http://www.aberdeen-mad.co.uk/news/loadfeat.asp?cid=ED14&id=392483

 

It's time to take a stand against the stance of the Press & Journal and Evening Express.

 

 

Today, Aberdeen Journals' newspaper the Press & Journal printed a letter from (presumably) a Rangers fan that was wildly inaccurate and attempted to defend and deflect from the disgraceful actions of some Rangers fans this week in Manchester. It did this by comparing this week's shocking scenes with fantasized trouble involving Aberdeen fans in Munich, and by dragging up a 37-second-long incident* where five Aberdeen fans were arrested in Bradford from five years ago.

 

That the Press & Journal printed this letter without checking to ensure that its contents were facts is the final straw. Aberdeen-Mad is now starting a campaign to boycott Aberdeen Journals.

 

Aberdeen-Mad is sick fed up of the lies and distortion Aberdeen Journals' publications print about Aberdeen fans (click here for previous fae the EE, and that's by no means an isolated incident).

 

We get enough of it from the central belt press, but to have to suffer it from our local papers beggars belief, and it's time to hit them in the only way that will make them sit up and take note - stop buying their newspapers and stop visiting their websites.

 

This is not a boycott that will hurt us fans very much. Why do we need the Journals any more? With messageboards like Aberdeen-Mad's Stand Free forum, AFC-Chat, Donstalk, the Ultras, Inverness Reds and more, the rumours and indeed facts appear online well before there's time for Aberdeen Journals to put them on newsprint.

 

Even if the Aberdeen Journals newspapers and websites get hold of a story, it is frequently a) taken from the aforementioned messageboards, and b) inaccurate (see 'Lorenzo' Davids story yesterday).

 

RedWeb, the official AFC website, puts up the club's official press releases in its news section at around the same time as they are sent to Aberdeen Journals, therefore the official news is available online hours or even a day before it can be printed in the P&J or EE. The BBC Sport website has a dedicated AFC news page, as do many other news websites.

 

And then there's the AFC mailing list (if you ignore the drivel of one or two loudmouths) and of course good old word-of-mouth (or email) to pass accurate Dons information about.

 

What if you want to hear answers to difficult, searching questions from sports journalists? Well...when do you ever get that from the Journals reporters? It is always the same old quotes and same old stories ("Player X begs manager Y for a first-team chance" etc etc). Nothing of interest is ever added to the story obtained from a messageboard or press release.

 

And of course the Aberdeen Journals reporters cannot even be trusted to keep a decent relationship with their biggest local football club. Remember the players' boycott of the Evening Express when they gagged themselves from speaking to the paper in March? The root of this, although the EE tried to deflect from this with more lies, was when the EE named players that were said to be shown the door at the club which was based on pure guesswork, and ahead of the Scottish Cup clash with Celtic.

 

Then there's the occasional comment pieces from the likes of The Red Final's Chris Crighton. Well, you can always read The Red Final itself, and there is a rumour that the Red Final's website may be getting a major overhaul soon which will allow Chris an online mouthpiece. Aberdeen-Mad has its own fans commentator The Red Avenger (who also writes for the Scotsman's Fanzone), and of course the various AFC fans messageboards allow all of you your own area to comment on Aberdeen however you wish.

 

So - conclusive proof that if you buy any Aberdeen Journals products simply for Dons news, you do not need to.

 

So join Aberdeen-Mad and stop.

 

 

 

Stand Free Ed

 

 

Why should Aberdeen fans have to defend themselves after huns run riot in Manchester?

 

They don't have to. It's only thicko's that feel they have to defend themselves where no accusation from any sane person has been made. Just because some fruit in Alford speaks shite, doesn't mean we have to defend ourselves. How about the objective of extracting some smart put down's of the fruit?

 

Neither of those letters are principally defending Aberdeen fans. They are mainly concerned with pointing out the shite that the fruit spoke, so a debate has been started.

A couple of responses to the original letter:

 

To suggest the P&J should research all 'facts' written in on their letters page seems a bit silly to me, the letters page is just that - letters from the public, not journalism.  The original letter has sparked some good responses above, which was all it needed.

 

They shouldn't need to research anything, if Aberdeen fans were involved with trouble in Munich, they would know about it. No-one's going to blame them for printing a letter with incorrect statements they were unaware of, but I'm certain that the editor of the P&J would know for a fact there was no trouble in Munich without the need for research but went ahead and printed it anyway.

Stand Free Ed, I completely understand why you are boycotting, however, I disagree it should be over this incident. As Kowalski said, it was on the letters page. The P&J shouldn't censor what has been written, despite how untruthful. I'm sure they know how well behaved Aberdeen fans were, everyone does. Just deluded bitter and twisted huns think otherwise, and I couldn't care less. We have the moral high ground on all levels. In fact, you could say it allows everyone to laugh at how stupid they really are. I'm sure it was included to spark a debate/response which it has. The P&J doesn't berate fans like the EE does.

 

Yep totally agree.

I am wondering whether Mr Ferguson had meant to say "Madrid" instead of "Munich".  In which case, he may have had a point, but as we know there were lots of contributing factors in Madrid.

