Leicester Mercury/ Leicestershire Live

[The Year Of The Fox]

What the hell is going on with them these days? A quick scroll through Facebook this morning and I found these three ‘headlines’ 

 

Half the time they’re publishing news that isn’t even relevant nor occur in the county.

 

They have to be one of the worst run ‘papers’ in the country. Even when they do find something newsworthy, the article can’t ever be proof read 😂

 

 

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/couple-open-marriage-after-wife-7168873?fbclid=IwAR1aPUazQcZyMo7QlpzSqovMuccYe8pZuFet34v96u8WK4VWtsyERd4Fgrg&fs=e&s=cl

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/prince-charles-relative-born-150-7170232?fbclid=IwAR2Wl2Uw-HiJopwfsZhovv2NRdOPC3ImI8P-0WvWKiTfGAPc6eHsgARO_Uc
 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/gogglebox-star-looks-unrecognisable-five-7171799?fbclid=IwAR3p4eUHzh9JgyCzDHPmjltTCK5clu2ZePmIcfg_UMMC91rbEDC4TjbZetU

 

The organisation needs folding ASAP 😂

Edited 7 June 2022 by The Year Of The Fox

[Sly]

It’s not the same new outlet it once was.

 

It was purchased by Open World, who then sold out to Mirror Trinity.

 

It’s basically now just a funnel to pick up ads click, as that’s where the money is generated. 
 

The physical paper circulation itself is dwindling, so it’ll be the younger generation that use the internet “Leicestershire Live”, which will just hyperlink to a series of TMZ style stories that generated ad income as people click them. 

[Nalis]

I follow about 3 of these nationally and most of them have national stories recycled.

 

If you look at WalesOnline, ChronicleLive, BelfastLive, Birmingham something or other and Leicestershire Live, they are mostly the same crap with the odd local story thrown in.

[Phenom]

It's where I would get my news about the club when I first started following it. I realized it was BS shortly after.

[ozleicester]

Bastards didnt give me a job when i applied there 11years ago.. never forgiven!

Now, the Sheffield Star...That is a quality paper  .. or better still (coz they paid more) the Business Insider

[Voll Blau]

1 hour ago, Sly said:

It’s not the same new outlet it once was.

 

It was purchased by Open World, who then sold out to Mirror Trinity.

 

It’s basically now just a funnel to pick up ads click, as that’s where the money is generated. 
 

The physical paper circulation itself is dwindling, so it’ll be the younger generation that use the internet “Leicestershire Live”, which will just hyperlink to a series of TMZ style stories that generated ad income as people click them. 

It was Local World and then Trinity Mirror (now Reach plc), but yeah that's sadly a reasonable summary.

 

This isn't just a Leicester problem, it's a strategy employed company-wide. The only way it reverses is if by some miracle people actually start buying papers again so local audiences are taken more seriously.

[davieG]

Work with brands people love

We publish the majority of newspaper titles across the UK & Ireland. These include nationals (such as the Daily Mirror) and local favourites (like the Manchester Evening News). Meanwhile, our network of more than 80 websites and digital products provide 24/7 coverage of the news, sport and showbiz stories that matter to more than 110m unique browsers every month.

Together, our brands form an essential part of everyday life for millions of people across the UK:

• Our newsbrands reach three in four UK adults each month.
• Our readership is evenly split between national and regional titles.
• The Daily Mirror is the longest-read red top at 36 minutes and has the highest proportion of female readers, main shoppers and home owners in the red-top market.
• We are constantly developing new products and recently launched InYourArea.co.uk; the most localised and personalised source of news and information online and Football London; a website aimed at London's football supporters.

[Lako42]

Didn't realise they were owned by the filth that publishes some of those shit rag papers. 

 

Won't be visiting the site again. 

[Voll Blau]

8 minutes ago, Lako42 said:

Didn't realise they were owned by the filth that publishes some of those shit rag papers. 

 

Won't be visiting the site again. 

In fairness, that's hardly the Mercury's fault and the editorial stances of the national titles owned by that company don't influence the editorial stances of the local and regional titles owned by that company.

Edited 7 June 2022 by Voll Blau

[Lako42]

10 minutes ago, Voll Blau said:

In fairness, that's hardly the Mercury's fault and the editorial stances of the national titles owned by that company don't influence the editorial stances of the local and regional titles owned by that company.

Agree with the 1st part but the 2nd part seems a bit unlikely, especially considering some of the muck you see on that website. 

[Voll Blau]

1 minute ago, Lako42 said:

Agree with the 1st part but the 2nd part seems a bit unlikely, especially considering some of the muck you see on that website. 

I meant in terms of politics. You have a point in terms of the fluffier stuff, definitely.

[ozleicester]

16 minutes ago, Voll Blau said:

In fairness, that's hardly the Mercury's fault and the editorial stances of the national titles owned by that company don't influence the editorial stances of the local and regional titles owned by that company.

Disagree, as with Murdoch... you dont get to be an editor at these places UNLESS you know, and acquiesce to, the owners requirements.

 

[Voll Blau]

39 minutes ago, ozleicester said:

Disagree, as with Murdoch... you dont get to be an editor at these places UNLESS you know, and acquiesce to, the owners requirements.

 

That's simply not true. Plus, it'd be bloody difficult to subscribe to the political viewpoints of both the Daily Express and the Daily Mirror at the same time!

