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Media Coverage of Alton Towers

Look, this isn't major, significant, dangerous or even unusual. It is just the media patented mix of exasperation and buying stories of idiots. I'm not denying that Alton towers are having a bad (bit of an understatement) year. But this is a usual occurrence. I have noticed in the past that sometimes you do come into the station hard, but I've never needed to go to the medical station. If you did say to the staff that you think you have just been in a major incident, they are more than likely to send you to first aid, just so they're not liable for any actual injures.

Alton towers have done nothing wrong. They are not responsible for this.

Why read the mirror if your going take it seriously. Every sane person knows that it's just to laugh at.
 
I don't accept that advising reporting to the medical centre is a precaution that can be taken after an expected/normal event. The park would not operate a ride where routine operation periodically requires the advising of a visit to the medical centre, that is a bizarre suggestion.

It has consequences in terms of PR and recordable incidents requiring medical care. A more favourable PR statement would have been that the cars nudged each other and no medical attention or further action was necessary.

Just as they didn't call 999 as a precaution after last month's crash, when it was immediately obvious two cars collided and a metal bar was impacted into guests, they wouldn't have done so here without it being deemed too risky not to do so.
 
None of us were on spinball when this happened so I don't think any of us have the right to judge. For all we know the mirrors report could have been 100% accurate and therefore I'm not disregarding it's content.

All I do know is that if this is a regular occurrence (as we know it is first hand) merlin should surely do something to address the problem ie install a preliminary set of brakes so you don't hit the break run so hard.

Rough rides don't bother me but this is a family ride and should be there for comfort as well as enjoyment.
 
AliceHL91 said:
None of us were on spinball when this happened so I don't think any of us have the right to judge. For all we know the mirrors report could have been 100% accurate and therefore I'm not disregarding it's content.
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I'm basing my evaluation on what Alton Towers has been quoted as saying - that the guests were advised to report to the medical centre - and nothing else.
 
Tom said:
I don't accept that advising reporting to the medical centre is a precaution that can be taken after an expected/normal event. The park would not operate a ride where routine operation periodically requires the advising of a visit to the medical centre, that is a bizarre suggestion.
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But they would! Say for example, you whent on Rita, and, due to being unprepared for the launch speed, you hurt your neck. This wouldn't be Alton tower's fault, but the staff are more than likely to SUGGEST that you go to the medical centre just to take away liability. Even in the normal event of two spinball cars bumping into each other in the station, if the riders even act as though they are in pain, the staff, following their policy, should advise you go and seek medical attention. The staff are not medics, and can't say for certain that there isn't any injuries, even if it looks like they're faking it.

Oh, and yeah... don't you think there is a REASON that ambulances aren't called, seen as though it would just cause confusion and crowds being pushed from one end of the park to the other. Alton towers handled the smiler crash really well. They haven't made a single mistake (ok, maybe agreeing to do an interview with kay burley) in terms of media. It is just the parasitic tabloids making the most out of a story that should have ended weeks ago.
 
Tom said:
I don't accept that advising reporting to the medical centre is a precaution that can be taken after an expected/normal event. The park would not operate a ride where routine operation periodically requires the advising of a visit to the medical centre, that is a bizarre suggestion.
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Routine operation does not periodically require the advising of guests to visit the medical centre. Guests were advised to visit the medical centre once. They have not been advised to do so in the past, and like I have said, when it happened with me on-board no one noticed or blinked an eye lid.

Clearly people are looking out more for incidents at Alton Towers. Certain members of the public will know they can grab a bit of fame by witnessing a minor event, going to the media and getting it in the news. This has been happening since the incident on The Smiler (the Air incident when the park re-opened is a perfect example).

If someone didn't feel quite right after this bump (we don't know if feeling this way was a result of the bump, the heat or the spinning/ride itself) then Alton Towers would be showing a lack of care for their guests if they did not advise a precautionary visit to the medical centre. Imagine if the person on the ride went to the media straight after, said what happened and told a story whereby they were involved in a 'crash' and Alton Towers provided no medical care. How does that look? PR disaster. They cannot afford that.

