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When the hell is ‘press time’

Reg hack ticked off over clocking off

We are obliged to Cody J. Reeder for pointing out a sloppy bit of journalism by Tim Richardson in his recent piece Cube8 fledgling dies:

Look, I tend to be pretty laid back, and I realize that you all are under a lot of pressure to produce, and I can forgive the occasional typo, and so on.

However, I just cannot take it anymore. I am referring to statements like one in the above mentioned article which says,

"No one from Cube8 was available by press time."

I am constantly seeing that "no one" from this or that company was available by "press time."

BUT YOU DON'T HAVE A "PRESS TIME"!!!!!!!!

You publish on the WEB, for god's sakes! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A "PRESS" MUCH LESS A "PRESS TIME." You can publish whenever you like!! If you want to wait for a comment, THEN WAIT FOR IT!!!! WHEN THE HELL IS "PRESS TIME" ON THE WEB???

It's as bad as here in America (that's U.S. to your Canadian readers), and the bimbette news reader breathlessly announces that they have a "live" update from "the news room." The goddam "news room" is another desk on the other side of the same freaking studio in which Blondie has parked her own bum. And who the hell cares if the "update" is "live." What's the alternative? Dead? Ananova?

I know that fun is fun, and that old habits are hard to break, especially in a trade such as journalism, but please try! After all, you don't end your articles with "###" or "-30-" or some archaism like that. So let's please forget the flipping "press time." OK? Just say, "The arrogant bastards can't be bothered to call us back." It's so much more straightforward.

Sorry about the confusion. What "press time" actually means is "pub time", as in "the arrogant bastards couldn't be bothered to call us back by pub time".

When the clock strikes six at Vulture Central, all activity is immediately terminated, however important. There then follows an ugly stampede to the nearest hostelry where hacks indulge in the holy beer-taking ceremony.

The only 'press' involved is in wave upon wave of gasping journos fighting to get to the bar. Hope that clarifies things.

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