Standard: We would like to apologise for our conduct during the (newspaper) war

The new regime of the Evening Standard has launched an advertising campaign to apologise for its past mistakes.

It is the first move of a three-week advertising blitz ahead of a relaunch on 11 May, reports Standard media columnist Roy Greenslade in The Guardian.

Apparently it follows market research commissioned by new editor Geordie Greig.

Greenslade writes:

“The market research evidently discovered that Londoners considered the paper to be too negative, not celebratory enough and guilty of failing to cater for the capital’s needs. A great city with great facilities was being persistently talked down.”

Londoners thought the Standard was not celebratory enough?

One wonders where market researchers find these people. Having lived in London for 10 years I have never met a Londoner who doesn’t like to whinge about the place’s many failings – particularly the transport system.

It’s worth noting that the only time the Standard has put on significant paid-for sales in recent years was with its superb reporting of the 7 July 2005 bombings in London.