Anatomy of a ‘Lewisham’ newspaper: the ghost is given up

I’d like to start this blog with a caveat. I don’t want to give individual local journalists a hard time. Most are highly competent, talented, bright, rounded, curious human beings. Given a bit of space and time, they would do great work. Many, in spite of all the obstacles and constraints, still manage to produce brilliant articles, compelling investigations and great features.

I suspect this would be true of the few people who still report at the News Shopper, the main newspaper serving our area, distributed (if that’s the right description for the ever-smaller pile plonked in Lewisham Shopping Centre Sainsbury’s) every Wednesday.

But I picked up a copy of the Lewisham and Catford edition of News Shopper today, and something had to be said. After all, this remains the main printed source of news serving our local community (beyond the council-produced quarterly Lewisham Life).

Here’s an abridged run-through of the paper, starting with the cover wrap, as it’s known in the trade: an advert wrapping itself around the main paper that’s sold (in theory) at a premium. Some traditionalists don’t like cover wraps but I think they are fair game these days. In these straitened times, newspapers have got to (at least try to) make ends meet.

A schoolboy stabbed in Lewisham… but who would know?

A teenage schoolboy was stabbed in Lewisham yesterday afternoon. Back in the day, this would have made front page news in the local paper – particularly as police were involved in further altercations as they attempted to cordon off the area.

Not so in this era of hollowed-out local press coverage. Until now the only public information we had to go on was one Lewisham Police tweet as below.

Officers dealing with a stabbing victim were attacked by school children this evening in Clarendon rise whilst trying to maintain a cordon

— Lewisham MPS (@MPSLewisham) July 20, 2017

I only knew marginally more as it was yards from where I live, my usual route home cordoned off with blue and white tape.

A stabbing I was told by police at the scene as forensic evidence was gathered at the top of Limes Grove. Not fatal they said, with one adding that it was “schoolchildren getting overexcited” as the end of term approached.

It happened after schools finished for the day. One local woman reportedly tended to the victim, still feeling a pulse when the medics arrived.

A helicopter landed at the scene, swooping over nearby rooftops before landing in Clarendon Rise, with one eyewitness identifying it as an air ambulance.

With no sign of any local news coverage more than a day on, I asked the Met for more information and they gave the following statement:

“Police were called at 15:57hrs on Thursday, 20 July by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) to reports of a male stabbed in Clarendon Rise, SE13.

Officers and LAS attended and found a large crowd gathered and a boy – aged 14 – suffering a stab wound. The boy was taken to hospital, his injuries are described as not life-threatening. His next of kin were informed.

While officers initially attended to the victim, fights broke out involving some of those gathered; officers were also targeted. No reports of any injuries.

There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.

Any witnesses, or anyone with any information, can contact police in Lewisham via 101, or via Twitter @MetCC.

To give information anonymously call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.”

Update, July 22:

Two arrests made, apparently, but not for the stabbing. Still no other obvious news reports.

Two female juveniles have been charged with assaulting police and obstruction following the incident at Clarendon rise on Thursday

— Lewisham MPS (@MPSLewisham) July 22, 2017

Lewisham and the Fourth Estate illusion

“A critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy.” Nelson Mandela, 1994