In times of fairly recent memory, the mainstream media (MSM) talked about the goings-on in the countryside in a markedly different way to what we see today.
Phil Drabble appeared weekly on our screens, twinkling on about sheep and dogs, fell hounds, and uplands. Jack Hargreaves sat in his shed entertaining viewers with everything from fowling and ploughing to flyfishing and dwile flonking — a pub game for the initiated. The results of the Waterloo Cup were published in all broadsheets. Newspapers carried a weekend angling section.
That is not to say that the MSM of 30 years ago was a nirvana of procountry sports journalism.
Animal rights types still had their letters to the editor published. Hunting received a regular going over by programmes like Panorama. The Glorious Twelfth was frequently portrayed in the red tops as being not all that glorious.
I have long thought that field sports’ slow decline in MSM is not a conspiracy; simply a reflection of society today. I was delighted when I had these suspicions confirmed by Guy Adams (Why shooting should stay in the shadows, 22 April). Our image ‘problem’ is not the fault of a biased BBC or because newspapers are prejudiced, it is simply due to the fact that they just aren’t that into us.
Polarising
Today, however, neither radio and TV producers nor newspaper editors, command the exclusive right over who is heard or what is shown.
Esta historia es de la edición July 29, 2020 de Shooting Times & Country.
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Esta historia es de la edición July 29, 2020 de Shooting Times & Country.
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United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside