UNFAIR ROE 8 ATTACKS ON FREMANTLE HERALD

I am disappointed to hear that the Fremantle Herald has received a lot of negative calls and emails regarding the Liberal Party wrap around they published a few weeks ago, which promoted the Perth Freight Link/Roe 8 highway project. People even told the Chook to no longer deliver the paper to them.

The Fremantle Herald is a very important institution for our city. It is so iconic that it should be heritage listed and it does not deserve the unwarranted attacks by narrow-focussed people.

It also published a wrap around by the Labor Party against the Roe 8/PFL project, so that pretty much balances it out.

Simple fact is that a small community paper like the Herald only can operate because of advertising revenue. Without substantial ads it can not pay staff and delivery people and we all would miss out on our only independent local paper.

Unlike our major daily newspaper that tries to brainwash us with right-wing opinion pieces by Andrew Bolt, Miranda Devine and Paul Murray the Chook is nowadays quite balanced, after a period of being extremely negative about the City of Fremantle.

Newspapers do not endorse the companies that advertise with them. An advertisement in the Herald for a cafe or restaurant does not mean it recommends you go there or that the food is great. If the Herald only published advertisement from companies and products they endorse, they would not survive. It’s as simple as that!

Fact is that the Herald does not get several pages of advertising each week from major department and retail stores, because we don’t have any in the Chook’s distribution area, so our local paper is struggling to survive, as many of our traders are.

I love Fremantle because of the many passionate and caring people and I am very impressed with the Beeliar Wetlands daily protest they have kept up, but to say that the Herald cannot publish ads of political parties you don’t agree with is very Hanson/Trumpish and it is a very unrealistic stand to take.

The Herald deserves a fair go and our support because without it Fremantle would be poorer for it.

Roel Loopers

PUBLIC OUTRAGE ABOUT FREO CHOOK MURDER REPORTING

To its credit the Fremantle Herald today published 15 letters to the editor that expressed outrage about the insensitive gossip tabloid ‘journalism’ written by Herald owner Andrew Smith about the murder of Reuben Stack in East Fremantle.

Last week’s front page article was a mix of rumours, innuendo and an opinion piece that had very little substance. It is laudable that the newspaper published so many letters, but to his discredit Chook owner Andrew Smith did not have the grace to respond and apologise for his highly inappropriate article.

Many Fremantle people have been bewildered about the Herald, which was our favourite paper. It was always controversial, a bit quirky, informative about upcoming events and reporting on those that happened, but that has all changed. We realise it is difficult in this age of immediacy to remain relevant as a weekly paper because of on-line papers, bloggers and social media, but the free range Chook standards have dropped to a level where I sadly hear many people say they no longer read it. I hope that can be reversed.

A unique city like Fremantle deserves and wants a unique community paper the Fremantle Herald once was. I for one hope that they will go back to becoming the talk of the town again and have that very Freo spirit and reporting they had years ago. The Fremantle community rightly expects from the Herald that they scrutinise Council, but also that they support what is happening in our city and by doing that support our local businesses.

Roel Loopers

KAZOOM IS FREO’S PARMI KING SAYS WA TODAY

Nice for a change to read a good food review for two Fremantle institutions. Reporter Shaun Turner of WA Today gave himself the difficult assignment of testing Parmigiana all over Perth and it was good news for Freo.

Fremantle CHEF NIMROD KAZOOM, who is well known for his excellent food stalls at markets, got 5 out of 5 for his Chicken Parmigiani at his pop up restaurant at the Laneway Festival and the South Beach Hotel got a 4.5/5. However the Ocean Beach Hotel  in Cottesloe received just a 1/5 for their parmi, so not all is that upmarket in the Western burbs.

Nimrod also caters for weddings, functions, etc. and does far more exotic and creative dishes than just parmi, so Google him and check out his website: http://nimrodkazoom.com if you are looking for top quality catering.

Read the full review by Shaun Turner here: http://m.watoday.com.au/entertainment/your-perth/parmigeddon-the-five-best-and-worst-parmigianas-in-perth-20150501-1mfx1q.html

Roel Loopers