a Happy New Year BTW.
And to you too, Lenco. I hope 2022 turns out to be a better year for you and your family. I appreciate that life is tough for you.
And to you too, Lenco. I hope 2022 turns out to be a better year for you and your family. I appreciate that life is tough for you.
My aim is to try to be more positive about things and less bogged down with negative stuff in 2022.
I'm confident that the pandemic will start to peter out this year, but of course my mom will still continue to have her dementia issues, though one of my New Year's resolutions is to try to help her more and to be more tolerant of her quirks, which can be a hindrance to both me and my dad at times.
But fingers crossed that all things Covid will end up being much less of a hindrance to us all as 2022 wears on.
Going back to London-centricity in the media, there was a really nice feature on BBC Breakfast this morning showing sunny scenes from the (scaled down) New Year carnival in central London, celebrating multiculturalism, which is another one of many things I really hope people start to appreciate more this year.
Have a good one all!
I don't think you're right about this, Lenco but surely you wouldn't want your area to be brought into the media spotlight either?
Anyway Croydon isn't "London"..It actually used to be in Surrey and still is in terms of postal address. Now it's termed as "South London" by the media. I used to live about 5 miles away as a child and going to Croydon was a treat as it had posh shops.
My Greater London borough is labelled at South East London, despite the fact my postcode is Kent.
I’m not an avid news watcher like you Lenco, so I will take your word for it. I suspect if you lived in London you would feel the pressure of living close to so much reported crime, so I think in your case it’s probably quite a good thing that your areas are on the news much less
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My Greater London borough is labelled at South East London, despite the fact my postcode is Kent.
I’m not an avid news watcher like you Lenco, so I will take your word for it. I suspect if you lived in London you would feel the pressure of living close to so much reported crime, so I think in your case it’s probably quite a good thing that your areas are on the news much less
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You're probably right Scass. As I already said to Pulisa last night, it's probably just as well every single crime incident the country over isn't plastered all over the media day in day out, as, a; many of us anxious folk would be even bigger paranoid nervous train wrecks than we already are, and inadvertently feel tempted to become housebound, even though we're still far more likely to be run over by a bus than end up being on the receiving end of violent attacks, and, b; it would just provoke even more angst and animosity between different areas (the typical 'them and us' thing) and fan the flames of the growing sport of 'place-bashing' all the more!
Happy New Year BTW.
Somebody was saying on Sky News the other day in response to the knife crime epidemic in London that while the lack of police and general community resources most certainly don't help the issue, they believe there's various other factors at play that are often overlooked, such as certain people (especially youngsters) being 'radicalised' on social media plus a lot of school teachers seemingly not taking such issues seriously enough when and where it comes to educating kids about the potential perils of dubious stuff on social media, especially misinformation.
They also believe there's some kind of vicious cycle (and self-fulfilling prophecy) when and where the more these incidents are reported (especially in graphic detail), the more fearful people become, which can lead to them feeling even more compelled to walk the streets tooled up for their own personal protection, even in lesser crime areas.
Though I personally would never contemplate such a thing.
ETA, it's also been mentioned that knife and violent crimes in general have been on the increase in many other countries worldwide over recent years, even those with more left-leaning govts (and more police, community resources, etc), so people being brainwashed and radicalised by social media, etc, must have a lot to do with it, especially as the influence of social media the world over has grown exponentially over the past decade or so.
Funny how the sh1t is really hitting the fan with the Met following Dick's sudden resignation on Thursday, and is also exposing various other scandals that have plagued said constabulary going back donkeys years, long before her tenure.
It's as if loads of floodgates are currently being opened with regards scandals involving the authorities!
Nobody seems to talk about 'Shottingham' anymore, which got a lot of bad national press back in the 90s.
MyNameIsTerry
13-02-22, 07:06
Funny how the sh1t is really hitting the fan with the Met following Dick's sudden resignation on Thursday, and is also exposing various other scandals that have plagued said constabulary going back donkeys years, long before her tenure.
It's as if loads of floodgates are currently being opened with regards scandals involving the authorities!
She's news. To make money they need to raise it all. Then it's finished and no one will care. Dick will have a big fat pension.
They move onto the next thing. Rinse & repeat.
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