Bad boy
I've been a very, very bad boy of late. This is the first time in weeks I've updated my blog but I doubt anyone will have noticed.
It's been very much a case of the same old, same old - the weekly grind of finding news to inform, educate and entertain the good folk of Lurgan and district.
The Travellers' issue has been dominating over the past few weeks and I have to admit I was just a bit peeved when the BBC revealed the news Craigavon was to play host to three new Travellers' sites, amid much fanfare and controversy. Ahem... we revealed exactly the same facts three months earlier (just shows they should be reading the Lurgan Mail).
Anyway enough of that nonsense. One of the biggest events of the past few weeks was the marriage of a certain Graeme Cousins to his beloved Karen. The happy couple couldn't have looked happier on their big day and Graeme even managed to spare time on his tour of North America/honeymoon to e-mail us a little greeting. He returns week after next to a freshly painted and carpeted office - and a desk resembling a bomb site since all his stuff had to be moved for the work (he'll hardly complain - well maybe just for an hour or two).
I hate to admit it - really, really, really hate to admit it :) - but we've missed him (that's not the Royal we, it's the office we). Needless to say I'll have plenty of work stocked up for him on his return, with a small office like ours you really feel the absence of one person. Fortunately we had no bouts of illness which could have really left us struggling - not that anyone will have any sympathy.
Just one last thing - a belated happy birthday to my wee mate Jake Gibson (check out the pictures from his snow tubing day in our multimedia section).
Published Date:
01/02/2008
Modified Date:
01/02/2008
Oooops
I've been missing a few things lately - most importantly keeping my blog up to date. Now that I have a spare five minutes I thought I'd update this.
First of all a shout out to my friend Jake - noticed he'd responded to my little message in November. I also owe the young man an apology - I was on a tour of his primary school the other day and failed to spot him, despite him shouting my name and waving. All i can say in my defence was that I was being so careful to avoid treading on a small person that I failed to notice a small person very nearly under my feet. Ironic or what.
Sorry I missed you wee man - speaking to you rather than stepping on you that is!
Anyway we're getting geared up for Christmas which means a busy time socially but a rather quiet period news wise and only a couple of days between several issues of the paper. We're out as normal on Thursday and then out again on Monday - I already have my thinking cap on about what to report for Christmas week. I have my ambush all set for Santa to see can I get a snap of him and Rudolph at the chimney on Christmas Eve! I also want to take issue with him for the piece of coal he brought me last year - I didn't think I'd been that naughty!
I've also been keenly anticipating a letter from the 'thought police' about our reporting of the Travellers' encampment in the Wellington Street car park. At every stage we have endeavoured to give a fair reflection of all shades of opinion but I learned a long time ago you can never please everyone.
I hope to have this updated before Christmas so I'll save my wishes until then.
Published Date:
16/12/2007
Modified Date:
16/12/2007
Back in Tyrone
I've been up the motorway again this week, filling in at our sister paper the Tyrone Times. It's left my mob in Lurgan shorthanded but of course that only left them in an easier position without my deadweight. I'm in Tyrone again next week and since I was off last week it will mean I haven't had hands on the 'MAIL' for three weeks (yes I've read it but it's all been someone else's work). My point - well I needed some excuse for not updating my blog for a whole week. Did manage to raise an eyebrow at the announcement the Moy park factory in Moira is in line for closure - we've been hitting Moy Park with that suspicion for months and were always met with flat denials, seems we knew what was going on before they did!
Published Date:
23/11/2007
Modified Date:
23/11/2007
Beside myself
I've been splitting myself in two this week - with my normal duties at the Lurgan Mail and also filling in for the editor at the Tyrone Times. I'll not lie (makes a change), it's been tough going and more than once I've wished there were two of me. To make matters even more stenuous my deputy editor (John Bingham) has been taking a well deserved holiday and the Tyrone Times is currently down a member of staff (apart from their editor who is on the digital editor's course I recently attended in England).
Anyway to the point of my blog, I wish to pay public tribute to the staff at both the Lurgan Mail and Tyrone Times for their efforts during this week, they have been absolute stars and continue to be stars.
At Lurgan Jonathan Bell, Graeme Cousins and Diane Day have put in sterling work - although Graeme did point out things ran so much more smoothly without the deadweight (I'll deal with that later!). At Tyrone stepping into the breach have been Annamay McNally, Kevin Hughes, Anthony Quinn and new start Gavin Butler. They have managed to produce a quality product in difficult circumstances.
Okay, so enough of the back patting, next thing they'll be asking for a pay rise (or just paid).
