Daily Mail

Rhys

Moderator
Links to stories, caving and otherwise, from the Daily Mail are quite often posted on this forum. I'd like people to strongly consider NOT POSTING links to that particular website. Also I'd like people to strongly consider NOT CLICKING on any such links if they are posted. My opinion, and that of many others, is that the Daily Mail is a poisonous publication full of hateful bile. You might think that using their website is fine because you're not paying to buy the paper, but it's a commercial website with lots of advertisers. Every click it receives means more cash from advertisers to the Daily Mail to fund their hate campaigns.

So, please don't post and please don't click.

Note: I am writing this as an individual and not as a moderator of this forum - it's my own personal view. I won't be censoring any links, because that's not how we work here. It's your free choice, but I'd like people to at least consider the consequences of clicking and consider using links to other sources - there are plenty!

Rhys
 

TheBitterEnd

Well-known member
Whilst I sympathize to some extent with your point-of-view, a quick Google suggests that the Mail Website is getting many millions of unique page views per day. A few dozen lost or gained from UKC is not going to make them change their political stance. However increasing the hit rate specifically on caving stories will encourage them to do more of them which may a) encourage other media to do the same and b) put some more money in the pockets of cave photographers.
 

Bottlebank

New member
Rhys,

Using that argument we'd have to stop posting links caving stories in most papers, be they full of left or right wing rubbish. The BBC is a great site, but with a definite tendency to left wing views, the Guardian the same. The Times, Mail and others are right wing.

I'm an atheist but I'd post a link to the Vatican site if it was cave related.

I'm with TheBitterEnd.
 

Blakethwaite

New member
Blooming heck, is UKCaving now an off-shot of the GLC? Should we stop using the term 'yellow suits' for fear of upsetting the Chinese?

Personally I can't stand the rag but I find it less repellent than politically motivated censorship...
 

graham

New member
I'm with Rhys on this one. That newspaper is vile and its owners are vile people who should not be encouraged in any way.

This has nothing to do with left or right wing politics and everything to do with peddling hate speech.

Blakethwaite said:
Personally I can't stand the rag but I find it less repellent than politically motivated censorship...

Don't get carried away. Rhys quite specifically said that no censorship was involved.
 

mrodoc

Well-known member
I am rather amused.  The Daily Mail is a figure of fun to most people and to doctors excellent hypertensive material. I used to get patients regularly turning up with clippings asking me to prescribe the latest wonder drug for their complaint on the basis of a poorly researched and edited article. I had great pleasure once in telling somebody they were not going to get this year's Daily Mail wonder drug because they were taking last year's Daily Mail wonder drug but they obviously hadn't read that article.
 

Bottlebank

New member
Rhys asked us to strongly consider not posting links to the Mail because he doesn't share it's views - that's at least attempted censorship in my book.

I don't share many of the Mail's views either but I wouldn't dream of telling someone not to read it. I suspect most of it's readers only look at the pictures anyway.
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Blimey ! Do cave photographers actually get paid for their work ? Only when its mis represented perhaps as Amy well knows. That excellent photo of Dan Yr Ogof labeled as The Frozen Deep. The latter discovered by Dr Peter Glanvill. No I wont post a link to that wretched web site.
 

Bottlebank

New member
Searching for "cave" on the Vatican web site produces 573 hits.

Last time I checked they were still a bunch of bigoted men in dresses (each to their own), and have spent a couple of thousand years aggressively preaching a lot of things I don't agree with but I feel I ought to post a link anyway:

http://gsearch.vatican.va/search?btnG=Search+on&site=default_collection&client=default_frontend&output=xml_no_dtd&proxystylesheet=default_frontend&sort=date:D:L:d1&entsp=a__policy_documenti&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&ud=1&exclude_apps=1&filter=0&ulang=en&ip=109.145.37.191&access=p&entqr=3&entqrm=0&q=cave

Couldn't find any decent photo's though, but there are some here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?sel=site&searchPhrase=cave

 

Rhys

Moderator
TheBitterEnd said:
Whilst I sympathize to some extent with your point-of-view, a quick Google suggests that the Mail Website is getting many millions of unique page views per day. A few dozen lost or gained from UKC is not going to make them change their political stance. However increasing the hit rate specifically on caving stories will encourage them to do more of them which may a) encourage other media to do the same and b) put some more money in the pockets of cave photographers.

I've never read any caving article in the Daily Mail of any value -generally they're innaccurate and sensationalist. They have pretty pictures, but you can probably see those elsewhere. A reduction in viewers from UKC may well be a drop in the ocean for the Daily Mail, but that's not a good reason to carry on clicking. If everyone thought that way, nothing would ever change. Large trees grow from small acorns, or something like that... I suspect the number of UKC members looking at caving stories is also a drop in the ocean. In any case, protecting the income of a hand full of cave photographers is really not my concern.

I may well be a bit of a left-leaner in my political views, but it isn't the political view of the Mail that really gets my goat; it's the lies and hatred that they peddle.

I may have posted to their content in the past and I have clicked on their links, but I have come to a decison not to do so again. I'd like others to think about it and do the same. Like I said, it's everyones free choice - this is in no way censorship.
 

Bottlebank

New member
Not sure which is worse - the Mail's confused explanations or looking at hundreds of random photo's with no explanation :)

You've missed my point Rhys, I don't particularly like the Mail either, but I dislike being told what to think far more.

This is a caving forum, why not leave the political stuff for a political forum?
 

Rhys

Moderator
You've missed my point. I can't and won't tell you what to think or what to do. Armed with the facts, you have to make that decision yourself.

I'd just like people to think before they post or click. If they don't want to, well, that's up to them.

Yes, this is a caving forum, but it's always had and always will have an "Idle chat" section for cavers to chat about whatever they wish.  Are you trying to censor me?! ;-)
 

darren

Member
I did originally write a lengthy and considered comment suggesting that the Mail reflected the views of it millions of readers and as such it seemed a bit harsh to criticize it for pandering to its readership, we have all got to earn a living after all.

Then I though f*** it I can't be arsed.
 

Antwan

Member
I would never buy it unless I ran out of bog paper and dock leaves. I do however get some amusement from reading the bollocks articles some folk re-post because they think it be the gospel truth. But don't just stop with the daily mail, I'm still waiting for the mega snow storms forcast by the daily express! I didn't stock up on 12 ton of road salt for nothing  :LOL:
 
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