APOLOGIES for the absence of a blog for a couple of weeks, but it has been a pretty busy time at the Adver.
The Ridgeway School hammer attack trial has come and passed, and doubtless that won't be the last we hear of this awful incident with Liz Webster, the mother of Henry Webster who was attacked in the school playground, planning to launch a civil action.
Interesting times ahead.
It is said that newspapers tend to concentrate on the negative as far as children are concerned. I think if you read the Adver regularly we strive to celebrate the achievements of youngsters and of their schools as well.
Last week, I was out of town to attend a mayor-making ceremony.
It wasn't a traditional mayor-making ceremony held in the council chamber, but instead it was staged in a theatre. The councillors paraded onto the stage with the mayoral party following behind. A Royal Marine band played during the interludes as part of a ceremony held during the daytime.
Besides the main council business of seeing the end of the current mayoral year, followed by the election and then swearing in of a new mayor and deputy mayor, the council of this particular borough added a really nice touch.
They used the occasion to present citizens of the year awards to four adults and two children. These were citizens who had gone above and beyond the call of duty in their chosen field. The retiring mayor read out citations for each of the recipients, who were then handed a badge which was pinned to their lapel. They also received a small gift as well.
It was a wonderful ceremony, very short and sweet. But it served an important purpose in honouring those of give of their time and provide enormous value to their borough.
That evening, I caught up with Swindon Borough chief executive, Gavin Jones, and council leader, Rod Bluh for a reception at the Wyvern Theatre and both were taken with the idea of staging something similar in Swindon.
I have said that this is something that we at the Advertiser would be keen to promote. It would be a way of honouring those citizens in Swindon who have achieved, or who do make a difference to the community in their daily lives.
It is an idea worth bearing in mind.

THANK you for the comments posted to my blog in recent weeks, and I thought it would be a good idea to get to grips with a few of those today…..

John C wrote how he believes the statements and views of local politicians are not challenged in the Adver. “No attempt (is) made to question the truth of their statements or to provide any other point of view,” wrote John. Naturally, I don’t agree.

While the Adver is not a hard-hitting, between-your-eyes, let’s bring on the Spanish inquisition type of newspaper in the Jeremy Paxman or John Humphrey mode (why? because sometimes the questioning and point-scoring becomes so tedious that you quickly switch off), an essential quality of what we do is to ensure that stories are accurate and balanced. We reflect the issues affecting Swindon, we reflect the diversity of views.

Of course, if someone is spouting off an opinion, then we will balance it.

John C’s posting was supported by Builder who asked why we don’t investigate the background behind politicians’ statements. In truth we do. Builder says he no longer subscribes to the paper, well perhaps he should read what we report and how we put context on both quotes and stories.

Builder takes issue with the Adver’s coverage of the post office closures, but if you look closely at that coverage it has been enormously balanced. In fact we have been at pains to ensure so, putting across a wide range of views.

I know MP Michael Wills had certain views about the way Swindon Borough Council conducted themselves over the post office closures. We represented those views, and balanced them with the views of the council and other groups. We wrote a series of features on the erosion of rural life, which dealt with the post office closures. Look at our coverage in totality, don’t judge it on one story.

As for the canal story, like Builder it is something I am in favour of personally and believe should be investigated further. I have stated this publicly too.

Whether there is a concerted attack on the idea by the Labour party is irrelevant, they can have their say on the canal plan for Swindon, as everyone else can. We have published EVERY letter we have received on the canal issue. Again, judge the Adver on the totality of how we have covered the story, and I believe we have been thorough, we have been fair and we have been balanced.

Who’s right, who’s wrong? Often in politics, the truth is disguised in a shroud of mirrors, and while our reports will spell out the facts of the story, while we will ask the right questions of those who do get on their soapbox, we let the readers make up their minds. The Adver is certainly not a mouthpiece for those who can shout the loudest.

