The not so timely Brisbane Times
I’ve mentioned the Brisbane Times before in a rather positive light. But lately, as I’ve visited the site more frequently, I’ve noticed some major flaws that I’d like to point out.
Firstly, a lot of the stories are just lightly rewritten press releases, stories lifted straight from the AAP wire or worse, rewritten stories from other news organisations. Where’s the journalism?
Secondly, the style is rather racy and tabloid-inspired - not to my liking, especially when it comes to headline writing (take, for example, two stories on the site today: Penis is schoolbag: kiddie porn or just child’s play? and Man’s ‘genitals set alight before he was shot’).
But the biggest problem, for me, is the lack of local content. For a website that bills itself as Brisbane-based, there is often precious little local content on the site – especially compared to the rival Courier Mail website.
In addition, the Courier Mail often beats the Brisbane Times by hours when reporting on breaking news. I know which site is my first port of call.
Maybe I’m biased. The Courier Mail is News Limited and so am I! But I’d like to see some current circulation figures to see if others have noticed the flaws.
