Health in the Digital Newsroom

Fans abandon Preston in worst season.

2008-04-17T17:21:00.002+01:00

Championship team Preston North End have been made to suffer by their fans in what has been the club's worst season in four years.

Figures taken from the club's website show average attendance at Championship games has fallen by almost ten per cent this season to 12,576.

Preston, who had their Premiership promotion hopes dashed last year by a poor run of form, won only two of their first ten games this season.

The club's poor start to the season led to the dismissal of manager Paul Simpson, who had earlier blamed fans for the team's poor performance.

Andrew Steel, 20, a Preston North End supporter, of Leighton Street, Preston thinks the club should have predicted the drop in attendance. He said:

"You're always going to get fans who drift away when a club is underachieving. Preston got off to a poor start and shouldn't be surprised to lose their supporters."

Driving instructor Frank Foxcroft, 53, of Boot Lane, Bolton believes fans will always react to a teams performance:

"You can't expect the fans to support the club when the club doesn't provide for them. You'll get die hard fans but the majority expect results."

Since joining the club in November, new Preston manager Alan Irvine has reversed his team's fortunes, providing a strong end to the season to impress the fans.

Helen James, 24, of Wildman Street, Preston thinks clubs rely on their fans loyalty. She said:

"Supporters should back their club no matter what, especially when they are underachieving. It's when they're needed most.

"Preston have proved themselves toward the end of this season and a lot of so-called fans have clearly missed out on that."

Nicky Strang, 30, an entertainment manager, of Dehalind Way, Preston agrees:

"You should support your side through the highs and the lows. That's what makes you a true fan.'

Preston meet Plymouth away this Saturday.

Preston North End Football League Championship Fixtures 2007/08

2008-04-17T10:58:00.000+01:00

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Preston aim for strong finish to poor season.

2008-04-17T09:54:00.003+01:00

Preston North End will be looking to finish their poor season on a high this weekend as they aim to maintain a clean sheet during their final three games.

The club, who face Plymouth at home this Saturday, has had its worse season in four years.

Having been Championship playoff hopefuls for the past three seasons, Preston are currently fifteenth in the table, only 6 points clear of relegation.

The club's season got off to a poor start with the departure of striker David Nugent to Portsmouth for an estimated £6 million.

Fans' disappointment with Preston's under achievement led to the dismissal of manager Paul Simpson in November after the club won only two of their first ten games.

Simpson had earlier blamed fans for the team's run of poor form.

In an interview for the club's website Simpson's replacement Alan Irvine promised fans he:

"fully intends to try and find out where things have gone wrong and what can be done to put them right."

Since joining the side, Irvine has worked to reverse the side's fortunes with Preston only losing two of their last ten games, securing two wins over local rivals Burnley.

A positive result on Saturday will secure Preston's place in the Championship next season, marking the club's 36 point climb up the table since the change in management.

Irvine will now be looking toward next season with the intention of restoring the side's playoff status.

Preston play Ipswich Town on April 26 before the final game of the season against Bristol City on May 4.

Behind the headlines

2008-04-02T18:00:00.002+01:00

This week's website concerns yesterday's Telegraph.co.uk publication with the headline:

Free 'health MoT' for over-40s to be unveiled.

The article explains Health Secretary Alan Johnson's pledge for free health checks for everyone in the country once they reach 40. The story was also carried online by the Daily Mail (A free health MoT for everyone over 40 in a bid to tackle lifestyle diseases).

Behind the headlines, part of the NHS Choices online service describes itself as:

"Your guide to the science that makes the news."

The site does exactly what it says on the tin, gathering links to articles from various mainstream organisations, clearly explaining the science behind the issues. While it does little in terms of multimedia content, in many cases the site provides a better source of news than sites such as the BBC Health pages. The information is focused toward the consumer, providing a brief introduction to news issues before focusing on the medical facts most important to the public, ignoring the politics behind the story.

For a clear and uncomplicated explanation of breaking medical news which provides detailed and uselul consumer advice, Behind the headlines should be a consumer's first port of call.

Patient UK

2008-03-26T17:26:00.005Z

This week's website concerns yesterday's BBC Health article with the headline:

Wheeze 'link' to baby milk powder.

The article explains research conducted by the University of Birmingham which suggests that prolonged exposure to infant milk powder can increase the risk of breathing problems.

