It’s All Tittle Tattle You Know?

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Yesterday in the House of Commons’ Culture Media and Sport Committee meeting about ‘The future for local and regional media’ Adrian Sanders MP dismissed everything written on ‘the web’ as Tittle Tattle, in a heated exchange with Sion Simon MP, Minister for Creative Industries.

Sion Simon MP cited this site when answering questions about who would deal with council news if a local paper was no longer being printed.


Sion Simon MP (Labour, Birmingham Erdington)
“Who will go to the council? Hyper-local news-sites like Pits n Pots in Stoke on Trent will go to the council meetings – as they do. Stoke on Trent has got a successful local newspaper but it also has a very successful hyperlocal news site in Pits n Pots who, if you want to know, what’s happening in the council and behind the back stairs in the council and everything to do with local government in Stoke on Trent you’re at least as likely to go to Pits n Pots as you are to go to the Stoke Sentinel.”


Adrian Sanders MP (Liberal Democrat, Torbay) – Interrupts
I’m not convinced.


Sion Simon MP (Labour, Birmingham Erdington)
The point here is that it is news that’s important and it’s scrutiny of democracy that’s important to the citizen and we need to be clear that as it migrates from one platform it migrates sometimes onto another”¦


Adrian Sanders MP (Liberal Democrat, Torbay) – Interrupts
But it’s not news, it’s just tittle tattle, which is what you appear to be describing as the alternative to the Stoke Sentinel which you’ve just mentioned.


Sion Simon MP (Labour, Birmingham Erdington)
Have you read Pits n Pots?


Adrian Sanders MP (Liberal Democrat, Torbay)
No [Disdainfully]


Sion Simon MP (Labour, Birmingham Erdington)
It’s frankly a bit rich of you to dismiss it as tittle tattle if you don’t know anything about it.


Adrian Sanders MP (Liberal Democrat, Torbay)
It’s a website


Sion Simon MP (Labour, Birmingham Erdington)
That doesn’t make it “¦.. You think that anything that’s online is tittle tattle?


Adrian Sanders MP (Liberal Democrat, Torbay)
I think, most of it “¦


Sion Simon MP (Labour, Birmingham Erdington)
I think that’s a ridiculous view.


Adrian Sanders MP (Liberal Democrat, Torbay)
Most of what’s online is indeed tittle tattle, and opinion.

Adrian Sanders MP did not make it clear in his discussion as to whether it was only tittle tattle if you only published on the web as we do, or if he thought the content of the BBC, the Sentinel, the Birmingham Post & Mail websites were also tittle tattle.

The video of the meeting can be viewed on the link below, you need to fast forward to about 1 hr

BBC Today In Parliament has edited audio at about 18 minutes

Thanks to Richard Taylor for the use of excerpts from the transcript of the exchange, the full transcript can be viewed on Richards site on the link below.

Have Your Say

  • Sid

    So, it would seem that PnP is good enough for government ministers but not for our council press boffs eh?
    Seriously guys well done you deserve the national recognition you are getting.
    Proud to be STOKE!

  • Mike Rawlins

    It would seem not.

    Such is life

  • Ian Norris

    didn’t he also belittle The Sentinel too, “stoke sentinel is it?” or words to that effect.. a horrid little man, looking down on all around him

  • Gary Elsby

    And who knows more than Sion about the internet than he?

    Who knows how much trouble you can get into than he?

  • Mike Rawlins

    Very true Gary. Have you ever met Sion?

  • Gary Elsby

    No, but check out his youtube escapade which made headline news on SKY.
    Undoubtedly, Sion is sharp as a razor,along with his pal Tom (noice to see you drop in Tom).

    The whole Westminster village is tuned into pits n pots because of recent events and a forthcoming court case.

  • web monkey

    Wow, how big must the PNP team smiles be. You know when you’ve made it big time, when you cause MP’s to have a verbal agrument.

    Nice one.

  • webby

    http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=5319

    Fast forward to 1h 1 minute for the start of this part of the discussion. 1h 4minutes for the mention of PNP.

  • Mike Rawlins

    I asked Adrian Sanders MP for in interview, I got a prompt polite reply from him but for some reason he didn’t answer my request..


