Comments on: The case of the vanishing school

By: darren

darren — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 09:56:53 +0000

Left hand – right hand .. Government – Real World ..

By: Joanna

Joanna — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:45:02 +0000

Good summary of events Pete.

Nick: Yes, hands up. I’m dead sorry I didn’t mention the blogs in my first article. I’m glad putting the sources in the second went some way to remedying that error.

The truth was we had known about the Brit School for weeks! We had heard rumours that it was in negotiation and would likely be announced by a minister on December 13th.

However, we couldn’t get the rumours officially substantiated (believe me I tried). Then, suddenly, it started appearing on blogs in black and white. It rather took me by surprise, given how tight-lipped everyone was being about it, so I figured something was awry.

I think the first time I saw it was on the Conservation Trust blog (which is in my Google Reader – sustainability is an interest).

What you said about the city council press office worries me though. One would have thought your call should have set off alarm bells, especially as they hadn’t yet announced the plans for the school.

By: brenda

brenda — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:14:19 +0000

Good grief. Does that mean I need to change it in my CV, I wonder?

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:05:59 +0000

Nice piece Pete. After spotting this on your site and adding it to the Birmingham Conservation Trust site I got a touch riled to see the post front page piece implying weeks of investigation. For Joanna to acknowledge one understanding of the flow of information in print is good news.

I’m not suggesting their first piece was wrong – I do appreciate the acknowledgement of a collaborative uncovering.

Before publishing the piece on the BCT blog I called the council press office to check I was understanding the right site. They were a touch lairy about the idea of a blog being media and didn’t call back with confirmation of any facts. That is one advantage still carried by the Post.

By: Pete Ashton

Pete Ashton — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 22:51:34 +0000

BCU is UCE. They did a name change the other month. Oddly I’ve already gotten used to it 100%.

By: brenda

brenda — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 22:15:49 +0000

What’s a Birmingham City University? There was always talk of amalgamating Aston and B’ham Unis, but it was an over-my-dead-body option to the respective power brokers in both institutions which did tend to stymie things. Is it about football, or has the dreaded merger come to pass?

By: n

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:56:13 +0000

So how does it feel to be part of the muck-raking fraternity with the likes of Matt Drudge and Adrian Goldberg? Pretty awesome, eh? All without hardly raising a finger. I am now looking forward to a similar sort of reaction when some stuff about Chamberlain House and Highbury Trust gets published.