Patient UK describes itself as a resource which aims to be:

"a reliable and comprehensive source of health and diseasse information, mainly aimed at the UK general public, but of interest to all."

The site provides several unique features, gathering news from various mainstream organisations and offering the consumer a range of options:

Visit the article source: Users are provided with a link to the source article.
Discuss this: Users are linked to a discussion board where they can discuss the topic with other interested and opinionated readers.
Read background: Patient UK performs a search within its own online database, producing articles and explanations relating the the the main news story.

The search funtion alone makes the site an indispensible resource, removing the need for consumers to either search through years of archived material or enter search criteria. When searching for the latest medical news online and detailed explanations, Patient UK should be ignored at your peril.

NetDoctor.co.uk

2008-03-15T16:50:00.010Z

Last week I was hopefully searching for a UK health news resource to rival that of Web MD and although I'm not quite there yet, I'm certainly getting closer.

This week's website is the UK independent health website NetDoctor.co.uk and refers to yesterday's article with the headline:

BMI may predict risk of aggressive breast cancer.

The article concerns research conducted by a team at the University of Texas who claim that body mass index (BMI) may prove useful in determining the prognosis of women with breast cancer.

Although NetDoctor is a fairly limited resource, in the majority of cases merely providing basic articles, it does have several useful features. The site has a comprehensive and detailed encyclopaedia aswell as an advice section and discussion boards. By far one of the most useful features however is the provision of links within the article body to encyclopaedia entries explaining key terms (see cancer link below).

NetDoctor fails however to provide many of the features common to those sites reviewed in earlier posts as a result of which the site will probably be considered by many as resource of last resort.

Web MD: Better Information. Better Health.

2008-03-04T16:17:00.004Z

This week's webiste is the US medical guide Web MD and refers to yesterday's article with the headine:

Eating Breakfast May Beat Teen Obesity.

The article concerns research published by the American Academy of Pediatrics which claims that eating breakfast every day may be the first step in fighting teenage obesity.

Despite having a mainly American focus, Web MD provides a fantastic online multimedia resource, producing its own content from a range of referenced sources. Each article is reviewed and edited by a medical professional, ensuring quality and accuracy throughout.

The site provides a wealth of multimedia content, providing video footage, related advertisements, 'must-see' links and options to share the article online through social networking sites such as Facebook.

If only such a resource was available for UK medical news. If one exists I haven't found it yet.

Hitting the healines

2008-02-27T15:35:00.009Z

This week's website concerns yesterday's Telegraph.co.uk publication with the headline:

One embryo at a time 'makes IVF less risky.'

The article explains research conducted by a British study which reveals the risk of multiple IVF births is reduced by women having just one embryo implanted during fertility treatments. The story was also carried online by the Independent (New IVF technique: greater success rate, fewer multiple births) and the Guardian (Fertility clinic boosts safety and success).

The NHS National Library for Health Hitting the Headlines archive describes itself as a directory:

"developed to help you discover and make use of important, good quality health-related newsfeeds."

The archive provides a superb online resource, not only gathering news from various mainstream organisations, but assessing the accuracy of the reports. While lacking in multimedia, the archive has a trick up its sleeve that few other websites can match. With its official NHS stance, the articles are able to describe and analyse the evidence and references behind the news, providing links to all references used as well as additional consumer information.

A vital tool for those who really want to understand the news behind the news, the only drawback to this excellent resource is the planned cessation of the news archive as of March 31 2008. Daily articles will still be available.

A passing craze?

2008-02-11T15:42:00.000Z

Cards on the the table, I've never seen the point of blogging. Not one to openly share his thoughts or feelings I've never been entirely comfortable with the idea of my words laid out for the whole world to see.

Yet having today being confronted with the premise that it is either "blog or fail" in the world of journalism, I thought I had better give it a go and horribly, I feel I may have become somewhat addicted.

As a trainee journalist I am forever hearing about news pyramids, paragraph length and tight headlines - a blog can free you from all of these. You're introduced to a completely new environment, no longer acting as a reporter but as a commentator.

Unique blogs are rare and there is a wealth of dicussion to be had on any number of topics. Encouraging debate and learning, blogs are the instant digital alternative to the nationals' letters pages.

As part of my degree I have no choice but to blog and yet I don't find it a chore nor do I consider it as work. It's a joy to be free of the restrictions of traditional reporting; a joy I have ignored for far too long.