    Dear Mr Rawlins


    The background to this is a select committee enquiry “ËœThe Future for Local and Regional Media’. In select committees MPs ask questions of the witnesses, not the other way round. In this case the witness was the Minister responsible for Creative Industries. From his answers it appeared to me that he has time to surf the net, but not help prevent the closure of local newspapers and the loss of skilled jobs. In that context when compared to a local newspaper most of what appears on the web is tattle-tattle and opinion.


    That is not the same as saying a particular website is tittle-tattle and opinion, although as if to make my case for me a couple of websites have published their own opinions that the exchange was me expressing that view. Had they been present, or watched the entire exchange, they would have realised I was commenting generally in a heated exchange with the Minister.


    I have no doubt there is an important role for hyperlocal sites to play scrutinising local decision making but I would see this as complimentary to a local newspaper, not as its replacement. A plural system is always preferable to a monopoly whether on-line or dead-tree.


    Yours sincerely


    Adrian

  • webby

    Isn’t surfing the net and saving news papers all the same thing. No one wonder the industry is in such a mess if those two principles aren’t understood.

  • Shaun Bennett

    For the first time ever I actually agree with Sion Simon. PitsnPots seems to have become THE premier local news site for council news, factual analysis, coverage of important meetings and general gossip.

    Some may still bury their heads in the sand and try to pretend that it doesn’t exist, but anyone who is anyone in the City (secretly at least) keeps an eye on what the site is reporting.

    Thats a testiment to the success of Tony and the rest of the team.

  • Gary Elsby

    “I’m not saying she is responsible for swine flu, I’m just saying that when she sung on ‘Britain’s got talent’, more people got swine flu”.

    Sion Simon MP.

    Another gem that got him in more trouble.

  • Shaun Bennett

    My goodness, Gary is now (brace yourself Mr Brown) CRITICISING Labour MPs! Openly!

    You really are standing as an Independent against Labour aren’t you Gary?

  • Pooter

    Well he’s right if what he’s saying is ‘abandon the usual channels of communication at your peril’.

    Al of us here have access to the internet so it follows that we all know all manner of things can be posted up as ‘fact’.

    But he’s wrong if he thinks everything said via this medium is nonsense, and when in 5/10 years?, what used to pass as newspapers have gone the way of the Dodo, what’s he going to do then?

    I suspect he and his ilk will promptly set about censoring sites like this so that only approved postings get published – just like the sown up newspapers are now.

    Here’s where people that set up and run sites like this stand up and be counted.

  • Pooter

    Mike,

    why should he? I suspect that I and anyone else he didn’t know would have got the same reply.

  • Adam Colclough

    Everything written on the net is just tittle tattle.

    Yes, and travelling by steam train will make your head explode and that funny turny round thing called the wheel will never catch on. I do so love how up to the minute and with it some of our MP’s are.

    Seriously, PnP must be doing somethig right if its winding up a stuffed shirt like Adrian Sanders; keep up the good work.

  • David Jack

    Nope, not every thing written on the net is mere tittle tattle, i am facing a high court case for libel against a theiving two faced lying business scam, although a high court injunction prevents me from naming them until after the trial, i obviously stand by every word i said about cartel….. ooopppss gone and bust me injunction!!!!

  • Pooter

    Are you serious David? If so right or wrong I applaud this unseemly – for a Politician – show of passion and commitment.

    And remember, should you go to jail it’s going to be one hell of a thing for Shawn to top (given his Mum I mean).

  • David Jack

    Yes seriously Pooter, i have taken one of the biggest firms on as a scam worth £200 million pounds and are facing them and theior solicitors in the high court. The MoJ and SRA have failed and the OFT are useless, someone has to stand up.

  • Gary Elsby

    On the contrary Shaun, I found his comment on Susan Boyle quite amusing.

    Cut and pasting someones comments is quite easy.

    If you want to see genius, take a look at his youtube masterpiece.

  • Gary Elsby

    Check this out: search

    sion simon t*** t*** t*** video.

    who’s holding the camera?

    they got hammered for this but I came to realise that it was a bit of fun.