Media Is it time to ban the Oxford Mail access to the Kassam and all staff?

[uptheus]

Why ask, just get rid

 

[uptheus]

Always cautious when it comes to things like banning journalists, etc. It could be the start of a dangerous slippery slope. No one's forcing anyone to read it but there are still some that do, so let them have their fun. In the grand scheme of things, the OM is pretty insignificant and its sales are declining year on year. It will eventually (probably quite soon) die a natural death. Until then, let it be

Still has a pretty good voice in Oxfordshire though, and lots of people believe what they read. They’ve also contributed in the support of FoSB spiel which could ultimately be the death of our club!

 

[Ewes]

I voted ‘no’ also. Local papers are important resources for the elderly who haven’t yet mastered phones & iPads. Those local residents are as keen for updates as we are.

I do feel The Oxford Mail has gone too far with the anti-stadium brigade and given them far too much page space without fact-checking the lies and short-sighted propaganda a few of them spout. The editor’s job is to see papers and advertising alongside releasing a balanced paper fit to read. They’ve failed in that respect for a long time and are probably reacting to no longer being fed club intell from club sources.

But I defend anyone’s right to free speech and we shouldn’t ban the paper just because they’re going through a period where editorial oversight is poor.

 

[Jonny G]

1st class honours in Sports Journalism.

Well fair play to him on that. I wonder if grads now think that working on local paper / website is all about stories / clicks and just accept that, or if they find it soul destroying to work that hard to get the degree and then end up in the current commercial environment.

 

[Jim Chimcheroux]

I voted ‘no’ also. Local papers are important resources for the elderly who haven’t yet mastered phones & iPads. Those local residents are as keen for updates as we are.

I do feel The Oxford Mail has gone too far with the anti-stadium brigade and given them far too much page space without fact-checking the lies and short-sighted propaganda a few of them spout. The editor’s job is to see papers and advertising alongside releasing a balanced paper fit to read. They’ve failed in that respect for a long time and are probably reacting to no longer being fed club intell from club sources.

But I defend anyone’s right to free speech and we shouldn’t ban the paper just because they’re going through a period where editorial oversight is poor.

But they are not supposed to be political lobbyists, it’s a newspaper. What ever happened to balanced reporting and educational journalism? By supporting a rag like this you debase proper journalism and pander to hate propaganda. Don’t confuse the Oxford Mail as journalism or free speech it’s anything but! Where are your standards! Failure to stand up for fair and decent reporting, results in a race to the bottom. By defending the crappy little rag, that delights in attacking our club, you continue to give the toe rags air!

 

[BrockBuster]

I would have voted 'no' but disagree with the 'vital to our survival'.

It's just so inconsequential these days.

 

[Mojofilter]

I would have voted 'no' but disagree with the 'vital to our survival'.

It's just so inconsequential these days.

Agree. My no wasn't "it is vital" but more "no. Grow up"

 

[Emilio]

Haven't we discussed this ad nauseam? Pretty sure this pops up every 10 or so pages on the Stadium thread, and there might even have been a vote thread or two already. But other than us saying it here, what use is it? It's not like it's going to stop.

 

[OUFCGav]

Well fair play to him on that. I wonder if grads now think that working on local paper / website is all about stories / clicks and just accept that, or if they find it soul destroying to work that hard to get the degree and then end up in the current commercial environment.

I would imagine it doesn't help his mood, but it helps to pay his bills (along with the other paid work he undertakes to make up to a full time wage). it is still seen as the stepping stone to bigger things, not sure for how much longer.

 

[OUFCGav]

But they are not supposed to be political lobbyists, it’s a newspaper. What ever happened to balanced reporting and educational journalism? By supporting a rag like this you debase proper journalism and pander to hate propaganda. Don’t confuse the Oxford Mail as journalism or free speech it’s anything but! Where are your standards! Failure to stand up for fair and decent reporting, results in a race to the bottom. By defending the crappy little rag, that delights in attacking our club, you continue to give the toe rags air!