A couple of responses to the original letter:

 

To suggest the P&J should research all 'facts' written in on their letters page seems a bit silly to me, the letters page is just that - letters from the public, not journalism.  The original letter has sparked some good responses above, which was all it needed.

 

Eggs-actly.

Stand Free Ed, I completely understand why you are boycotting, however, I disagree it should be over this incident. As Kowalski said, it was on the letters page. The P&J shouldn't censor what has been written, despite how untruthful. I'm sure they know how well behaved Aberdeen fans were, everyone does. Just deluded bitter and twisted huns think otherwise, and I couldn't care less. We have the moral high ground on all levels. In fact, you could say it allows everyone to laugh at how stupid they really are. I'm sure it was included to spark a debate/response which it has. The P&J doesn't berate fans like the EE does.

 

Okay, but letters pages censor letters all the time - in fact, every letter is censored as it is edited by the sub-editors for any number of reasons. Check the disclaimer on every newspaper/magazine's letters page - it will be something like: "The newspaper reserves the right to edit any letters published."

 

And you're right, it will have been included to spark a debate/response. As I said in an earlier post on this thread:

the decision to print the letter at all was either because a) the editorial team of the P&J agrees with its sentiments, or b) they want to wind up a storm ahead of the Aberdeen-Rangers game in order to give them plenty of juicy scandal to report on next week. Neither is appropriate for a local broadsheet in my opinion, and both show a dearth of journalistic integrity.

So yes, as you said, they included the letter to spark a response. My response was my comment article on Aberdeen-Mad.

They shouldn't need to research anything, if Aberdeen fans were involved with trouble in Munich, they would know about it. No-one's going to blame them for printing a letter with incorrect statements they were unaware of, but I'm certain that the editor of the P&J would know for a fact there was no trouble in Munich without the need for research but went ahead and printed it anyway.

 

Yes, true, but where's the problem? He knew what he was doing. He was airing and exposing a bitter twisted view with a contextual irrelevance. It stimulated response, as it was designed to do. How has the P & J done anything wrong? They haven't. To suggest that they have, and start a "campaign", is just bullshit.

Quote

the decision to print the letter at all was either because a) the editorial team of the P&J agrees with its sentiments, or b) they want to wind up a storm ahead of the Aberdeen-Rangers game in order to give them plenty of juicy scandal to report on next week. Neither is appropriate for a local broadsheet in my opinion, and both show a dearth of journalistic integrity.

 

a) Wrong

b) Wrong

 

You have your own reasons for wanting to have a go at Aberdeen Journals. You're talking shite.

Not much different to what the likes of Traynor et al do on phone in to stimulate "debate".

The P & J in particular is very representative of the views of North East people.

 

NE people are parochial. The bigotry of the wos is sectarian, the bigotry of the NE is parochialism.

 

Our ancestors, even one generation up, hated Celtic and Rangers equally, and everything central belt was regarded with suspicion and distaste.

 

Whilst this may have changed slightly, as any person with a west coast accent will tell you, there is still a huge narrow minded contingent in the NE.

 

The same bigoted, anti-anything that isn't NE, is still prevalent. The P & J, with sublime subtlety on occasion, often panders to this narrow mind.

 

Many people in the NE have not lived elsewhere in Scotland, let alone the world. Insularity breeds suspicion and contempt.

 

The really vociferous objectors to the P & J do not understand it, but by screaming about it, reveal their true origins.

 

It's only cunts from Fife and the rest of the NE that are parochial!

The P & J in particular is very representative of the views of North East people.

 

NE people are parochial. The bigotry of the wos is sectarian, the bigotry of the NE is parochialism.

 

Our ancestors, even one generation up, hated Celtic and Rangers equally, and everything central belt was regarded with suspicion and distaste.

 

Whilst this may have changed slightly, as any person with a west coast accent will tell you, there is still a huge narrow minded contingent in the NE.

 

The same bigoted, anti-anything that isn't NE, is still prevalent. The P & J, with sublime subtlety on occasion, often panders to this narrow mind.

 

Many people in the NE have not lived elsewhere in Scotland, let alone the world. Insularity breeds suspicion and contempt.

 

The really vociferous objectors to the P & J do not understand it, but by screaming about it, reveal their true origins.

 

 

For once I wholeheartedly agree.

Scotland is parochial

 

Nae enough incomers and a lot of the broader minded fokkers piss off out of the country.

Nae enough incomers and a lot of the broader minded fokkers piss off out of the country.

 

Especially in the NE. They resent incomers. They (we) even have names for them. Inabootcomers and White Settlers. Concrete evidence of narrow minds.

Inabootcomers and White Settlers.

 

That is not something specific to the NE R_S, far from it in fact.

 

 

That is not something specific to the NE R_S, far from it in fact.

 

No, not specific to the NE, but particularly prevalent i.e. especially in the NE compared to the major conurbations, where the bulk of Scots live.

 

It's probably even more pronounced in lesser populated areas again, but I haven't lived in lesser populated areas than the NE, only more populated.

 

fatjim is right, as I'm sure you are alluding to, that the whole country is parochial. It is probably a common human condition, worldwide.

 

Aye, it's a wee toon thing.

 

Interlopers they get called hereabouts!

 

Probably why Aberdeen is commonly referred to as the biggest village in Scotland/Britain/the World