Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:When you're in a hole, stop digging. Firstly, I don't need to employ journalistic standards on here - I'm on a forum and it's an issue which you brought up here.
I don't feel I'm in a hole. But whatever. Yes, you're on a forum, but I was referring to a news story, not a forum post.
Secondly, if you regard yourself as my 'staff', probably best not to go on to a public forum calling a colleague's decent work a 'non-story'
OK, fair point. And I did apologise for bringing it up in public. Just a thought though - as you are the editor of the site, you are its figurehead. Would I be wrong to suggest a figurehead's conduct should be better than that of his staff? I could come or go, you could say I'm not welcome anymore, so be it. But whatever other people do, it's your name that's associated with the site. Now, before you give me any more grief for inappropriate analogies, I'm not for one minute comparing you with these people, but I'm just using them as examples of websites being associated with their editors. BBN and Kevin Taylor, BoxingTalk and Greg Leon, UKBP and Spud (I know Ben was the top guy there but Spud had a control capacity). Again, that's not to say you're anything like them. Your record speaks for itself and you command - and have earned - respect. But it's just a pre-emptive line in case you might counter that what you say here is not important to the site. I'm just some guy who occasionally writes about boxing, but you are someone in an important role on one of the most important boxing websites. You are a good bloke and cussing people out doesn't behoove you.
As for the "caveats", they weren't written to suggest I didn't mean it, but they were meant to soften the tone, and I never did intend the tone to be anything other than soft. It was hardly an important point anyway. It was ribbing at most, and while ribbing usually has its grounds in truth, that doesn't mean it can't be done in fun. And my expanding on the point does not dilute my claim that it was not to be taken seriously. You turned it serious by using offensive language. That the language was offensive showed you you were upset so my expanding of the point was an attempt to explain why I said what I said, and I couldn't very well do that without it being what you called a "lecture".
Unlike you, I actually used an emoticon re 'thick' to reflect I was having a laugh! So you can't have it both ways.
Exactly what I was thinking re. having it both ways. You get upset when I didn't intend for that, then say I can't get upset with your words because you didn't intend for that. I used Zelenoff for comic relief, you used an emoticon. Neither one served its purpose. But if you can take offence, then so can I. That's not having it both ways. And what's more offensive - the opinion that something has little news value (and whether you consider the opinion valid or not, I expressed my reasons), or calling someone a "cock", telling them to "fck right off" or insinuating they're "thick"?