"they are not supposed to be political lobbyists" - I don't think anyone can seriously suggest they are.
"What ever happened to balanced reporting and educational journalism" - a) it doesn't drive clicks, and b) what is balanced reporting depends on your viewpoint, and for many it doesn't come into their viewpoint any more.
"Don’t confuse the Oxford Mail as....free speech" - not sure it, or many newspapers ever have been.
"By defending the crappy little rag, that delights in attacking our club, you continue to give the toe rags air!" - no, I ignore them, it is the people who delight in outrage that gives them air. Outrage drives clicks and BTL comments (ie more clicks).

 

[ZeroTheHero]

The state of local papers is a real shame. In my area (Bedford) we used to have two - a 'scurrilous rag' on Sunday that would investigate local politicians etc and a more traditional one during the week. Both were invaluable for finding out what was going on locally and were written by proper journalists who lived in the place. The Sunday one was always free and delivered widely, I think the other one was also free at one time. I don't think either of them exist in any form now.

'It is all on the internet now' I hear you say. Well some of it is - but you have to go looking for it, and if you don't know where to look, you don't see it. I have missed multiple things because I simply didn't know they were going on.

 

[SirAndyOfCrosby]

freedom of speech is vitally important

Fundamental misunderstanding of 'free speech' here. No-one is saying the Oxford Mail should be gagged, just that we don't have to provide access to them.

Someone can walk up and down your street shouting 'Matty Greens Left Boot is a massive pr*ck' but you don't have to invite them in for a cup of tea, do you?

 

[Emilio]

Well fair play to him on that. I wonder if grads now think that working on local paper / website is all about stories / clicks and just accept that, or if they find it soul destroying to work that hard to get the degree and then end up in the current commercial environment.

In the early days of clickbait journalism I naively got a job in what I thought was supposed to be a credible football news website, only to quickly realise it was purely about click-counts rather than quality or even truth. Binned it off after a week. This was back in 2011. Hopefully postgraduate journalists are better prepared for this sort of thing.

 

[East Stand Fan]

The Oxford Mail is nothing like it used to be. It's now a rag that employs interns probably using AI to construct articles whereas before, we used to have a dedicated journalist with a vested interest and deep knowledge covering the club and other local sport along with some other regular names. Not only is half the news long outdated before it's even published, most articles are missing critical context to form balance and understanding. Not only that, the paper is clearly influenced by certain individuals and groups who have them on speed dial. Most of these interns are only there for short periods and probably get bored because they get most of their info off Twitter rather than putting themselves out there unlike the good old days of proper effort-driven journalism.

The only journalist there in recent times which did anything was the blonde girl who wrote about Ian Middleton trying to sabotage a charity because it was done by football fans. Even then, she only seemed to write the article after seeing Ian's past antics of his seeming dislike of women and the sarcastic and patronising way he would comminate with them along with his general perverted sense of warped humour.

The Oxford Mail aren't even needed at the club so they can pay on the gate if they want access. The amount of misinformation spewed by them has been diabolical and they are very fortunate not to be reprimanded.

 

[londonyellow]

Absolutely not. I'm no fan of the OM but I don't believe you should ban journalists from football clubs – or be able to, for that matter.

 

[Jason]

Absolutely not. I'm no fan of the OM but I don't believe you should ban journalists from football clubs – or be able to, for that matter.

Hope you're not voting for Reform anytime soon then. Suppression of the free press will be the first thing to be introduced.

 

[londonyellow]

Hope you're not voting for Reform anytime soon then. Suppression of the free press will be the first thing to be introduced.

f**k no. I've still got a few brain cells left

 

[WRox]

They’re pretty much already banned aren’t they? Can’t remember the last time they seemed to have any information ahead of anyone else.

They’re an irrelevance whose only interest is in clickbait headlines and online advertising.

What we really need is to ensure no one visits their website. It’s not telling anyone anything they couldn’t find elsewhere anyway.

 

[Scotchegg]

If it wasn't for the posts on the forum, I wouldn't know that the Oxford Mail exists. We give them more fuel than thry could have hoped for.

Simply ignore them.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Does anyone from the Oxford Mail actually turn up at the club for anything nowadays anyway? Or do they pinch information and rumours from places like this and use some sort of syndicated match report?

