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Thread: Groat vs Courier

  1. #21
    Join Date
    May 2001
    Location
    Thurso
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    2,614

    Default the groat the courier and caithness,org

    Things must be looking up for the Courier. Ive just spent 12 minutes in comparitive silence (interupted only by Heblix blowing his own horn) reading this weeks edition of the Courier.
    For me. Wednesday is never Wednesday without the Courier nor is Friday Friday without the Groat. I see it as a last link within our community where almost everybody has some sort of connection. We spend our lives in a small community like Caithness walking past people weve seen around all our lives and yet dont acknowkledge their existance by as much as a nod of the head. The local paper fills that gap for me. Of course, i would rather nod my head but they are liable to think i want something. Maybe i do.
    Rich's suggestion is a fantastic idea for the whingers to put some positive energy into their community.
    I intend to send an email to the editors of the Courier and Groat to have a look at this thread although i have a sneaky suspicion they may have already seen it. If not then i might have a wee whinge along with the worst of them as to why the editors of the local papers are not keeping up with the award winning Caithness.org.

  2. #22
    jjc Guest

    Default

    As somebody who has moved away from Caithness I have to say that I enjoy the odd copies of either the Courier or the Groat that sometimes find their way onto my doorstep.

    True, neither paper can claim to be the best in the world... but then who cares?

    Why do I read them even though I live hundreds of miles away? Honestly? Because I find it reassuring that there is still a part of this nation where a breach of the peace charge can find its way into the paper (we get murders and arson). I like to see the occasional marriage notice for a name I recognise from school. I like to see adverts for the same old shops where I used to go as a kid.

    HEBLIX...

    You really need to relax a little. Please? I'd hate to get a copy of one of these two slightly rubbish papers sent down to me, only to find a story of your heart attack whilst hunched furiously over your keyboard

    You seem to have quite a problem with the editorial team and want 'King Hendry' off his 'thrown'. I know that one of your 'collegues' is a journalist and you 'refferred' to the number of editorial marks in the copy you gave to him (something about 'grammer' you said)... But surely you, as somebody who used to contribute to the Groat, can accept that spotting every spelling mistake and gramatical error in a piece of work (even as short as, say, a post on a message board) can be quite difficult?? ( I really am kidding. Please don't shout at me )

  3. #23
    jjc Guest

    Default

    Okay.. taking the out of HEBLIX aside, I suppose if the Groat and Courier were my local papers I might want to see something done about them.

    From my point of view they are a reminder of what it was like growing up in Caithness. They remind me of how little crime there used to be. How the small things were what people worried about because the big things just didn't happen. How GBH was still a once-a-year offence and the opening of a new shop was something worth turning out for...

    ... but then I was a kid and life was a lot simpler when I was 10. Maybe it isn't such a good advert for the quality of the papers that they remind me of safe and simple things???

    Hey, you all say that you only buy the papers so you don't miss news if it happens... how about you get it together and DON'T buy them for a few weeks (all of you mind, or it won't really work). You aren't getting the news you want anyway, why not make your point. How many hits does this site get a day? How many of those hits are from Groat or Courier readers? Worth a try, at least - and who knows, you might even get your pictures in the paper.

    One thing that this thread has indicated is that HEBLIX isn't the only person with a desire to see something done about the quality. You never know, 'The Powers That Be' might be reading this right now and (in between meetings to discuss marketing their papers to ex-caithnesians down here in the south) are looking into ways to improve their content. They are probably on the phone to HEBLIX right now, begging for just one good article to get them started. They'll call it...

    'HEBLIX - The People's Voice'

    ... hang on, I think I just saw a pig fly by...

  4. #24
    Join Date
    May 2001
    Location
    toronto canada
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    1,180

    Default groat versus courier

    here's an idea for a feature in the Groat.

    A Day in the Life of the Caithness. Org.

    Follow Bill Fernie from his early dawn rising to feed the cat, through one of his famous photo sessions of people's houses, to him tearing his hair out over the message board, along the way get his opinions about electronic media and how Caithness people the world over are in touch with the home county etc etc etc.

    Later they could do a day in the life of the bizarrely named John Thurso.

    Follow that up with a day in the life of this fellow MacKenzie with the heavy metal band. That one could be done by phone.....

  5. #25
    Join Date
    May 2001
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    Thurso Caithness
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    2,271

    Default

    i think that is a very good plan a day in the life of Caithness.org and Bill Fernie ??

