We would like your views on Northern Rock

Aug 20 2008 by Andrew Hebden, The Journal

HASN’T all the coverage of the Olympics over the past few days been awful? I am sick of seeing happy faces beaming from our front pages, the headlines heralding the long overdue return of “GREAT Britain”.

It’s only cycling, for goodness sake. Why can’t we revert to being a nation of losers?

I am being facetious, of course. It is nice to have some good news on the front pages and it proves journalists aren’t always obsessed with all that’s negative in life.

It is a charge we face quite regularly, especially when it comes to reporting the credit crunch with the doom-mongers omnipresent in the pages of the national press.

The Journal recognises it has a responsibility to be balanced in its reporting. We report the facts, of course, but we do look for the positive angle where one exists.

Our coverage of the Northern Rock crisis has been a classic example of this. From day one, we rallied behind the bank, recognising its crucial role as a major employer and supporter of good causes in the North East. Throughout, we’ve focused on helping to secure the bank’s future, rather than trawling through the wreckage of what went wrong and looking to apportion blame.

Next month marks the first anniversary of the run on the bank that sparked its dramatic downfall. At the centrepiece of our coverage to mark this important milestone, we hope to publish the results of a survey launched last week into all aspects of the story of the bank’s demise.

I can understand that there is a willingness in the business community not to dwell on this story and to focus on securing employment for those who have lost their jobs as a result of it. Some may think our survey is just about looking for more “bad news” headlines.

Far from it. We believe that this study will produce the first authoritative report of what North East people think about the way the crisis was handled. That voice has not often been heard amidst the clamouring by those from elsewhere to have their say.

There are good causes for using the anniversary to cast our minds back 12 months. Above all, lessons must be learned to avoid such a crisis ever happening again.

I would like to take this opportunity to urge you to visit www.nebusiness.co.uk and have your say. It could send a powerful message from the region about this important story. And I think that is exactly what a responsible regional newspaper should be encouraging.