For me it's been a stressful week and the car has been doing more miles than normal with trips to Dungannon and back. News wise there's been plenty to occupy the toughts in both papers - deadly games in Lurgan and deadly doings in Dungannon. No matter where you go there always seems to be something to concentrate the mind and no matter what you do you always seem to have the 'thought police' watching over your shoulder - all too willing to shoot the messenger rather than acknowledge the problem. And sometimes I'm asked 'How do you sleep at night', the glib answer is Horlicks. The truth - sometimes I don't.
Published Date:
08/11/2007
Modified Date:
09/11/2007
Quart into a pint pot
Left myself with the task of getting a quart into a pint pot with this week's paper and as always all the big news was breaking on Saturday. Mrs Aiken wasn't best pleased as she pulled into the driveway on Saturday afternoon with the lunch only to have me meet her with the words: "Things are kicking off in Mourneview I'll be back when I can." I could feel the hot glare burning into the back of my neck and blistering the paintwork on the car as I sped off (carefully observing all speed limits and driving to the conditions of the road). The reason for my haste was the attack on a family at Princeton Avenue by an LVF gang - which has far too long blighted this area. The family are being targeted simply for standing up to these cowards. Big men stealing up in the dead of night to place a bomb under a child's trampoline and then attacking two family members - one a pensioner - in broad daylight. THIS GANG OF THUGS AND CHILD KILLERS HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER THE PEOPLE OF MOURNEVIEW. It's time they moved on and out.
Anyway enough of the politics, I generally leave my opinions at home when doing this job. I was also informed this week that I have a young clone running about town. Jake (aged 9) apparently has described himself as a mini-Clint after learning we had many of the same interests in common - some would say I have the mind on a nine-year-old too. Now poor wee Jake had the misfortune of breaking his arm the other week - doing the sorts of things every self-respecting nine-year-old does. All I would say Jake is more power to your elbow - which just happens to be in a cast.
Published Date:
31/10/2007
Modified Date:
31/10/2007
Editor's blog
Random ramblings
Just been fiddling about trying to make sure the mechanics for allowing readers to post comments stay closer to the top - since Graeme can manage it I decided I wasn't going to be outdone.
Published Date:
25/10/2007
Modified Date:
25/10/2007
First Blog
Nightmare
And I thought last week was tough! My week started on Monday morning with the delightful task of trying to unravel the weekend events at Edward Street. Depending on who we talked to it was either loyalists who started it by running amok at McDonald's, disgruntled Glasgow Celtic supporters venting steam or drinkers reacted to police efforts to move them on.
As it turned out there was an element of truth to all the stories. Loyalists had run amok at McDonald's and nationalists felt provoked, with many claims the police had done nothing to stop the loyalists and others blamed their presence for provoking a reaction. End result - Lurgan in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
I had hesitated to tackle this issue in this column. I've never been keen on 'Editorial comments' in the paper, I try to leave my opinions well out of things and allow you the reader as much scope as possible to have your say. However, I feel the issue is too important for me not to make some form of comment, especially with the Lurgan Park area also becoming a sectarian battleground.
The problem of sectarianism in Lurgan has been with us for as long as I can remember. When i started at the 'MAIL' we nicknamed the old toilet block Checkpoint Charlie because of the way it marked the divide in the town. Sad to say that divide is still there and it would seem as firmly entrenched as ever - eben though the toilet block is long gone. Too many people have died on both sides of that self-imposed divide for what in essence is a difference of opinion, too many have suffered on both sides because we seem incapable of accepting our fellow man and allowing him (or her, I know) the right to hold and cherish their own views in an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect.
Respect is a two way street, you have to give it to earn it. You treat someone with contempt they will treat you exactly the same way in return.
Lurgan needs all its people working together to solve its other problems, so many of which have been of our own making. Now there are elements out there intent on robbing us of our park, a place that should only ever be one of peace not gang warfare. We will be revisiting the issue next week, talking to ordinary folk in the town to give them their say on what has been happening but we'd also like your ideas on how to stop it.
Anyway enough of my editorialising, although I do feel like telling certain sections to wise up and get a life.
In Defence of Lurgan
We'll ignore Edie for now and get on to the much more important matter of defending Lurgan from the foul accusations emmanating from a book I will not even dignify by mentioning by title. In this book - which I'm sure you've heard about - us Lurgan people are decribed as 'consistently uglier, nastier, less intelligent and more inbred than their Portadown counterparts'.
For a start, we have a former Miss NI in Lurgan, Gayle Williamson, and have a few other contenders for the top title down the years (I've even snogged one, but that's a whole other story, I just like to brag about it).
Like every town we have a few who look like they've been hit with the Lurgan spade but Edie is the exception to the rule (it doesn't pay to offend the editor).
As to being nasty, Lurgan people are among the most pleasant people in Ireland, yes we can speak our minds at times but for good hearts we're second to none.
Inbred, I'm not even going to dignify that one!
Less intelligent, I don't think so. Just look at this week's MAIL we feature two Lurgan College students who achieved top exam marks for Northern ireland and the girls of St Mary's High School won 13 of the top prizes at the recent Junior Maths Challenge, competing against 4,000 other schools.
Of course, all this has to be taken with a particular pinch of salt since the accusation was first carried in the satirical Portadown News, famous for lampooning Northern Ireland politicians - talk about shooting fish in a barrel, mocking the afflicted, money for old rope - need I go on.
The Editor strikes back
Somone commented on my Blog - I'll not get too excited I know the 'lady' and she knows my secret passion for military type documentaries. At least she didn't out me as a Trekkie (Mr Cousins did that).
Anyway, enough of the personal nonsense and I'll concentrate on Edie's story and her alleged 'dog-napping' - well she lifted some stray pooch off the street and brought it home (the house from hell as she descibes it)! Good natured Edie had spotted the poor wee stray and took it in for the night - chucking her own poor dog out in the cold and wet where it pined for mom all night.
Now I do have to point out Edie - or is it Eddie - had the best of intentions in lifting the stray, even took the thing to bed with her. She had posters all made up on Wednesday morning to try and trace its rightful owner. I'd even offered to write a wee article but dear Edie had other plans - trying to persuade my soft hearted (headed) wife into taking the thing home to our labrador and corgi/alsatian cross (they'd have just loved that). Fortunately I put my foot down at that and said the stray could sleep elsewhere - if I'd let the wife bring it home I would have three dogs to walk on a permanent basis. Anyway Edie's poster campaign did the trick and dog and rightful owner were re-united. Poor wee dog doesn't know the lucky escape it had - from Edie that is!
Back to routine - hardly
10 October 2007: Believe it or not, it was good to get back to the old routine this week - not that anything about it was routine.
Monday was a hectic day getting back up to speed on all that was happening around the town.
Foremost in our minds was the public meeting on the proposed closure of wards seven and eight at Lurgan Hospital. Part of our role is to give people a platform and I had to decide how best that could be achieved. In essence we've thrown everything but the kitchen sink at it - you can call us with your views, text us, e-mail, vote online and comment online.
So far we've had a trickle of votes, all opposed to the ward closures and we're expecting more once the print version hits the streets.
Of course, all of this was overshadowed by the hammer attack at a shop in Waringstown on Monday night. We were down to two reporters this week so I felt I had to fill the breach on this one.
Arriving at Dewart's on Tuesday morning it was quickly apparent the nature of the story had caught the eyes of the Belfast media - an 84-year-old pensioner hit over the head with a hammer tends to make everyone sit up and take notice.
Fortunately the story wasn't as grim as I first feared. Bertie Campbell would seem to be a man made of strong stuff. Talking to his daughter, Emma McKinley, she told us he was due to be released from hospital later that day, the best possible news. I went to speak with Bertie who appeared to be more than a little taken aback by all the media interest, and a little fed up with it all (wouldn't we all).
Bertie kindly agreed to speak to us and told his tale in the forthright matter of fact way we do round Lurgan. He showed remarkable composure and I just wished I was meeting him in better circumstances.
Our interview concluded I asked Bertie would he agree to us using a photo of him, photographer Geoffrey Cousins was with me waiting to take the snap. As so often we find Bertie was reluctant, he pointed to his TV and said 'I'm alright on that but I don't want my picture in print'. I asked could we use a picture on our website, with the assurance it would not be printed in the paper. He was happy with the compromise and you can see the picture on our site (www.lurganmail.co.uk).
As I've said that's something we often find, people are reluctant to have their picture taken for the local paper - I take it as a compliment in that a picture in the 'MAIL' means more to them than their face on TV. Of course, your picture in our paper means more to us than your face on the TV.
Getting the digital digit out!
Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Clint Aiken, editor of the Lurgan Mail. Yes I'm the Lurgan Liar's big boss (one look at my picture explains all).
This is my first venture into the world of Blogging so forgive any ineptitude. Anyway, I'm just back from a rather intense five days at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston where the company had packed me off to take part in the Johnston Press Tomorrow's Newsroom Champions Seminar.
it was an interesting week spent exploring the opportunities and challenges this new digital age presents the local press. BORING says you, vital for saving my job says I.
One of the biggest messages was the opportunities media professional have for speaking with our audience (readers, consumers viewers, you guys). Indeed in this new world it's no longer them and us it's just us both working together and so to the point of this blog (at last).
I want to enhance the conversation we are having. Gone are the days when we can lecture from our ivory tower (or pokey office on High Street). It's become as much about listening as anything else and I very much want to hear from you - by letter, e-mail, text, blog, online comment - even an 'Oi you' in the street will do nicely. Talk to us, we're listening!
Published Date:
06/10/2007
Modified Date:
24/10/2007