Trinks Censored Farewell

[The_Moog]

From a newshound....

The Bangkok Post is letting Bernard Trink go at the end of the year,

and that will be the end of the Nite Owl. Trink actually retired more

than 10 years ago, but has continued to work for a substantially

lower salary.

Trink attempted to write a short piece in his column about being

fired. The Post editors (plural) conferred in something of a panic

and killed that column. A copy is just below.

Here is the Trink column that never ran:

>

> I keep my Christmas stocking hanging all year round just because I

> work on holidays and Christmas Eve is like any other day, so I might

> forget then. It thus came as an unpleasant surprise to find it

> contained a pink slip - effective December 31. A "Management"

> decision.

>

> The reason is that the column is too controversial. This family

> newspaper is meant to be wholesome and forward-looking. A weekly

piece about the comings and goings of prostitutes, particularly when

> referred to as predators rather than victims, isn't the proper

> approach to take to them.

>

> Asserting that HIV isn't spread heterosexually, there is no Aids

> pandemic and any cocktail containing AZT, far from a cure, leads to

> certain death goes against the infallible wisdom of the World Health

> Organisation. Bars featuring prostitution don't deserve to be

promoted in this prestigious journal.

>

> Also ending are my cinema reviews. There are better critics, who have

> seen more films than I have, who will guide you in choosing what is

> and isn't worth seeing. Figure them to cover more local movies.

> Whether they'll be rated by a starring system remains to be seen.

>

> As a sop - who knows for how long? - my book reviews'll continue. It

> won't pay my rent, but is respectable work and beats panhandling. I

> wonder if I can take up busking to supplement my income? As for

> writing a book, the number of my scrapbooks psyches me out.

> Can "Management" be persuaded to reverse itself? Perhaps if e-mail

> from readers wanting me to carry on far exceeds those who don't there

> might be a chance. I can't think of another way. FYI this isn't a

ploy to generate more circulation. In any event I'll keep my stocking

> hanging.

>

> Hopefully, Santa will fill it with a pleasant surprise.

>

>

[mrentoul]

The Post editors (plural) conferred in something of a panic

and killed that column.

You make it sound so dramatic and sinister. If there was any ''panic'' it's because no one noticed him taking potshots until the last minute.

The reason this part of his column (not the rest) was cut is that he is actively campaigning against the editor. He seeks reader letters to get his decision overturned.

I'd kill it too, if I was his boss. Some people will disagree, but in my view you can't use your paymaster's publication to campaign against his decisions. Trink is but a freelance contributor, as you point out, which makes his position even more tenuous.

Let him take out an ad, or whisper to ''newshounds'' such as yourself. It has the same effect.

Whether they'll be rated by a starring system remains to be seen.

>

> As a sop - who knows for how long? - my book reviews'll continue

In hindsight Trink himself might have regretted this piece seeing the light of day. He comes across as bitter and churlish.

I hope he moves on to bigger and better things rather than dwell on his column's fate at the Post.

[The_Moog]

Actually I didn't write any of the pre-amble.

The Moog, 'sinister' - never !!

But, I do know for a fact that there are slated to be heavy cutbacks at the Post's Bangkok HQ in 2004.

[taxexile]

i think they should try to organise a merger with "the nation", and pool their resources in order to produce one english language daily paper of some substance rather than two very mediocre papers that in many respects are copies of each other.

failing that perhaps they should swallow their pride and go the tabloid route,with a big sports section. i dont think they would be short of readers, and leave the high ground to "the nation".

[The_Moog]

The bulk of revenue comes from Advertising not newspaper sales, and the Post is ahead of the Nation in both.

Anyway...I digress......SAVE TRINK !

I'm going to handcuff myself in protest to a railing in Patpong - nud_e .

Will this exhibitionist display of the Moogs subterranean delights save Trink though.....?

...ah, who cares I want to do it anyway.

[mrentoul]

i dont think they would be short of readers, and leave the high ground to "the nation".

You're joking, aren't you? The Nation occupying the high ground...they are experts at writing down to people. They couldn't get it up if they tried.

I'm going to handcuff myself in protest to a railing in Patpong - nud_e .

Rather you than Trink.

[taxexile]

You're joking, aren't you? The Nation occupying the high ground...they are experts at writing down to people. They couldn't get it up if they tried.

are you by any chance connected to the post?

