Back in June, I spotted a story in
The Telegraph that immediately roused my interest. Not because of its subject matter (
jogger becomes the “first man in Britain to suffer a 'twinjury' – an injury sustained while using Twitter”), but because of the unlikelihood of such a story coming to light in the press.
It
all seemed too contrived: from the assertion it was ‘Britain’s first’
(how could anyone know?) through to the ‘twinjury’ name and the
PR-friendly quotation (“I guess you could say I feel a right Twit.”)
Similarly, the description of the jogger as an “office worker” was
unnecessarily vague.
A quick Google search revealed the
‘twinjury’ victim worked at PR and news agency 72Point. This definitely
casts doubt on the story’s credibility – although that’s not to argue
it wasn’t true. My point at the time (implied in
a seemingly innocuous blog post) was that even the most rudimentary research by the journalist would have given this a different perspective.
(Unfortunately,
my post culminated in a number of angry comments and even a
strongly-worded phone rant from 72Point, directed at my office.)
So today, upon reading about a burger
“dubbed Britain’s largest and most fattening”,
I had a feeling I’d seen this structure somewhere before. Sure enough,
the restaurant is based in Bristol, also home of a 72Point division.
(They also showcase the coverage
on their site.)
72Point
has clearly tapped into a certain hunger in the media. They understand
the value of a highly visual and quirky 'stranger than fiction' story –
especially asserting the ‘country’s first’ in something, however
dubious that might be.
But what’s in it for them? Do they get
payment for the copy, or perhaps copyright on the photo? Or is it just
for the free chips? It’d be interesting to know what business model
exists behind the formula, before I can spot the next example.
(And if anyone from 72Point calls for me this afternoon, please tell them I’m dead. Thanks!)
