Exeter's Express and Echo covers a PRSD story... but you've got to buy the paper to read it

By PRSD, on Thursday, December 17, 2009

With all this talk of pay walls for national and local press, no one’s quite faced up to how some local paper sites will deal with ‘the news’. The Express and Echo has picked up a story inspired by the PRSD on Tuesday – but even though we broke it on the web, you’ve got to buy the paper to read the story!

On Tuesday, December 15 we carried South West MEP Giles Chichester’s letter about Miss Gibraltar winning Miss World, with the headline: Pretty girls are a relief during climate change – Miss Gibraltar is Miss World!

Graham Watson, another of your South West MEPs, quoted our headline and story in his press release condemning Giles (see below).

Storm in a tea cup, you’d think so. But the Express and Echo thinks its worth pushing people to its printed copy for – and how have they covered it? A short column on page five (three paragraphs more than on the site – two of which are pulled straight from Giles’ letter) and the reprinted letter on page 18.

Now that’s what you call multi-platform coverage!

• The Western Morning News, whose editor hasn’t been keeping his blog up to date, tsk, tsk, has a better story, even getting extra quotes from both sides, with Graham saying ” While Giles is ogling women in his office, I will be in Copenhagen campaigning for a deal that will preserve our planet.”

And Giles saying Graham was a ‘miserable so-and-so’, and “He obviously left his sense of humour behind when he went to save the world, the poor, sad chap.”

Talking about Copenhagen, we carried daily updates from South West MEP Graham Watson while he was in Copenhagen.

South West MEP Graham Watson’s response to Giles Chichester and Miss World Kaiane Aldorino:

Local Tory Ogles Miss World whilst World Confronts Climate Change; and may need help removing foot from mouth

Serial climate change denier and Tory MEP Giles Chichester has attracted heavy criticism after heaping adoration on the newly crowned Miss World at the expense of climate change.

In an article titled “Pretty girls are a relief during climate change” by one internet news site, Chichester said;

“Midst all the messages of doom and gloom about climate change, there was one piece of good news on my desk this morning. Miss Gibraltar had won the Miss World title.

“Judging from her press photographs, the victory of the very beautiful Miss Kaiane Aldorino was well deserved.

“At this time of economic recession, her success is a reason for celebration.”

Lib Dem MEP and climate change activist Graham Watson commented from the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference:

“This is obviously an attempt at light hearted humour, but it is also gives a revealing insight into the Conservative Party.

“David Cameron claims the Tories have changed; that they understand the challenges facing ordinary people and want to take on green issues.

“However, this article shows just how ignorant some Tories are. I congratulate Miss Aldorino on her victory, but it will not put food on the table for struggling families, protect jobs or save the planet.

“Giles needs to get his priorities straight and focus on using his position to find a green route out of this recession.

“Needless to say, whilst Giles is ogling women in his office, I will be in Copenhagen campaigning for a deal that will preserve our planet.”

(image: a snippet of the Express and Echo’s web page with the PRSD-inspired story – below, when the Express and Echo put it online at the end of the day – worth getting the paper for?)