Media: The Word on the Street

A CURIOUS ad for sub-editors in yesterday's Guardian advises applicants that they will be "handling work from Guardian journalists" and so will have to be "diplomatic but firm." Perhaps someone should have been diplomatic but firmer with Guardian media pundit Roy Greenslade. Writing in yesterday's paper, he analyses the tabloids' silly season stories about Prince William, not least the excessive coverage of the young prince's appearance in dark glasses at a polo tournament where, Greenslade admits, "he didn't do or say anything of great note". Greenslade is particularly scornful of the stories focusing on the prince wearing supposedly "cool" sunglasses, calling that coverage "tripe". But Greenslade forgets to mention one guilty "tabloid", the tabloid G2 section of The Guardian which had as its cover story recently "The Making of a Modern Prince", complete with sunglasses.

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WHEN HE started at the BBC in 1970 Noel Edmonds received hate mail from fans of the sacked Kenny Everett, whom he replaced. Millions of pounds richer, Edmonds has astutely fired off his own acerbic parting shot to the corporation on the back of the Des Lynam defection. Edmonds said he was leaving because the BBC has become "boring". BBC executives are sanguine about that, though a little surprised to hear it from Edmonds: it is not many months since he was discussing ideas for new shows on the same BBC.

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OH TO be a fly on the wall at the next discussion between The Mirror and representatives of Carling Black Label. Under a story last Friday about the lager's rising sales and a headline "I bet they ALL drink Carling Black Label" was a table one suspects belonged elsewhere. It showed the percentage of British holiday-makers suffering from diarrhoea at different resorts.

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THE INSCRUTABLE language of editors following a take-over: Ekow Eshun, who is standing down as editor of the men's magazine Arena a month after its take-over by Emap Metro, says: "Inevitably, when a company takes over you look at where you are and assess your own position... Leaving the editor's chair gives me more flexibility to explore other media." Even better is the resounding non sequitur from new editorial director Ashley Heath, formerly editor of Arena Homme Plus: "There is fantastic talent in this building, but we will be bringing new people in."