Firm shows it cares with a bit of monkey business

“No pots or kettles or any other idiom that you might care to use Nevman. I have simply been commenting on the story that was written about the good that a company has done by sponsoring an animal. You appear to have some other agenda.

With the media some stories can be taken at face value, others can't or need to be taken with a pinch of salt. I work for a national publication and have worked in the media for nigh on 15 years, so I do have a little tiny bit of an idea about what goes on.

With regard to your writing and research that may not have been a soapbox, but this most certainly is and this is what I was referring to as you well know!”

“Something about pots and kettles springs to mind when you accuse me of reading what I want to read, Gareth...!

If you're happy to take everything you read in the media at face value and carry on believing that newspapers are owned by philanthropists, staffed with crusading journalists and that nobody in the world has anything called an 'agenda', well, good luck with that.

I'll pass on writing about pet abuse if you don't mind, thanks. Others have already done a better job of it than I could. I did research and write about current affairs and the media for several years, mind - now, does that mean I have some relevant experience or was I just on one of those 'soapboxes' that seem to vex you so?”

“@Nevman... I see what you have done, it's a simple mistake, but you have confused what the story is about, with what you would like it to be about. This is easily fixed as you say that "most of their content arrives ready-written in their inboxes, suitable for trimming to fit the space available" Then I look forward to reading your hard hitting article on primates as pets in Britain (something I do believe is wrong in the same way I think keeping a bird as a pet is wrong)... You might also want to write an article on design firms that also offer PR services to clients as heaven forbid that companies diversify in these tough times... While waiting to read these articles I will continue to applaud Real Fusion for actually DOING something to help by adopting a monkey, rather than just standing on an internet soapbox”

“Yes, I did read the article, GarethL - did you? Here's something you appear to have missed: "Unlike the UK, Portugal has outlawed the keeping of primates as pets... Mr Monkey was troubled by self grasping and over grooming due to his time kept as a pet."

Monkeys do not make good domestic pets. Neurotic behaviour is often the result. Looks like Portugal has more humane laws than we do!

Secondly, are you living in some sort of parallel universe where the Herald employs proper journalists who research and write their news stories? In the real world of modern media where costs have been cut to the bone, most of their content arrives ready-written in their inboxes, suitable for trimming to fit the space available. That's what PR and marketing companies are paid for. Look at the Realfusion poster which just happens to be the background of the picture - what a coincidence - to see what line of work this "design company" is actually in!”

“@Nevman. Maybe you ought to try reading the article? Realfusion have not turned any story into anything else as they didnt write it! Also it was never a story about pet abuse, but a story of a company that sponsors a monkey that could not be taken abroad when they moved... so the "marketing clowns" are doing this at their own expense...”

“Did Nevman even read the article? Its not about pet abuse its a story about a monkey whose owners moved abroad and could no longer care for the monkey. It is a story about Realfusion sponsoring a monkey, therefore giving the sanctuary money... Not the other way around!”

“I'm not sure I'd want on the payroll a "design" (read: PR) company which missed the mark this badly. They've managed to turn a serious story about pet abuse into a self-promoting item aimed at the funny pages, which seems to suggest that it's about them buying a cuddly toy for their office.

If I were the monkey sanctuary, I'd want my money back - if these marketing clowns want to promote themselves, they can do it at their own expense.”