riverScrap

Has British Airways become a no-frills brand?

It won't surprise you that BA News, the internal newspaper "For the people of British Airways," is anything but shy about banging its namesake's drum.

This obvious fact was underscored in a typically fawning recent issue, which heralded the dawn of the flag carrier's new TV campaign. But tucked away on the inside pages was a titbit of information which BA conspicuously kept out of its public press releases.

Amid the usual marketing fanfare, Abigail Comber, BA Manager for Brand, Proposition and Insight, let slip her admiration for the campaign's foresight, noting that it had deliberately avoided "making brand promises". And just a few short weeks on, boy can't you see why?

What mercy for Lockerbie victims?

As evidence of trade deals with Colonel Gaddafi emerge, Britain releases a Libyan mass murderer from jail on "compassionate grounds". But who gave mercy to the victims of Flight 103?

The release of Abdel Baset al Megrahi, the man responsible for the murder of 270 civilians in Lockerbie in 1988, is directly linked to oil negotiations with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

That's according to Seif al Islam, the son of the Libyan leader, who told state television that the "liberation" of the mass murderer – who is terminally ill with prostate cancer – was a direct consequence of top-level trade deals between his father and the former Labour Party administration.

Britain vehemently denied suggestions of a quid quo pro deal with Libya, insisting the release was handled solely by the devolved Scottish parliament. But with mass murderer al Megrahi receiving a hero's welcome in Tripoli, what mercy is there for the families torn apart by the atrocity?

A young person's take on 'thriving local papers'

This week's Economist carried an interesting article about the recession-busting success of a select few local newspapers in Britain. It caught my eye not because of the familiar incisiveness of its meandering, but more-regrettably due to the bone-headed idiocy of its logic.

"For all the woes of local newspapers across Britain, there are those that thrive," the curious little piece informed us, holding up the New Milton Advertiser as one such powerhouse of micro-news. "These papers ... are successful because they retain the best characteristics of their past," it sagely went on. "They cover the local news and politics which matter to people."

And lo, what front page scoop was selected from this sheet's archives as a prime example of such perspicacity? Why, none other than the earth-shattering story which no self-respecting resident of New Milton will ever forget: OVERGRAZING FEAR AS PRICE OF FOREST PONIES SET TO FALL.

BNP mission statement praises immigration

With news of Nick Griffin's not-so-shocking election to the European parliament, it befalls the British public to take a long and hard look at precisely what the British National Party stands for.

Of course the media and the rest of the political spectrum have made their views clear – 'thugs' and 'racists' are two of the words most commonly bandied about – but to truly understand the BNP we must look at its own statements. Listening, after all, is a greater skill than talking.

And with that in mind your humble reporter shimmied his way down to bnp.org.uk, where he made a discovery that is nothing short of astonishing: the BNP supports immigration to the British Isles.

British media too quick to write Brown's obituary

While the past 48 hours have undeniably been a low-point in Gordon Brown's career, they've also served as a timely reminder of just how shallow, dim-witted and self-serving our beloved media can be.

It is no exaggeration to say that James Purnell's dramatic resignation on Thursday night left Mr Brown in a precarious situation. Having the fastest-rising star in your Cabinet jump ship and openly call for your resignation would be sure to unnerve even the sturdiest of PMs.

But while many believed that the vultures circling above included other senior figures, it now appears the flock was largely restricted to the usual band of suspects: opportunistic Tories, hackneyed Labour backbenchers, and – of course – our shamelessly trigger-happy press.

NUJ abandons objectivity over BNP row

While the media was busy today ranting about an inconsequential decision to invite Nick Griffin, leader of the British National Party (BNP), to Buckingham Palace, a far more pressing debate over the advertising rights of extremist groups has gripped the blogosphere.

It emerged yesterday that several websites run by regional newspaper publisher Newsquest have carried banner advertisements for the BNP, which is attempting to raise its profile ahead of the European elections on June 4.

What is troubling is that the ads, which appeared on the online editions of otherwise innocuous papers such as The Bromsgrove Advertiser, have provoked an outcry from the reputedly objective National Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Why the West is winning its War on Terror

On January 10, Raw Story published an incendiary article claiming that the War on Terror has been an unmitigated disaster, and that the Bush administration perversely welcomes new strikes by Al Qaeda.

That angle naturally made for a fantastic headline - White House: Increase in terror attacks since 9/11 a success - and the piece immediately became a hit on social media website Digg, clocking up 1,600 votes of approval.

But in this editorial piece, Martin Leo Rivers presents three compelling reasons for dismissing Raw Story's report as sensationalism, and instead concluding that the West is winning its fight against terrorism.

riverScrap.com: The blog without an opinion?

Six weeks have now passed since I filed my first report on riverScrap.com - the latest, perhaps boldest manifestation of my unwavering commitment to cast aside the shackles of a 9-5 working week (shackles to which, I reluctantly admit, I had only been tethered for some 15 months).

Over the course of the past month-and-a-half, this endeavour has provided me with much cause for optimism. Last Sunday, for example, my blog counter tallied a whopping 5,033 unique visitors. Admittedly, 80 per cent of those hits stemmed from one particularly wretched story that appeared to strike a chord with various viral communities. But there were other positive signs too.

riverScrap.com has already been visited by residents of six of the world's seven continents (shame on you, Antarcticans). Some of the more exotic countries to have turned to this blog for news include Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Zimbabwe, Mali and Brunei Darussalam. What's more, the majority of my articles are being generously voted up on Reddit - my news-sharing community of choice.

And yet in spite of these early signs of encouragement - and indeed my growing belief that the meritocracy of social media websites will continue to spell success for riverScrap.com - one criticism has consistently been raised. Longstanding friends and new acquaintances alike have both levied a disturbing charge at my feet: namely, that my blog lacks opinion. That my voice is suffocated by journalistic propriety.

In this editorial, therefore, I tackle the question of whether or not riverScrap.com has a perspective of its own. The answer: a resounding and indignant cry of YES! Of course it does! But it is an opinion free of the crass and blundering pontification of The Sun, The Telegraph, The Independent and all those other rags who seem to take their readership for such fools.

Editorial: Al Qaeda refines 'soft target strategy'

Last week's brutal terror attack in Mumbai is a timely reminder of Al Qaeda's ability to adapt its tactics in order to remain a relevant and potent threat, Martin Leo Rivers writes.

On Wednesday (November 26), ten militants arrived at India's financial capital by boat to unleash a 60-hour long shooting spree that left nearly 200 people dead and paralysed the whole city with fear. Targets included two hotels, a train station and a Jewish centre.

Troubling enough is the fact that these men were willing to wreak such havoc. But, as I consider in this editorial piece, Al Qaeda's latest exploit betrays an even more disturbing aspect of modern terrorism - one that, for the Jihadists at least, re-affirms the logic behind targeting civilians.