In competition with the Telegraph????

These are the Trinity Mirror Group's national titles:


Daily Mirror
Sunday Mirror
People
Daily Record
Sunday Mail


And they are worried about links to Telegraph articles in a small and declining local paper!




Hmmmm

Mr Barlow recently produced an article which made some rather odd claims about immigration and the Government's recently imposed restrictions. The article can be seen here.

There has been some comment on the menmedia.co.uk/macclesfieldexpress website.

Now, Mr Barlow's unevidenced opinions are being contradicted by a number of people and institutions, people and bodies who may know rather more about it then him.

So, in the interests of local debate in what claims to be a local newspaper, I attempted to post this:


There seems to be quite a lot of difference between Mr Barlow's unevidenced opinion and the thoughts of those actually affected.


See these reports from the Telegraph:


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/8035406/Immigration-cap-a-headache-for-UK-companies.html


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8047509/Immigration-cap-could-damage-Britains-reputation-for-scientific-excellence-Nobel-prize-winners-claim.html


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8047622/Britains-immigration-laws-favour-footballers-over-scientists-Nobel-prize-group-say.html


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/8068745/Immigration-cap-is-bad-for-UK-business-say-government-advisors.html


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businesslatestnews/8038792/Immigration-cap-damaging-the-UK-warns-services-group.html


I would be interested in Mr Barlow's comments

Having repeatedly tried to get this up in the comments section today, I then received an email from somebody called Mark Richardson from men-news.co.uk.  He does not say what his role is or, even , if he lives in the Macclesfield Express distribution area.

He stated:

We will not be publishing comments containing links to the Daily Telegraph as they are a competitor 

Ludicrous!  The thought of the Telegraph being in competition with a small and declining local newspaper is laughable.

So, the message is that they will allow Mr Barlow to say whatever he wants but will stop alternative points of view being put because where they can be seen.

The Express' bizarre and arbitrary censorship of posts, particularly concerning Mr Barlow, has taken an intriguing turn.
They seem recently to have been blocking any criticism of his articles and then they have let this comment appear:

note that the end of Vic Barlow’s column (who is he anyway?) is suffixed with
"The views on this page are Vic Barlow's and not necessarily those of the Express’’
Perhaps, as the publishers of this newspaper, you should be more circumspect in the
quality of journalists you employ and publish.
I was dismayed to read his recent trash leveled at Cheshire police and their charity
cricket match. It was a disgrace and shame on you for publishing such ill informed tripe.
Unlike Vic (whoever he is) I commend these men and women giving there all to precious
free time to raise such a fantastic amount of money, over £3000, for Help for Heroes.
We need more people like them.
He should be ashamed of himself for writing such a mean spirited, small minded piece of
drivel about local heroes who put there own safety on the line every day in the course of
making our towns and cities safer places to be.
Perhaps he should try a real job for a living, we can do without his offensive comments
regardless of how ‘funny’ or ironic (I doubt he is capable of this)he is trying to be.
The Police deserve our respect and support and as a local newspaper you should be giving it.
Shame on you Vic Barlow (whoever you are)! Go crawl back under whatever stone you came from.
Mrs Helen Millard
Taunton
Somerset


The original can be seen here:

http://menmedia.co.uk/macclesfieldexpress/comment/blogs/s/1323894_an_arresting_sight#comments 

Maybe  things are changing.....

Welcome

Welcome to this blog.
Our purpose here is to provide a place where people can comment on the various writings of Vic Barlow in the Macclesfield Express.
Vic is invited to join in and to respond to the comments made.
IMPORTANT
we will accept comments on the ideas  put in the articles and his approach / research / journalism etc (i.e. comments on his ideas and behaviour) and not comments on, or attacks, upon the man himself.
All comments are welcome except ad hominem  or similar. The aim here is to discuss ideas, approaches and written pronouncements, not personalities.
All are welcome to join in but we may, at our discretion, require proof of online identity if we suspect that anyone is trying to use multiple identities or sock puppet accounts.