A follow on from our earlier post.
Since we posted our Comment piece a few hours ago, our Twitter feed has slowly filled up with references to the same story that originally emanated from the Health and Safety Executive’s press office and which has been reproduced in online publications and blogs across the Internet.
What is notable, however, is the way in which the tone of the story changes depending upon which publication you read.
The original HSE bulletin refers to the culprit as a construction company but never as a demolition contractor (although it does describe the location of the offence as a demolition site).
By the time this had made it through the editorial filter at Construction Enquirer, however, the construction company had become a demolition contractor. Similarly, Construction News saw fit to turn the construction company into a demolition firm in its headline.
Of course, with online publications seeking to beat each other to the news, this could just be an unfortunate coincidence. And yes, the reproduction of press releases often falls to a more junior member of the editorial staff who upon seeing reference to a demolition site might have justifiably made the mental leap to demolition contractor. Or maybe this is just an example of lazy journalism.
Yet the multitude of health and safety publications and blogs managed to maintain the reference to a construction company being at fault.
Weird that!
