Paper Monitor
10:55 UK time, Friday, 30 January 2009
A service highlighting the riches of the daily press.
Can a newspaper ever have opened an online debate on a topic more likely to have its readers flocking, puce of face, to its website? The Daily Telegraph today invites comments on Birmingham City Council's decision to drop apostrophes from road signs.
The first poster is duly apoplectic and unashamedly pedantic - and, as regular Monitor readers will know, this is merely an invitation for fellow pedants to rake over their comments with a fine-toothed red pen: "Are we sure about the comma after 'language' old boy?" queries another poster, who is himself so apoplectic that he spells this word wrong. One suspects this may get nasty.
Meanwhile, the Daily Express is responsible for planting quite an unpleasant image in Paper Monitor's mind with the conjunction of "Plums are the latest superfood" with "Why women just can't keep their hands off Alan [Titchmarsh]". Stop now.
And while many of the papers joyfully reprint pictures of police puppy Gunner attempting to apprehend the Duchess of Cornwall's scarf - captioned by the Express as "Who's a bad boy then? Gunner looks abashed but is quickly forgiven by startled Camilla. She loves dogs" - the Daily Mail does not. How curious. But it does have a double-page spread of studio photos of cute puppies, kittens, rabbits and squirrels. How sweet.
Back at the Telegraph, editor William - not Will - Lewis is blogging about his time at the Davos shindig, and becomes the latest, , to note an unlikely barometer of these hard time: the return of the necktie. Lewis observes that even the dotcom crowd is getting in on the act - in the shape of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who has teamed his cravat with a pair of jeans (see pic right). Lewis is speaking to Paper Monitor's heart when he questions this combo. It brings to mind the glastly 80s pop star-look and Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia.
And finally, an extra helping of kudos - with no peas - is winging its way to Oliver Beale, of London ad firm WCRS, author of the "best complaint letter ever" (the Telegraph's reproduction of said letter still tops the most-read list on its website three days on).
Mr Beale tells the paper that he has been offered no compensation other than the chance to select the food and wines for future Virgin flights (and, presumably, this gracious mea culpa from Virgin's PR man). So Mr Beale, chicken or beef?
He has rather landed on his feet, as an advertising executive can do far worse than having his comedic and communication skills feted around the world. Except in the kitchens of Virgin's caterers, of course.
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