Friday 27 September 2013

Silly Season

In August we have what's know as the Silly Season in the way UK newspapers report stories ..... this all stems from the belief a century or more ago that with politicians on holiday, all news died for a month. There are variants of this idea across the English speaking world.

This being the case news stories of a strange kind are often given a prominence that they would never get any other time of the year. .... so you get pictures like this posted by newspapers as 'news stories'.

God Giving The Finger, Or Just Clouds - Your Choice.
This slightly odd cloud formation was interpreted by some newspapers as looking like a hand with the middle finger straight out .... which if you squint a bit it does, but its hardly unusual, or worth a news story, except in August in the UK.

Incidentally, the idea that nothing could happen in the late European summer months, is not confined to just the UK's Newspapers .... whenever a foreign crisis unfolds in August/September, such as the recent Syria 'nerve gas' event, the Kenyan Mall attack, etc etc, the British Prime Minister invariably has to be recalled from holidays .... it happens every year .... you would think by now that that the press would know better.
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2 comments:

  1. Vroomfondel28 September 2013 at 21:16

    While the goal is to sell newspapers rather than cover the news this ritual will continue.

    "The public wants what the public gets" as Paul Weller said.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No PC29 September 2013 at 18:02

      True enough, PT Barnum is supposed to have said something very similar but in fact it was H. L. Mencken:

      "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people"

      Delete

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