By Julie Morgan

Published at 15:42, Wednesday, 09 June 2010

COPELAND found itself besieged by national journalists following the shootings.

the press pack descend: Journalists from all over the world arrived in Whitehaven and attended various press conferences

But their patronising and sneering descriptions of the area and its communities has infuriated locals.

The Daily Telegraph called Whitehaven “a run-down market town ... with its funfairs and gaming arcades, its kiss-me-quick hats (!) ... its penchant for jokey nicknames and cliquey friendships.’’ Aren’t all friendships, by definition, cliquey?

Carol Malone, in Sunday’s News of the World said the people of Copeland were “in denial’’ over the shootings. Since she went to Derrick Bird’s house and was told to get lost, I think we can safely assume it was the bruising of her over-developed ego which formed the basis of her column and not any genuine insight into our community.

National reporters who previously hadn’t a clue where Copeland was, became experts on our community after being in the area for approximately four minutes.

Their ill-judged comments serving no purpose but to sell papers in places where “close-knit community’’ is perceived as something to mock.

Seascale, a scene of three shootings and unspeakable suffering, was described as “shabby’’, the relevance of such irrelevant descriptive drivel rightly escaping its decent, devastated residents.

In last Saturday’s The Times there was an obsession with the size of people’s homes and jobs in an attempt to sketch a picture of Copeland.

In one story it said: “Outsiders might find it odd that Mr Commons (one of the victims), a successful lawyer and David (Bird), a lorry driver, clicked so well.’’

Apparently it is a shocker to some readers of The Times, and the London media, that people would make friends with people who don’t have identical lifestyles and careers and who appear not to have the same “social standing’’.

However, it is precisely these Copeland friendships, developed over years and based simply on genuine fondness and love, which will help those who mourn in these darkest of times to eventually see light.

After the initial shock wears off, the funerals have taken place and the future stretches scarily ahead, it is these friends who will continue to look after those in anguish.

Caring about those who live next door, across the road, down the street or in the next town, as well as strangers we find in need, is something we do in our “close-knit community’’.

If this seems strange to ‘outsiders’ then we should feel very sorry for them indeed.

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk