One good thing about the end of the summer is the last dregs of what journalists loathingly refer to as ‘silly season'.
This is where, in the absence of tales of John Prescott going to ranches, PR companies try to disguise adverts as news.
My favourite of the entire summer must be this one, which arrived in news inboxes today.
“TERROR THREATS FORCE PUBLIC AWAY FROM FLYING”
Goodness me, that's rather serious isn't it? Is this a tragic revelation about how Brits will become completely insular and isolated from the rest of the world, never again knowing the delights of travel abroad?
No, it's an advert for cruise holidays:
“A leading travel company has seen a dramatic rise in the number of no-fly holiday books in the aftermath of the UK airport terror chaos last month - a sign that many British holidaymakers might be shying away from taking to the skies as a result of terrorist threats.
ROL Cruise, one of the leading cruise specialists in the UK, saw a massive rise of 30 per cent in the number of packages they sold that do not involve outbound or return flights.
Managing Director, Peter Beadles, explains: "August was an exceptional month for us and it has been interesting to see the way the public has reacted to the events that took place at the beginning of that period. Our client base is traditionally made up of the more 'experienced' traveller who historically has been resistant to changing travel plans when terrorist problems have occurred. We have found, understandably that families with young children are more likely to be put off travelling. However it seems that this time everyone is having second thoughts. Generally people have always considered flying to be a safe form of transport but when things like this happen it makes people think twice and look for alternative options."
The ‘story' then goes on to list the company's prices and destinations.
One of the best things about living in the Western World is that in the midst of all this terror, confusion, media hype and government ‘sexing up' of intelligence we cling to our way of life and never miss the opportunity to turn fear into finance.
Has anybody else seen opportunists trying to turn bombs into booty. Leave details on our messageboard.