[hacknew]

i think they should try to organise a merger with "the nation", and pool their resources in order to produce one english language daily paper of some substance rather than two very mediocre papers that in many respects are copies of each other.

failing that perhaps they should swallow their pride and go the tabloid route,with a big sports section. i dont think they would be short of readers, and leave the high ground to "the nation".

The Nation merge with the Post? Never the twain shall meet. The reason both papers are near-copies of each other are that they cover the same Thai local news and the world news is all newswire material, often duplicated word for word save for the odd creative (or otherwise) subbing changes.

As for a tabloid style, the Bangkok Post used to have a tabloid supplement in the 1970s called Bangkok World. It was pulled as it wasn't successful, I believe. Tabloid size might work, but tabloid coverage will not. Despite impressions, the majority of readers of both are Thai - if they want tabloid-style stories, they would buy Thai Rath, Daily News, etc.

[hacknew]

But, I do know for a fact that there are slated to be heavy cutbacks at the Post's Bangkok HQ in 2004.

I take it you are highly placed, then. Presumably at board level, director level or at least editor level as none of the staff has been told this hearsay anecdote. Rumours, rumours, rumours. Maybe they're true, but I don't think you can say it's a "fact" unless you are highly placed.

As to Trink, he is an anachronism. His column was an embarrassment and his movie reviews were generally synopses of press releases. I remember reading his review of The Ring in which he completely got the whole point of what "The Ring" was wrong. Thus I conclude that he rarely bothers to watch the movies. After all, the man can barely move unaided.

[sbk]

ouch hacknew! or should I say.... meow??

[Guest IT Manager]

I'm going to handcuff myself in protest to a railing in Patpong - nud_e .

A new twist to crime and punishment?

[PK2]

Thus I conclude that he rarely bothers to watch the movies. After all, the man can barely move unaided.

Your conclusions are bull. I have seen the old git hobble into the cineplex on more than one occasion this yr. Confess his reviews are questionable though. The new reviewer Kong seems to have more life.

[Kan Win]

You're joking, aren't you? The Nation occupying the high ground...they are experts at writing down to people. They couldn't get it up if they tried.

are you by any chance connected to the post?

Dear, oh dear, oh me, Tax E.

Just look at each others website

http://www.bangkokpost.net/

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/

which is better ?

Me think, BKKPost, gives all their readers around the World a much better newpaper than The Nation on the Nett.

And as Think puts it:-

[email protected]

e-mail him if you wish. I will not.

I stopped reading him when BKKPost cut his column down to half a page or less.

But, then again, he did give me some pleasure, when his page was Fully Blown (full page) (figure of speech)

[taxexile]

i've always read the bangkok post in preference to the nation . there seems to be a more european/uk feel to it as opposed to the nations' u.s bias and that suits me better.

but these days,when in thailand, i go on the net and read the uk papers to keep up with any international stories that interest me.the coverage in both the post and the nation is poor.

the post has good sports coverage, and the weekly i.t. supplement is excellent.

what i would really like to see though is more in depth coverage of local news, and follow ups of local stories.

there will be a headline story one day,e.g. a political story,a good crime investigation, and then it just disappears. i feel as if the journalists never venture away from their desks, notebook and pencil style, to dig into the meat of the story.

i guess i have been spoilt by the uk broadsheets. once a story has broken the journalist grab it by the teeth and wont let go until its stripped to the bone.

i hope that the cutbacks at the post will eventually lead to improvements in the newshound department.

as for trink, well, he is way past his prime,i thank him for all those years of good stories and wish him well in his retirement,

[pnustedt]

i hope that the cutbacks at the post will eventually lead to improvements in the newshound department.

It will lead to more syndicated articles but the newspaper will have more of a British feel as the articles will be lifted straight out of The Independant and The Guardian.

There will be less serious investigative journalism covering local topics.

[plachon]

You're joking, aren't you? The Nation occupying the high ground...they are experts at writing down to people. They couldn't get it up if they tried.

are you by any chance connected to the post?

Yeah, didn't you know, he's the tea-boy who's had designs on Trink's ample seat at the Post for many (well, at least several) moons.

[mrentoul]

It will lead to more syndicated articles but the newspaper will have more of a British feel as the articles will be lifted straight out of The Independant and The Guardian.

There will be less serious investigative journalism covering local topics

How do you know?

Yeah, didn't you know, he's the tea-boy who's had designs on Trink's ample seat at the Post for many (well, at least several) moons.

I don't venture into any of the places he talks about, so his column has no relevance to me.

I don't want to see Trink replaced. Anyone else is just a pretender.

[pnustedt]

How do you know?