The BNP issue and freedom of speech is an interesting one. John C asserted: “I feel that no matter how wrong we may think their policies may be they must still be treated in the same way as any other legal political party in this country. To do otherwise is an insult to freedom of speech.”

Freedom of speech is a cherished value, but how far do you allow freedom of speech if what is said is unpalatable, offensive, libellous or slanderous – or is something which is likely to cause irreparable harm to the community?

The National Union of Journalists has recently republished its “Race Reporting Guidelines” after newspapers carried adverts for the BNP. The reporting guidelines cover a wide variety of topics including immigrants, slang terms, racist organisations and travellers.

The NUJ have described the stance of the newspapers to accept the BNP adverts as “an incredible decision”. General secretary, Jeremy Dear said: “The decision to accept money from them is reprehensible enough, to try to argue it is to do with free speech is sickening.”

Finally, to Donkey’s posting which followed the warning submitted by the Adver’s web team reminding posters to be careful about what they posted in the comments section.

The warning followed one comment in particular which caused immense problems too us. It was a pathetic, mealy-mouthed comment which was cowardly and to the person who posted it, they could have been sued for libel.

I have stated before and will state again that you have responsibility for your postings. Yes, this website is meant to be fun and entertaining, but some of the comments, some of the insinuations are not funny, they’re not entertaining and they’re not clever. I wonder what those who make the postings get out of it in their sad, little worlds.

There are limits and we will take action against those who do post comments which step over the line.

As a reminder, this is what the Web Team wrote:

We would like to remind everyone that they are legally responsible for what they post on this site. You can be taken to court if you libel someone. A number of comments have been removed because they were deemed potentially libellous. If you aren’t sure what libel means, put simply, it means anything which is damaging to the character of an individual or a company or organisation.

Even if you can prove your claims, you could well end up in court doing so – at huge expense and with a strong possibility of losing and facing an unlimited fine. Basically, stick to verified fact and never make unfounded allegations. Do not accuse people of crimes or other wrongdoing.

Anyone who continually libels others will be banned from our website.

Sorry to be so officious, but it’s important people leaving comments understand the rules. Thank you.

NOT so long ago I was talking to someone at Swindon Borough Council who told me how members of the council will pour over their copy of the Adver for any item of council business. They will read the headline assiduously and agonise over the copy for any possible nuance of political leaning.
It made me laugh to read the thread on another website which accused the Adver and me, in particular, of being politically bias.
I’ve been accused by the Conservatives for being a Labour supporter because we have given platforms to the town’s two MPs on a variety of issues without, it has been said, of challenging them sufficiently. And I’ve been accused by some in the Labour Party of being too closely aligned with the Tory-dominated council.
The Lib Dems, UKIP and the Greens have kept their opinions to themselves.
Why it makes me laugh is because when I read some of the comments on this website about the Adver’s apparent political leaning, and even comments attached to my recent blogs, I wonder at how sad people are wishing to detect these deft nuances.
They imagine we walk around the newsroom with bloomin’ great chips on our shoulders and a pre-determined political agenda for whichever coloured party is the flavour of the moment.
In fairness to Rod Bluh and Fionuala Foley at the council and MPs Michael Wills and Anne Snelgrove, they have been very fair in their comments about the coverage we have given them in the Adver. They haven’t always been happy with what has written, but never once have their perceived the newspaper to be politically biased. In fact, they too have laughed at the suggestion.
It is not a case of he doth protest too much, but as we approach the local council elections the point needs re-stating that the Adver will continue to provide a platform for a variety of political views.
Our coverage aims to be fair and balanced, and if you think about it since the newspaper serves quite a tight community it would lunacy for any newspaper to pin its colours to any particular mast. In doing so we would alienate a section of our readership.
Politics is important, but it certainly not the top of my agenda. My staff don’t know my political views, Rod, Fionuala, Michael and Anne have no idea, because it is irrelevant. It’s issues, not politics.
So in the run up to the local council elections, let me remind the cynics that the Adver will endeavour to be fair and balanced. We will strive to present a cross-section of political views and help readers to understand the local issues affecting them when they go to the ballot boxes on May 1st.
To believe otherwise is simply being mischievous.