  6. #26
    justpassingthrough Guest

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    Squidge, in reply to an earlier post you made, jaw dropping things do happen in Caithness, (you may find that hard to believe cos ye didna read it in the Groat). There are various bits of 'scandal' in one or both towns and all the bits in between at all times, but where is the investigative journalism into any of it?? You dont have any reporters seeing how easy it is to get into Dounreay, or any campaigns through the local press for better road/rail networks North, or how much Jamie Stone is doing for Caithness (not). No half page spreads on the weekend vandalism and how its affecting the towns or Woolies windows going in yet again, just a wee footnote, asking you if you did see anything at all til give e bobbies a ring on...... Come on...... The people that buy the Courier and Groat 'Just in case they miss something' are missing absolutely all, and if someones going to write The Brimster Saga, why not write it all at once, put all the bits of paper together and sell it in DR Simpsons, along with all the other Caithness books, or is that the plan...? Put it all in the paper, then when the stories done, we'll bring it out one Christmas, and people will add it to their collection cos theyve got all the other publications. There was a tragic story in Wick today, with a deep history, but are you going to read about it, no. You may get a glossed over, condensed version, but the full story, no chance. And dont get me started on Bill Paterson, wheres the mans heid? Obviously thinking of moving away and maybe getting a couple of inches in the Herald or Scotsman. Groat and Courier..... only good for getting the fire started, but hey, your cheaper buying a box of firelighters.

  7. #27
    Anonymous Guest

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  8. #28
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    governess
    Posts
    5,249

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by justpassingthrough
    There are various bits of 'scandal' in one or both towns and all the bits in between at all times, but where is the investigative journalism into any of it??
    "Scandal" You wanna turn the groat and the courier into "The news of the world"??????? Gleeber already said...

    Occasionally theres a case where the person is clearly going through a crisis in life and the case will be graphically reported in the local paper. It seems like its more of a shame thing in a small community like ours, rather than any real news value. Just pure gossip even though it may well be true.

    Wise words - do we really want to rub our hands gleefully over the fact that some minister has been caught behaving naughtily with one of his elders or have the death of a poor sad lonely person who could see no way out dissected for our delectation???

    Justpassingthrough - I am right - We dont have the volume of news which makes the other local newspapers i mentioned full and packed with stuff. There is news that happens and when it does it is usually reported. You asked why the paper couldnt be more like the Metro and that is why. News has generally been reported in the Press and Journal already - BIG news in the national press so what do we expect. For goodness sake news in Caithness is discussed, digested and picked over long before the Groat gets it - the whispering telegraph which is Caithness is enough to ensure that that happens!!

    You talk about investigative journalism - isnt that expensive? You think the editors budget will allow him to send someone undercover to expose a big racket going on...get real.

    The Groat and the Courier are not the Washington Post or the Sunday Times or even the herald or the Press and Journal. If they were selling themselves as such i can understand the fuss but they arent.

    Heblix i agree there is room for improvement and an update in the editorial for sure - there is always room for improvement. But the aspects of the papers which WE dislike others will surely like - thats the way of it - The local papers cater for everyone from 6 to 106 remember. Every age, every intellectual ability, every interest, they dont have the luxury of targetting these papers to specific demographic groups.

    The bottom line to me seems to be that if you want good investigative news read the quality national papers - we have plenty to choose from scottish and uk wide. If you want scandal - the News of the World does it very well or the Daily and Sunday Sport if your tastes are a little more fanciful. If you want speedy news reporting on a daily basis read the Press and Journal maybe. If you want lively debate then the Caithness.org message board is the place to be. If however you want to know whos died born and been married, who won the cake competition at the WRI this week and whether your little ones picture is in from the dancing she did last week, read the Groat and the Courier. Horses for Courses!!!

  9. #29
    Anonymous Guest

    Default

    Shoot the goat and keep Courier

  10. #30
    Anonymous Guest

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  11. #31
    jjc Guest

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    Can somebody let me know the good bits? I'm having trouble getting the newsagent to order me a copy?

  12. #32
    justpassingthrough Guest

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    Squidge, while Im not going to get into an argument with you, you noted that the big local news has already been reported in the P&J. Well theres a point for you, why even have the Groat and Courier then.........?? I think in the future todays 'youngsters' will not bother even buying them so the 'better buy it in case i miss anything' brigade that are keeping the current circulation of copies up, will have petered out and that they will eventually fold. Sad to say but methinks it will be true. There is an element of truth in the fact that good news spreads like wildfire round Caithness and bad news even faster, but you must know yourself that theres lots of arms and legs added on along the way, so whats wrong with having the unabridged truth in a local paper? Other local papers are a lot more informative about their local goings on (the Orcadian and Inverness Courier) and they aint millions of miles away, so why cant our lot do the same!!!

  13. #33
    amzers Guest

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    maybe they couldnt fit it all in one paper so they needed two and anyway i like these papers they are very interesting and good

  14. #34

    Default

    If we are honest with ourselves, we only read it for hatches, matches and dispatches. Oh, and the court pages, which you can get in the P & J on a saturday!!!!!!!!!

    The Loafer

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