Because I have worked in many newspapers the world over and know how they work - The Bangkok Post is no different to many others who face unrelenting decline and will, no doubt, follow the old formula in an attempt to mitigate this.

How do you know that it won't?

[The_Moog]

People may say unkind things about King Bernard, but he is a part of Bangkok history.

I'd like to get a Trink relic as a souvenir. A pen or case that the man used.....

"This, ....oh this was Trinks".

I recall Christies did something similar by auctioning Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy's knick-nacks.

(Obviously, not a mediaeval-style relic - like a severed finger)

I wonder if he'd oblige.

MOOG

[hacknew]

Your conclusions are bull. I have seen the old git hobble into the cineplex on more than one occasion this yr. Confess his reviews are questionable though. The new reviewer Kong seems to have more life.

I said "rarely" not "never." Not sure about the new reviewer, though. "Wordy" springs to mind.

[mrentoul]

Because I have worked in many newspapers the world over and know how they work - The Bangkok Post is no different to many others who face unrelenting decline

How do I now it won't? Please. You're the one who made the prediction.

Unrelenting decline, you say...take a look at the Post's latest quarterly profit figures.

Then I suggest you call the editor with your expert opinions on how to arrest the paper's fall.

[pnustedt]

..take a look at the Post's latest quarterly profit figures.

Then I suggest you call the editor with your expert opinions on how to arrest the paper's fall.

Where? - I cannot find the figs. on the net - not that I think that quarterly figs. show much about trends.

[maerim]

deleted

[WilliamIV]

Does the Bangkok Post actually pay the man for writing this drivel.

I for one will glad to see the back of him and the sooner the better at least I won't have to put up with plugs for his friends bars every Friday "Go on mosey on over" and just what is Burma shave?

You won't have to put up with his column anymore ??

Why do you obviously read him now then?

[maerim]

deleted

[Guest IT Manager]

I love Miss Manners.

[hacknew]

It will lead to more syndicated articles but the newspaper will have more of a British feel as the articles will be lifted straight out of The Independant and The Guardian.

There will be less serious investigative journalism covering local topics.

So, the received wisdom is that there will be cuts at the Post and these will be in the newsroom, especially on the local newsdesk. Well, that's news to many as far as I know. I must be missing something or my crystal ball is a little unpolished on all this new information from factual sources. Same same for the fact that the paper will take more stories from UK sources. I should also point out that The Nation already takes The Guardian's/Observer's syndicated content.

As to the perceived UK bias of the Post, the balance of expats who work there is, as far as I know, pretty even. Certainly a glance at the website reveals a board that is made up of various nationalities (not a Brit among them) and the "Senior Management" contains only one contender who might be British. One can only assume that any such bias is due to other reasons. Of course, all the self-styled experts in here will know the Post was started by an American 56-odd years ago.

[maerim]

I love Miss Manners.

Does her husband know?

[hacknew]

Does the Bangkok Post actually pay the man for writing this drivel.

I for one will glad to see the back of him and the sooner the better at least I won't have to put up with plugs for his friends bars every Friday "Go on mosey on over" and just what is Burma shave?

The Post does (did) indeed pay the man for this drivel. I was outraged when his stance on the Nigerian email stance ended with him proclaiming that no Nigerian should be trusted - what next, Jews?

His movie reviews are, as I said, dull, boring, and often show that he has either not seen the movie or has completely missed the point. Case in point: the review of Kill Bill. Apparently, Angelina Joie would have been a better choice as The Bride even though anybody who read the syndicated article on the movie (featured in the Post, I think) or who takes an interest in movies in general will know the whole idea for the movie came from a brainstorm between Uma Thurman and Tarantino.

To Trink fans: wake up and smell the coffee. The man can't write, is misinformed, and is a legacy of a bygone era. Burma Shave signs, by the way, used to be posted on US highways in the 1950s (I think) and were posted in series of five to promote the shaving cream. Their relevance to Bangkok Post readers is as questionable as the talents of the man recycling them.

Wasn't it Trink who also highlighted what was clearly a spoof chain-letter email from the ubiquitous kid on dialysis and the next week had to basically retreat after a deluge of emails telling him what a gullible moron he is?

Truly this is the man with his finger on the pulse. Save Trink indeed.

[mrentoul]

To Trink fans: wake up and smell the coffee.

I don't want to save him, and I am not a fan. I think the Post is better off without him.

I want him to come here instead. I am sure if you poke him in the right places you can get him to write again. His column was once a must-read for westerners in Bangkok.