 

[Boris]

Does anyone from the Oxford Mail actually turn up at the club for anything nowadays anyway? Or do they pinch information and rumours from places like this and use some sort of syndicated match report?

Malachi goes to the pre and post-match briefings and also attends games (not sure about the away games) to write match reports and get post-match interviews. But apart from the Dub, that's all Jerome does too (although he does go to away games)

 

[Osleroad]

Does anyone from the Oxford Mail actually turn up at the club for anything nowadays anyway? Or do they pinch information and rumours from places like this and use some sort of syndicated match report?

Malachi was at the Ramsey presser but generally it's regurgitated stuff-that's if you get to see behind the pay wall as if they have some kind of exclusives.

 

[RBNO]

im all for freedom of speech and the freedom of the press....what im not for is twisted truths, sensationalism...lies printed as truth and simple biased bs....racist bs dressed up as fact

thats not just for the fail thats in all press and freedoms....but in todays world all that is true is called out as lies and all that is lies is dressed up as truth from the highest echelons to the lowest corners freedom of speech doesnt give you the right to twist and contort the truth

 

[Slade Yellow]

If it wasn't for the posts on the forum, I wouldn't know that the Oxford Mail exists. We give them more fuel than thry could have hoped for.

Simply ignore them.

I go into the stadium through turnstiles 7-8.
Each time there stands the chap selling programs from an old newspaper trolley proudly displayed the mails logo in large red letters. Can he not be given a collapsible table instead?
A picture of the old trolly dumped in a skip would look good!

 

[Chris on a Bike]

Okay let 'em in. But make them pay for a ticket. And their cup of tea.

 

[Bicester Yellow]

I love a boycott and pitchforks me, but really not fussed and voted no.

The Oxford Mail no longer has a duty to offer anything but what makes their owners money and that is clicks.

Read it or not, there really is enough Oxford United content available you don't need it. Social Media and podcasts offer far more breaking and informative articles. It is what it is.

Personally, some kind of campaign or anger, is wasted. Just don't read it.

The guy doing it is trying his hardest and may become scratchy, but seriously, since he started he's been called XY and Z. He's not the editor, he's doesn't own the business. He's trying to pay his rent or mortgage.

You're creating noise about the Oxford Mail, they don't have any power anymore, its one of hundreds of ways of finding news out. An old demographic likes to buy it and that is depreciating yearly.

Its like Talk Sport, you genuinely would be stupid to think the arguments made on that radio, aren't done to drive listens and attention. Those Presenters are told what to say to get people ringing in.

Worth spending your resources elsewhere. There are far more critical Oxford United things to worry about.

Couldn’t agree more.

 

[Mojofilter]

I go into the stadium through turnstiles 7-8.
Each time there stands the chap selling programs from an old newspaper trolley proudly displayed the mails logo in large red letters. Can he not be given a collapsible table instead?
A picture of the old trolly dumped in a skip would look good!

It doesn't strike you as petty to care what the programme seller puts things on?

 

[Bicester Yellow]

The Oxford Mail as a paper as an institution has gone downhill, that’s not in doubt.

I do however think it’s out of order the abuse and vitriol he gets thrown at him every time he posts something, he’s getting abused for writing simple articles.

I don’t have any love lost for the Mail in general but what do you expect a guy to do other than stand up for himself when he’s getting abused left right and centre from our fanbase.

As someone else said, it’s some fans only way of keeping up with the club.

He doesn’t write the headlines, look past that and you’ll see his pieces are generally balanced.

Whatever you think of him there’s no need for abuse.

Basically echoing @SwissYellow comments.

Most of us are better than that.

 

[Steve Gilbert]

It doesn't strike you as petty to care what the programme seller puts things on?

Would you be ok if the stand had a Swindon badge on it?
This is a paper who have printed many many stories (and a lot of them miss-informed) over the last few years, giving air time to a group of NIMBY's who are trying to kill our club. It's one thing letting their staff into the ground but lets certainly not advertise their s**t rag for them, especially free of charge!

 

[Sarge]

Okay let 'em in. But make them pay for a ticket. And their cup of tea.

make them bring their own biscuits too