The Mirror of MA's stories
Snifter was in the pub on Sunday, enjoying a roast and reading the Sunday papers.
He had thumbed through most of the big ones and was winding-up with an apple crumble and a copy of the Sunday Mirror.
When a paper's called "Mirror", Snifter didn't realise it actually meant a mirror of stories found in the Morning Advertiser.
He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a story entitled "Kids' £10 pub ID racket", which was almost a carbon copy of what had appeared in the MA a few days before.
Sunday Mirror reporter Stephen Hayward's cut and paste facility must've been working overtime as quotes like "bloody dangerous" and "they break every moral code - it is a cynical exploitation of children" appear as if he had spoken to the BII (British Institute of Innkeepers) himself.
Snifter wouldn't have minded so much if Hayward had at least attributed the story to the Morning Advertiser.
After all MA reporter John Harrington had spent a long time chasing the story and even ordered his very own unofficial ID.
And all Hayward did was exercise that aforementioned cut and paste facility.
Perhaps the quote should read: 'it's a cynical exploitation of the Morning Advertiser.'
So you can imagine Snifter's dismay when he turned a couple more pages and found the tale of McMullen's brewery having to pay £25,000 to protect a family
of newts.
This story appeared on page three of last week's Morning Advertiser.
Snifter has noticed that the Sunday red top rips-off MA stories on a regular basis, but he thinks this is one story the paper won't reproduce - although you never know.
