Is it just the technology to blame?

Thanks to Jon Slattery for highlighting another headline gaff. Lots of those who picked up on it assumed it was the cursed Johnston Press Atex system at play again. But the Evening Times in Glasgow isn't a Johnston title at all. It belongs to Newsquest. Does that suggest that it isn't just the system but, as I said in my Press Gazette article last month, human error? I concluded that while there are, of course, different standards of equipment, technology will always just be a tool. "It doesn’t make bad journalism. Only people do that." Not everyone agreed and I had plenty of responses from JP journalists insisting the system was under-specced. They are expecting us to climb Everest in flip-flops, was the general consensus. Maybe. At first I had assumed (always a dangerous thing to do) that Newsquest in Scotland wasn't using the Atex system but it transpires it is. So maybe the technology is playing a big part in this after all. Meanwhile, over at another JP title, this time the Scarborough Evening News, there was this ...

Wherever the problem lies there needs to be a bit of human intervention until it is resolved. Back in the day, when I was an editor, we used to check the first copies off the press before the full run began. Strikes me that it wouldn't take much to have someone, not necessarily a journalist, at least checking the headlines, pictures and dateline ...surely be worth it to save credibility and stop the embarrassment.

Make mine half a shandy - for now

There is much excitement today with signs that newspapers' fortunes are turning the corner, mainly as a result of Gannett (owners of Newsquest) recording a massive 51% leap in profits for the first quarter. The Business Wire pulls no punches in its interpretation of what this means: Newspapers Rejoice! Gannett Smashes The Street With Profits Up 51%. Wow! Editor & Publisher is more considered but also very positive. More Evidence of Newspaper Turnaround: Gannett Doubles Q1 Profit as Revenue Decline Moderates. It is certainly better than expected and hopefully will ease some of the pressure on our colleagues in Darlington, Brighton, York, Bradford et al. But it is perhaps too early to crack open the Dom Perignon. Profits up 51% while advertising revenue is down year on year 8.5% tells us an awful lot. Half a shandy and hair shirts for a while longer I fear.