AN interesting week news-wise as far as the hammer attack trial is concerned.
Last week we saw verdicts handed down from the second trial at Bristol Crown Court following the brutal playground assault on Ridgeway School pupil Henry Webster.
Sentence will be passed on those convicted from the two trials in a month, but possibly the story which might have taken many Adver readers by surprise was the report on how poor security is at the Wroughton School some 15 months after the incident.
One of our reporters was freely able to wander about the school, through a dance class in the main hall and to a classroom where one of the teachers asked a pupil to take my reporter to reception.
This was a story we thought long and hard about; whether it was right to test the security, since we had been made aware of loopholes which did exist at Wroughton, and also how we went about it.
I made it clear to the reporter that there was to be no subterfuge. That if he was stopped and asked for his identity he was to give it, and then take the letter which he had been given to be presented to the headmaster.
The reporter wandered freely, took pictures using a mobile phone, even sat in a chemistry laboratory alone where he called the office asking how long he should stick around.
Were we justified in doing this? Absolutely. Can any lessons be learned from this? I would hope so. I would hope the headmaster and governors take on board the lessons learned and complete the security measures they had talked about putting in place as far back as May last year.
One question was asked why didn’t we test the security at other Swindon schools? The reason was that it was pertinent to test Ridgeway since here was a school which had been the focus of not just one attack on Henry Webster in January 2007, but the previous summer term there had been a number of incidents at the school.
It was relevant because security was discussed; the building of a fence, the installation of security key pads. The fence was built, the key pads were never fitted.
We gave the school a week’s notice of our intention to publish the story. We gave them; the headteacher and governors, full opportunity to comment. We also gave them time to put in any extra security measures they considered fit before the resumption of term in a week or so’s time.
As for other Swindon schools’ security. Who knows? Maybe we will test their security at another time, but we will do so not in the hope of finding flaws, but more of seeing security which is in place which guarantees the safety of our children.

Many thanks for the positive comments in the wake of my previous blog. While the negative comments are always in the minority, I feel it is only fair to address them. I would never expect consensus, I know our readers will take us to task if we get things wrong, however I do get annoyed with senseless, small-minded comments, which don’t serve to fuel debate.

