Charles on… anything that comes along

Readers of the Daily Mail (obviously, you didn’t pay for it) will have noticed that many of the stories have email addresses for the reporters at the end, in the form a.reporter@dailymail.co.uk. And probably thought those were a great way to personally tell that reporter some news tip, or upbraid them for completely ignoring the facts demonstrating, say, that the Bible Code is a load of rubbish.

Ooh no. Turns out that if you email that address then apart from getting a form response (”Thank you for your email.. cannot reply to all…”) it also goes forward into a completely open queue that the news desk can also read. So mates of said reporter are warned not to send anything in the least bit personal in case it gets used against them by the news desk, as it undoubtedly will; one person was given a formal warning at Associated Newspapers (the Mail’s parent) for smiling. And, as I recall, writing a cheque for their gas bill.

As it happens, there will be an opening - or at least a vacancy - for a science reporter at the Daily Mail from September. I’m definitely not applying for that one.

These posts might be related (the database thinks..):
• Thought for the day: an Eastender's email (20 February 2005; score: 30.75%)
• What the 42-years-deaf person said about her cochlear implant (1 September 2006; score: 30.5%)
• It seemed like a good title at the time (15 July 2004; score: 29.67%)