Edited 7 June 2022 by Voll Blau

[Lako42]

31 minutes ago, Voll Blau said:

That's simply not true. Plus, it'd be bloody difficult to subscribe to the political viewpoints of both the Daily Express and the Daily Mirror at the sane time!

Quite a nice Freudian slip there. 

[ozleicester]

33 minutes ago, Voll Blau said:

That's simply not true. Plus, it'd be bloody difficult to subscribe to the political viewpoints of both the Daily Express and the Daily Mirror at the sane time!

fair point

[Footballwipe]

I know we've had this many times before, but the main thing to take away is that it really is a changed landscape. Leics Live is just the funnel like someone said, it's basically a Chat or Love It! type outlet now, on the hunt for celebrity, TV and "odd" stories that get people clicking.

 

The revel in debate, arguments and stoking up people's prejudices. Look at those social media panels of things like "40% of people won't be celebrating the Jubilee" or "Someone thinks Irish Setters should all be put down" just to start hundreds of comments. There's no integirty.

 

The "real" journalism in terms of looking out for our councillors and governance is fielded to a Local Democracy Reporter, who is paid for by the BBC, but we all know unless it's about planning or Sir Peter Soulsby, people tend not to care too much. Let's be honest, old white people on social media in Leicester/Leicestershire LOVE getting wound up by anything they can associated with SPS.

 

However the real issue is that this knocks on to the football coverage. You can't trust them as a reliable source for transfers, they have no power but to toe the line when it comes to questioning the club, no inside information. It's just another arm of their clickbait, rehashing element. The poor journalists with their article and click targets; what else are they supposed to do?

 

I'm not going to make some great appeal for people to engage with "real" local news, because no-one will, but populism wins. If people won't click, they won't publish.

[MarriedaLeicesterGirl]

We had a horrible accident outside our house a week or two ago: A car and ambulance collided, and the ambulance was turned to its side. It was at 6:20 in the morning and woke us all up. In any world, this is a hot local news story in of itself. Add in the fact that it happened on a popular route to the primary school around the corner, with parents having to take their children by the crash site.

 

The Mercury published a photo a neighbor tweeted, along with the official statements from the emergency services. No reporter or photographer was sent to the scene, just two miles from their offices. We don't know whose fault the accident was, nor was there ever any update after the first day.

 

I just couldn't believe the lack of real coverage in our "local" newspaper.

[adam1]

Look at where the Mercury offices were. Then look at where they are located now. Significant downsizing, everything is at scale for the click bait.

 

[SystonFox]

Endless articles on the binley mega chippy 

[boots60]

Comprehensive news stories by local reporters, Imaginative tales from around the county. Excellent sports coverage, a 16 page jobs section once a week. Street vendors all over the City. Focus on local entertainment & what's on every Friday.

Fred Leicester, Bill Anderson etc. etc.

That was then, a long time ago.

 

A once great local publication gone for ever.

[SemperEadem]

Just now, boots60 said:

Comprehensive news stories by local reporters, Imaginative tales from around the county. Excellent sports coverage, a 16 page jobs section once a week. Street vendors all over the City. Focus on local entertainment & what's on every Friday.

Fred Leicester, Bill Anderson etc. etc.

That was then, a long time ago.

 

A once great local publication gone for ever.

Yeah completely gone haven't they.

[Bellend Sebastian]

Don't about ten people work for the Mercury now?

 

It's like when we get annoyed about police responses and hospital waiting lists, sometimes you just have to accept that the entity that does the job/provides the service that you expect just isn't there any more or is a shadow of what it once was.

 

There was a piece on Facebook years ago that I cannot be arsed to look for by someone who either worked for the Mercury or an equivalent local newspaper that basically detailed the business model of the then parent company (not sure if changed since) and basically everything that everyone moans about, right down to the crap clickbait articles and shoddy functionality of the website is deliberate and simply to drive ad revenue, with actual journalism pretty low on the priority 

 

 

[Guest]

Oh yes, it's my favourite recurring thread

[The Year Of The Fox]

On 07/06/2022 at 16:36, MarriedaLeicesterGirl said:

We had a horrible accident outside our house a week or two ago: A car and ambulance collided, and the ambulance was turned to its side. It was at 6:20 in the morning and woke us all up. In any world, this is a hot local news story in of itself. Add in the fact that it happened on a popular route to the primary school around the corner, with parents having to take their children by the crash site.

 

The Mercury published a photo a neighbor tweeted, along with the official statements from the emergency services. No reporter or photographer was sent to the scene, just two miles from their offices. We don't know whose fault the accident was, nor was there ever any update after the first day.

 

I just couldn't believe the lack of real coverage in our "local" newspaper.

Strange isn’t it. I was ‘involved’ in a fatal RTC between Coalville and Ashby 18 months ago, to the point where I was the 999 caller. 
 

They got a reporter on scene for a photo then https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/woman-70s-dies-after-bin-4759751.amp

 

That’s my van on the far left of the picture 

[MarriedaLeicesterGirl]

1 minute ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

Strange isn’t it. I was ‘involved’ in a fatal RTC between Coalville and Ashby 18 months ago, to the point where I was the 999 caller. 
 

They got a reporter on scene for a photo then https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/woman-70s-dies-after-bin-4759751.amp

 

That’s my van on the far left of the picture 

Could be the time of day. They might not have had anyone punched that early in the morning, although the ambulance was there on its side until past 10 am.