There are serious signs of ‘war coverage fatigue’ in the media, with reporters struggling to fill the column inches and air-time with substantial stories. I submit just three pieces of evidence. First was an item on whether poetry made suitable reading for the troops; second an article on the fact that the Afghanis’ radio favourite is a soap based on the Archers. The clincher was the report that, because of the ‘international situation’, pesky teen pop star Britney Spears has hired extra security for her US tour and will undertake the 50,000-mile trip by bus because she won’t fly.
Of course, no-one should underplay the tragedy of September 11 or the seriousness of what’s happening in Afghanistan and its wider repercussions. Equally, the media and industry should avoid extrapolating the conflict into every aspect of the global economy. It is naturally knocking confidence, but it is not at the root of the current cyclical downturn, and implying it is exacerbates the situation. Speakers at the CBI conference still insisted the UK can side-step serious recession and the M & S upturn and figures from low-cost airlines show that many consumers are heeding the PM’s call to keep spending.
The timber industry is also investing its way forward. This week we report further spending by Howarth, Carronvale, the latest Scottish timber frame specialist planning to expand south, and the Port of Shoreham, which is substantially upgrading its wood products facilities. We also cover industry-wide plans in Ireland to take timber promotion on the road.
Our market reports don’t shy away from the tough news, but there are glimmers of light here too, including the fact the problems at Hornitex may strip production out of the oversupplied chipboard sector.
In the meantime, my wife wants us to take a short pre-Christmas ‘carry on consuming’ trip to New York. Just as long as Britney’s not in town.
