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January 23, 2009updated 23 Aug 2022 6:50pm

Grey Cardigan: Keeping our skills under wraps

By Grey Cardigan

One of the reasons I do this job is the chance to be a very minor part of history. When the big stories break, my headline writing and design skills are integral in bringing the news to the people. I want to sell newspapers; I want them grabbed off the stands because my treatment of the story is so compelling.

Pity then, those poor bastards at the Daily Express. On what was always going to be one of the biggest news days of the year, Richard-fucking-Desmond (and it can only have been him) decided to obscure his newspaper’s coverage of the immaculate inauguration of Barack Obama with a wrap-around ad feature for an Italian motor car. Not only that, the consequent colour configuration condemned most of the rest of the issue to black and white.

I feel for the subs and page designers, denied their chance to show off the skills of their craft just to put another few pounds in a pornographer’s pocket.

Greatest Newspaper in the World? Pass the sick bag, Alice.

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