Brighton Evening Argus

I have read the Argus since I was a child because it is the local newspaper in Brighton and Hove. I used to go round to the paper shop and ask for "Dargus." It's always there, it's familiar and comfortable and easy.

That was until recently when I realised that the Argus is actually a very dissapointing newspaper.

It is the undisputed king of the area's newspaper field. There is no real competitor. Yet it persists in its tabloidy, parish newsletter approach.

The first inside pages are the most hackish attempt at international news I know. Followed by the usual sellection of "Mans hat blew off," "Cat trapped in dashboard" and Plucky youth/father of two/pensioner heroics style stories. Then come the letters, the television pages and the small ads. The back pages are dominated by sport.

Now that Brighton (and Hove)is a city, surely we can move towards a more sophisticated metropolitan newspaper? And cut the suburban claptrap!

It's sports coverage, especially of local football heroes Brighton and Hove Albion (SEaaaa-Gulls!)is excellent and probing. And on the upside Adam Trimmingham's columns are usually entertaining in some way and the letters provide some parochial gems.

I just feel that the Argus has a dominating prescence as it is the ONLY really important paper in Brighton and the environs and it has a real responsibility to campaign and lobby but it fails to exploit.