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WHO'S JUMPING JAB LINE-UP FOR VIRUS IN ROCHDALE?
NICK STATHAM of the local Rochdale democracy service, in last Saturday's Rochdale Observer delivered front-page story entited: 'Warning to Covid queue jumpers' with a byline 'Evidence some school staff have been "gaming" the system'.
On page 7 of the same Ob. issue he claims: 'A leaked emal from Rochdale council to all headteachers in the borough said some staff had been using an "inappropriaterly-shared" link intended only for NHS workers.' Furthermore, according to Gail Hopper head of children's services, this practice could 'scupper the borough's attempts to hit its vaccination targets, and even lead to doses being withheld by government.'
And Mr. Statham continues: 'The message reads: "Rochdale has a tight target to vaccinate all care home residents over 75 years and "clinically extreamely vunerable" residents, along with NHS and social care staff by February - if sufficent vaccine supplies reach us. This is a really challenging target. For every vaccine given to someone outside the priority groups, the risk is increased of our most vulnerable residents being delayed in receiving it".'
The message warns: 'The publicity of this happening would be very damaging for the borough. It will also increase the risk that NHSE cancels future supplies until it can be assured that the borough follows required process.'
COUNCIL CONFIRM COVID WARNING LEAK
A spokesman for Rochdale councile has confirmed that an e-mail was sent out to the Rochdale schools in the borough.
Their statement concluded: 'This letter was about a wider concern over the vaccination booking link being shared inappropriately, which has happening in many areas of the country. the letter is not about a specific school but an attempt to prevent abuse of the system.'
A LACK of INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN ROCHDALE
It is worth mentioning that local journalism in Rochdale in recent times has been notable for its lack of curiousity and penitrating investigative powers. The journalist Nick Starham himself was drafted in from Ludlow to take on the role of 'democracy service' to manage to see that local reports are circulated regularly and that the locals are informed about what's going on in their area.
It has not worked well, because the effect in the local media including the Rochdale Observer, Rochdale Online, and even the Manchester Evening News, has been that what we have got is a form of megaphone journalism in which people in power like the Rochdale Council issue press statements and the local news outlets obediently echo what they have to say. In normal circumstances Northern Voices would have welcomed the revelation of this leaked e-mail by Nick Statham. Perhaps we would have even labelled it an exclusive. But it does take much imagination to consider that this e-mail was deliberately leaked to the media by the top brass at Rochdale Council to distract the public from the fact that local councillors themselves have found a way of side-stepping the vaccination process and getting the innoculated ahead of schedule.
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2 comments:
It's unlikely that our so called ' Local ' mainstream media such as Rochdale Online , Rochdale Observer or Manchester Evening News would have even covered the story had rumours not been circulating locally online
Interestingly The Mill claimed the story as an EXCLUSIVE on 2nd February ( Please see their link at : https://manchestermill.co.uk/p/exclusive-council-accuses-school )
Investigative journalism of the calibre we deserve does not exist locally in our Mainstream Media which is nothing short of scandalous in the age of the information highway and the world-wide-web. The Rochdale Observer has been reduced to a few slim pages of sycophantic sloppy copy and past ' journalism ' acting as a corporate broadsheet for the local status quo and political class .It's once vibrant letters page has degenerated to pasting inane Facebook comments from mostly non-attributable sources whilst a third of the remainder of most pages are taken up with The Leaders Blog - or the Thought of Chairman Brett
Expect it to be reduced further still into a mere insert in the Manchester Evening News anytime soon if sales continue to plummet. They hardly even bother to update their official Facebook page anymore
Rochdale Online too is a pale shadow of its former self dependent on advertising to continue it is in no position to bite the hand that feeds it or come even close to rocking the boat even though they must be fully aware the said boat is fast sinking under the weight of local corruption and cronyism. Exactly the same kind of subservient and docile press that allowed the 1970s culture in which Smith to flourish without holding him to account.
Thank God for Northern Voices ! : Perhaps it is finally time to relaunch RAP ?
They'd have had enough material for a double edition twice a week with the corrupt shower we have in local politics now. They'd have made total soya mince of the new generation of charlatans & corporate clones currently running our town into the gutter.
All the shinny new shopping units in the world wont conceal the rank stench of corruption seeping out of the body-politic and onto the streets
On local vaccination roll out there are unconfirmed reports coming through this morning that Rochdale Council has finally been publicly shamed into prioritising homeless people for Covid19 #vaccinations
Good to see this rapid(ish) U-turn put them in the company of progressive and humane councils who already occupy the moral high ground on this issue. Better late than never !
Congratulations are in order to Northern Voices for being the ONLY local media outlet to highlight an issue that has met with complete silence from both Rochdale Observer and Rochdale Online and the the readership of NV who have brought collective pressure to bear on our local councillors
Shows what can be achieved when we stand together in common purpose
Lets now use that power to turn the spotlight of publicity onto the shady practices , corruption and nepotism of our moribund councillor class
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