IT'S Friday and I've got the hump. Why? Oh, it’s the inane and stupid comments we get on the website from folk who are all too happy to take a pop at the Adver, the very Adver website they are reading.
It's not as if their comments are well thought out, constructive or illuminating.
I just wonder why sometimes these folk log onto the website and why they post. Is it simply to get a reaction?
Let me give you an example from one thread, this from a story about the Swindon Advertiser enjoying success at a newspaper awards ceremony.
The correspondent Donkey was begrudging in his praise for the Adver’s editorial and newspaper sales team who swept the floor at the Newsquest Awards on Wednesday evening in London.
Newsquest is the Adver’s parent company and this evening at the Sheraton Skyline Hotel was all about celebrating excellence from the company’s more than 300 newspaper titles.
“Congratulations all round, but one hopes that, as in the entertainment industry, it was not just because it was the Adver’s turn?” wrote Donkey. “Only joking! Incidentally, the newspaper is having rather a lot of dull news content these days ... why? There is news about!”
When quizzed about this comment by another poster, Donkey replied: “If all the advertisements, magazine type articles, STFC news from the man camped at the County Ground, Births, Deaths and Marriages, television listings and topics, the full page advertisement, acceptance rules as occurred on a recent no news day, excrutiatingly poor columnist's pieces and horoscopes ... well, there ain’t a lot of news is there?
“They make front page banner headlines out of the most trivial piece on many occasions. Thank goodness the Letters Page covers right across the sheet and the other half / full page entitled Your Shout. Let’s face it, the town has grown yet the news features have shrunk!
“Incidentally, it’s not up to me to come up with articles of interest ... that’s why we hand over our 35 pences six days a week ... it’s the journos’ jobs, ain’t it? I’m not complaining but, like many others I only buy the Adver out of traditional habit!”
I am surprised Donkey parts with his 35 pence each day if the paper really doesn’t amount to much. Does he use the Adver as a cure for insomnia?
What is news is an interesting debate. What makes the front page as opposed to page 17 is another question. I’m sure if I pulled out 100 people to edit the Adver there would be numerous different approaches. In the end as editor, I edit the paper to present something every day which excites and interests the readers and, by and large, I believe I get it right if sales is a Litmus test.
Lay out six Advers from any week, and no one paper is the same in feel and content.
As I have mentioned before, the Adver is a mixture of light and hard news, a combination of being informative, challenging and entertaining.
We may not please Donkey and the other acolytes who often post this question on the Adver website: news, what news? The one comforting aspect is that they are in the minority as our editorial policy is gaining strong readership.
One of the awards picked up from Wednesday’s night’s ceremony was for the newspaper showing the biggest growth in readership year on year. The Swindon Advertiser was one of only two newspapers in the UK which managed that during 2007. And in 2008, we continue to lead the way.
So clearly we must be doing something right, the readers must be enjoying what they are reading because they keep coming back to us. We simply didn’t get the award because it was our turn.
On the evening, Andy Cryer was named sports writer of the year which was an outstanding achievement for a guy who has set the agenda as far as coverage of Swindon Town Football Club is concerned.
When the story of Andy’s success was posted on the Adver website on LoftConversions took a nasty pop at him, which was, quite frankly, below the belt. Andy is big enough to take that rubbish because he knows he is respected by the club and the fans as THE authority when it comes to Swindon Town.
I’ll take criticism any time – but let’s make it justified criticism, and if you don’t like the Adver, then no-one is forcing you to buy it.
These two postings were in the minority.
Donkey and Loft Conversions, post any time, but let's think what we are posting, let's be constructive. Just because something is not your cup of tea, don't assert that it must be rubbish for everyone. Your postings come over as very sad and bitter.
Just accept everyone has different tastes and while you might not like some of the trivial stories in the paper, others do like them. They want to be entertained.
To the majority, however, thanks for the e-mails I have received and the positive comments on the website about the Adver.

ACCURACY is the cornerstone of our work at the Swindon Advertiser - so it says every day on the letters page under the heading of "getting it right".
And you know what? We do get it wrong at times, but we are the first to put our hand up and say so.
Mistakes will invariably creep in. I don't like them, and I do my best to ensure the pages of the Advertiser from copy to headlines to picture captions and beyond are accurate, but there are occasions when errors slip through.
This week I received a letter from the Rodbourne Cheney Residents' Association who were unhappy with inaccurate reporting of two stories which related to Rodbourne and not Rodbourne Cheney.
"This association works hard for Rodbourne Cheney and its residents and find it quite annoying to be constantly undermined by what is supposed to be our local paper with which we have always endeavoured to co-operate," they wrote.
It was a fair point. I could argue the toss over some of the geography which defines Rodbourne Cheney, and though theirs might seem a small point I have sent a memo to all staff about this error, as well as map to the newsdesk to define the area.
Inaccuracies undermine the work and credibility of the Advertiser.
I received another e-mail today following our feature on the Boat Race where the picture caption described the cox at the "front" of the boat as opposed to the bow. Again a fair point, it wasn't inaccurate since visually the cox was seated at the front of the boat.
It is about terminology and one wonders if we had printed the word bow whether all readers would have determined where the Shivenham-based cox, Nick Brodie, was seated in the Oxford boat.

Finally, thanks for the comments about the Adver poster idea, and as for Wanda...you're a wicked lady! I don't think the Adver readers would put up with a full-size poster of me. Anyway, it would only stretch to three double pages!