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| The current edition of Private Eye magazine |
A SPAT has blown up between three high-profile naturalists and the satirical magazine, Private Eye.
Ruth Tingay, Chris Packham and Mark Avery are directors of the pressure group, Wild Justice, which campaigns relentlessly against game shooting, not least because some landowners seem to turn a blind eye to the killing on their estates of raptors such as Hen Harriers.
Earlier in the year, Wild Justice took out a full-page colour advert condemning, in cartoon form, the import of captive-bred gamebird chicks into the countryside.
Private Eye published this advert but, reportedly without giving a reason, refused to publish two follow-ups.
Earlier today, the Wild Justice three all took to social media to protest about the snub.
Wrote Dr Avery: "We were surprised when Private Eye said that it would not run our second and third adverts, especially as they gave no reason at all for this.
"They abruptly changed their minds.
"How odd! It's as though they were got at.
"It's as though they gave in to pressure from the shooting industry or some other vested interest.
"It seems that Wild Justice is too edgy for Private Eye. That's a great disappointment, but also somewhat amusing."
However, its website does clearly detail the reasons why, in certain circumstances, it chooses not to accept advertising.
Meanwhile, Wild Justice says it will now seek to place the adverts in another publication.
The Wryneck says: Without sight of the 'offending' adverts, it is impossible to judge what all the fuss is about. The likelihood is that Private Eye chooses not to compromise its independence by taking advertisement monies from any political parties, pressure groups or special interest lobbies. That is, surely, to be commended. But the tiff does prompt another question. Is spending money on doubtless very expensive advertising campaigns, really the most prudent way for Wild Justice to spend the money it receives from its donors?
Our UK rural world isn't a perfect place and to deny that would be knowingly disingenuous. The problem though and I've yet to hear it properly addressed, is that those who want to change our rurality, our customs and ways, overlook the simple fact that historically, it is those very same usages which have brought our world, to what it is, imperfect but still a vibrant and wildlife busy ecology.
ReplyDeleteIt's also a simple fact that Wild Justice and their satellites overlook the fact that it's the game-bird releases which have undoubtably promoted the rocketing numbers of predators, a fact which we might imagine would please the critics would celebrate, but no - the damage done to all the other and struggling wildlife, by the clearly needless protection now offered to most of the predators, can only be that they take the stance that my enemy's enemy is my friend.