News Shopper now thinks Woolwich Dockyard is in Greenwich Peninsula
The News Shopper have today again revealed how continual cuts to staffing at the paper and website have harmed local media as a story again gets basic details wrong. A fire in Woolwich confuses the location and claims it is in Greenwich Peninsula.
This is almost as bad as when they recently thought an area beside Hyde Park was in Greenwich.
This is a screengrab:
It’s not Greenwich, it’s not Greenwich Peninsula and “Greenwich Peninsula near Woolwich” is simply an odd description about anything.
The story is about a fire at Leda Road in a post war estate at Woolwich Dockyard miles from Greenwich Peninsula. There are two images of Woolwich block in the story. The building is clearly in Woolwich to anyone who has ever travelled along the dual carriageway past the site.
The paper states it is Greenwich Peninsula more than once. I can only assume they are confusing flats from around the 1970s for those built in Greenwich Peninsula in recent years. The alternative option is copying and pasting incorrect information from the Fire Brigade – but any media outlet with half an idea of the area should know that’s clearly wrong.
It’s hard to blame the reporter too much here. The owners of the site have cut back on staffing for years despite pocketing millions from the Government in taxpayer funded ads denied to many local independent sites.
Those continual cuts from owner Newsquest have seen strike action in the past, and the former editor of the paper was recently let go in a process he called “undignified and unpleasant“.
What’s left is a site that doesn’t appear to know very much at all about the patch it is supposed to cover – and yet receives public money to cover.
In the breach has stepped in local sites and blogs – who often get no such support.
They are an awful site. Full of content ripped off from elsewhere (I expect they simply copied this story from somewhere else errors and all) and adverts labelled as news. Today’s main story there is basically an advertisement for estate agents.
To know my taxes are paying to support them is a joke.
It’s a site that reports on local areas and their news are ones that are ignored by big media. I love their content, even though the reporting quality can be at times questionable.
They are part of a multimillion company and are big media. Trouble is they axe investment in staffing while taking public money.
The only content of merit is local democracy items and they are funded by the BBC and shared on other sites. It’s been a great mistake to allow large companies to buy up local news across the UK, cut back staffing and coverage until they know little about their patch and then pocket taxpayers money.
Unfortunately…the MSM where ever I look do no research and write a story with a twist to inflame…incite….emotions rather than providing facts to substantiate the article.
I don’t think much of estate agents…builders…politicians….but even less of the majority of journalists….who have a hidden agenda…and often its what they don’t say thats more important than what they do say
One illusion I forgot to mention is that the general public still think they are there to inform when in fact in most cases they exist to misinform
Outrageous! To whom should we make aware, our disappointment?
Sorry about my extraneous comma.
last time I looked (some months ago) they allowed a lot of racist and dubious comments as well without apparent moderation
Yes you are spot on elthamwatcher there is no moderation on the comments sections of stories on the website with the same few people bitching with each other. Your also right some of the comments are racist and offensive.
Everyone has a right to give their views which others may often disagree with especially when it comes to politics local Councils etc but submit your comments and views in a polite manner while respecting other peoples views and comments.
Murky I would love you to receive an OBE for example for your services to journalism. You provide so much information we only ever get to hear about from yourself and 853 which provides us with correct and factual information. So thank you and keep up your excellent work.
on one occasion I alerted a few of the advertisers to the fact they were being associated with some very racist remarks re stephen lawrence, a reputable outlet should take their role seriouslyy and with some responsibility
There were a lot of Emergency vehicles in woolwich dockyard on Sunday afternoon
‘It’s hard to blame the reporter too much here.’
No fact checking, then. How does the reporter know that there was actually a fire in Woolwich? The falsely reported Hyde Park, Greenwich fire is a case in point.