Union Safety - Official Website of NW BT Union Health and Safety Coordinators Committee: Dog Attack Epidemic 20 Hurt Every Day

banner unionsafete

Readers will remember the headlines earlier this month regarding an article about Dangerous Dog Attacks and the victims which also featured comments from Dave Joyce, CWU's Health, Safety, and Environment National Officer; that it was to appear in the Sunday 30th July edition of the Daily Mail.

Yet it wasn't!

Dave had been told by the reporter from the Mail that it was being held back until the Sunday Edition where it would get more space and a better position in the paper. He could not guarantee this of course, nor the length of the article that appeared. That was dependent on the Editor and sub-eitor of course.

After raising the question with the Mail as to why the article was not in the Sunday edition, Dave was told that it had been published with the headline: 'Scotland’s dog attack ‘epidemic’: 20 hurt every day'; in the Saturday edition instead, with the article length cut back!

Dave had been told by the reporter from the Mail that it was being held back until the Sunday Edition where it would get more space and a better position in the paper.

He could not guarantee this of course, nor the length of the article that appeared. That was dependent on the Editor and sub-editor of course.

After raising the question with the Mail as to why the article was not in the Sunday edition, Dave was told that it had been published with the headline: 'Scotland's dog attack 'epidemic': 20 hurt every day'; in the Saturday edition instead, with the article length disappointingly cut back and buried on page 44!

Of course unless you are a regular reader of the Mail, you wouldn't have known that and probably went out on Sunday to buy a copy as you looked forward to reading a serious report on the injuries sustained and the very sad number of deaths still being caused by irresponsible owners of dangerous dogs.

When you look through the bulky Daily Mail and the type of articles being given huge copy space throughout the paper, you can see the news priorities of the Daily Mail and it is clear that dangerous dogs and the injuries and deaths to their human victims; is a far lesser priority than things like the garbage new Barbie film!

This exemplifies just how difficult it is to get news from a Trade Union perspective reported in the print and broadcast media in this country - even when the Trade Union concerned has played a major part in addressing the issues, which in this case also includes the CWU National Officer responsible for the Union's 'Bite Back' campaign; playing a major role as advisor to the Scottish Government led working group set up to advise and assist with reviewing the Dangerous Dogs Act.

This was reported by Unionsafety and some of the national press in February 2022 (see link below)

Meanwhile, the full text of the article that quotes Dave Joyce on the issue of dangerous dog attacks can be read by clicking on the image to the right, which will take allow you to download the article as it appeared in Saturday's edition of the Mail.

Meanwhile, the full text of the article that quotes Dave Joyce on the issue of dangerous dog attacks can be read by clicking on the image to the right, which will allow you to download the article as it appeared in Saturday's edition of the Mail.

Source: unionsafety / Daily Mail / CWU