Yorkshire Evening Post

[sparky415]

I wonder what the circulation is nowadays......I bet they inflate the figures somewhat......

The paper is just a load of cack, I was sent it free for a week as a 'promotion', but I sure as hell won't be buying it...mind you, it made great fire-lighting material....

[cnosni]

I do despair for the YEP . I wonder just how carefully its text is checked for errors. On page 3 of the YEP today (March 28 2015) there is a short item headed 'CLOCKS GO BACK THIS WEEKEND'. The 'BACK' immediately caught my attention as I felt certain that clocks go forward. In the text after the heading it however stated "CLOCKS: Tomorrow morning the clocks in the UK go forward by one hour...". The YEP at least got it correct in that!

That's not the only problem with last nights paper. Not only is the weather details on page 2 completely out of focus but there are numerous spelling mistakes.
To top it off a letter printed by James Bovington on the letters page in Friday nights edition was reprinted in Saturday nights edition letters page.

Sorry but that really really is shocking

[Leodian]

On page 31 of the YEP today (Jan 27 2015) in a section headed 'Blue plaques of Leeds' about the Bar Stones of Leeds it states of the original six 'bars' that "...only three of the stones remain, the Burley bar, the bar on Kirkgate and the North Bar on Vicar Lane but that is hidden behind a shopfront". Oh not it's not! It has been exposed for some months now.

The YEP still does not seem to know that the North Bar Stone is not hidden, as it has a feature today (June 20 2015) on page 20 about the Bar Stones in which it states "...the North Bar, which is hidden from view but is housed in the old West Yorkshire bus station ticket office". It seems however as if the YEP may have got its information from the Leeds Civic Trust, as in the feature it states that Dr Kevin Grady (director of Leeds Civic Trust) "said he would like to see the North Bar stone uncovered again"!

[Leodian]

In a 'Times Past' feature on page 21 of the YEP today (July 4 2015) there is a short article headed 'Did workmen throw old stone away?'. In the article it states "An in (sic) article in Times Past two weeks go (sic), we mentioned the city's ancient bar stones and said only three of the original six remained. However, local historian Brian Redhead got in touch to say he recalls the North Bar Stone - which is thought to be behind shop fronts in the old West Yorkshire bus station - being thrown away by builders. He said: "I made a documentary about the bar stones 20 years ago....Mr. Redhead said the following day he went back to the shop and discovered workmen had thrown the old stone away....Perhaps, then, this means that only two of the original bar stones remain....".

I appreciate that the YEP is only going on what Mr. Redhead claims but it surely could not have been any trouble to go and have a look to see that a North Bar Stone is not only still there but is visible and has been for about a year now. I don't know though if it is the original stone or a replacement from where it used to be positioned nearby.

PS. I've transcribed the parts of the article as they were but added a sic to indicate that the "An in" (which should be "In an") and the "go" (which should be "ago") to show that is how they are in the article. The YEP needs to better proof read things!

[blackprince]

"better proof read things! " made me smile. The best "thing" for proof reading is a human. In old B&W films you see a newspaperman, often wearing an eye shade, working under an angle poise lamp. I think they threw him out with the old metal typesetters. Computerised "spell checkers " introduce many errors as well as correct them. Even in my national paper, which has higher standards than the YEP, I come across errors which are introduced by spell checkers without adequate human supervision. Frankly, anyone who completed their basic education in the mid 20th C could have done the job more effectively than it is done today.

[tyke bhoy]

I think I have suggested it before but does the Yorkshire Dawn Post even have offices in Leeds these days or reporters based in the city it is meant to primarily report on. It might explain why a reporter on the ground hasn't spotted the North Bar Stone.

[chemimike]

It is not just that paper which has no local knowledget. The Birmingham Mail (possibly the same group?) recently posted an old etching and entitled it New Street Station 1847. Teh scene was recognisably New St, but New st station is not and has never actually been in New st, It also opened in 1855.

[mhoulden]

Revenues for Johnston Publishing (which owns the YEP) are in the toilet so they've been cutting costs all over the place. Centralizing printing, selling off the Wellington St site and renting offices on Whitehall Road are part of it. Actual journalism is expensive which is why so much of their content is council press releases, court reports, online surveys and "crowdsourced" articles where they ask a question on Facebook and get other people to do the work for them. One of the biggest sources of local newspaper revenue is advertising official council notices like planning applications or roadworks, but local government spending cuts plus moving notices online means this is declining. It's a shame because a good local press would hold politicians to account: John Poulson was brought down by the Telegraph & Argus among others, and the Armley Asbestos scandal was uncovered by a YEP investigation. I'd be surprised if they did something like that now.

[sparky415]

Interesting:

https://theleedscitizen.wordpress.com/2 ... ning-post/

[tyke bhoy]

The Latest YEP Gaff Geldard's enter Admin

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Comombined Authority (WYCA) said alternative operators have been found for all five schools services that Geldards ran under contract on their behalf

I know the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive has re-branded but I thought it was combined authority

On a related note sad to see an "independent" leave the scene but it looks like other independents and Yorkshire Tiger will be filling most of the void and hopefully also employing many of the 50 who now sadly find themselves unemployed.