As I said previously, if it was anything like a serious incident requiring medical treatment and a guest went to hospital (by any means) from the park that Alton Towers' would have reported it to the HSE, as this is the law.

We all know Maurer spinners aren't the pinnacle of coaster technology. A tiny little flaw in the system that means there is a tiny bump every so often (similar to two log flume boats bumping into each other at the end of the ride) is really nothing.

I'd love to have seen what opinion's of this occurance were before the incident on The Smiler. I can assure you no-one here would really have cared.

:)
 
Tom said:
I'm basing my evaluation on what Alton Towers has been quoted as saying - that the guests were advised to report to the medical centre - and nothing else.
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Tom has it, they were advised to report to the medical centre
advised
This is just a flim flam story that needs putting to bed.
anything more serious and they would have been told to, or taken to the medical centre
 
The Mirror are running a live update blog of Joe Pugh appearing on This Morning. Wow. Really?

:)
 
Rob said:
The Mirror are running a live update blog of Joe Pugh appearing on This Morning. Wow. Really?

:)
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Went quite well though. Not much the papers could twist (but I wouldn't put it past them!) and he said he wasn't angry at Alton so quite good from a pr stand point.
 
I think the mirror were hoping they'd be able to announce that the crash happened on purpose or something. We all know it was a horrible accident that should have never happened but what matters now is ensuring the victims have a speedy recovery, and that nothing like this happens again, not still trying to sensationalise every tiny detail. Hopefully they will just sod off and leave everyone alone now..
 
Itv have done well, in that they didn't sensationalise too much in th interview with Joe Pugh. In fact, unlike most of the media stories, it is worth watching.
 
It is the this morning team for you. a gentle sensitive interview, that shows everyone in a good light.
Philip is know for his caring interview style, and I personally think Joe and his family picked the right show for his first interview.
 
This Morning have always been good covering sensitive topics. You get a good and fair interview with the TM team.

Best place for Joe to appear publicly, plus it helps that he seems like a level headed and intelligent guy, all very well handled.
 
Difference in reporting style, also a difference in the audience. Sky news reports on news 24/7, not many people watch 24 hour news so they try and get you in by employing people like Kay Burley who will try and hammer a point and get her guest to crack, this gets videos on youtube and people talking about her on twitter. the phrase no such thing as bad publicity springs to mind. Also merlin wont advertise on this channel.

The mirror, if you read private eye and watch some of the news, is at the minute caught up in a phone hacking scandal, that is dragging its arse out and costing a paper, that is struggling financially, a lot of money because people have not been excepting a pay out and will be taking them to court. The mirror needs to get as much money it can either by selling news papers, or by getting people on their website which will bring in revenue via advertising. Merlin don't get pay the mirror group to advertise.

If you'll notice, The scum has died down its reporting on the story, mainly because I think merlin give the scum a lot of money to place offers and advertising in its rag, they seem to be heavily advertising LEGOLAND offers at the min. Will merlin do this if they keep reporting on the incident and attacking merlin? A quick google search of just "the sun alton towers" brings up free tickets. Money talks in the press.

This Morning isn't about attacking corporations, its about the human side. How can we make pensioners and the unemployed cry today. Soft gentle speaking, make the guest comfortable get them too cry if you can, tug at the hearts. Get them to be angry, make the people talk. Plus ITV advertise Merlin products............

I think that this is the underlying point in the way the press report this. I not sure if the scum reported on the incident on sonic. But by the looks of it not as much as the Mirror.
 
I know most of The Sun's articles are only readable online if you have a subscription but of all the papers, tabloids or not, they do seem to have been the quietest on the incident since it happened. One can only imagine that it is related the the free ticket offers they have. They'll want to keep that offer as it sells a lot of papers (so won't want to upset Merlin) and at the same time they won't want people put off going to theme parks as then people won't want the offers (or the papers).

:)
 
exactly my friend. If you pay very close attention to newspapers you'll find that the news comes second to sponsored advertising columns. Merlin love the scum, people come to parks, the scum like merlin, a lot of money to sell tickets
 
Merlin's arrangement with the Sun is the reason for the lack of coverage yes, but it's a balancing act - hence the Terror Towers headline on the front page the next day.

...followed by a full Varney spread response the day after that.
 
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