Sometimes The News Is Quite Acceptably Untrue

Published June 5, 2010 at 7:15 p.m.

You would think that the headline "Alcoholic ginger beer set to be most popular summer drink in England" might mean that someone is claiming that alcoholic ginger beer set to be most popular summer drink in England. But it isn't. There is no way in Hell that beer or tea or even fruit juice will be outsold by the stuff yet there it is:

Ginger beer is going to be this summer’s most popular drink with the beverage fast gaining a devoted consumer base. The competitively priced drinks have already bested many well-established beers in terms of sales...“It really has taken the drinks market by storm. It appeals to a really wide market from older drinkers who remember traditional ginger beer to curious youngsters,” a supermarket drinks buyer told The Mirror.

"Most popular" - that's it. The story in Daily News and Analysis, whatever that is, is lifted from The Mirror which ran the headline "Alcoholic ginger beer set to be drink of the summer" - much better in its overt meaninglessness. Meaninglessness is comforting.

I am starting to develop a theory, a little pet idea, that there is no actual knowledge about anything in the drinks trade. Expertise is based on assertion and opportunity. Reversible hats with labels like journalist / judge and critic / consultant get passed around according to the best chance to make a buck. Is this so bad? Times are tough and acceptance of this simple principle would certainly have relieved Pete of the need to update his very good but very first book. Except that presumes his revision is more accurate. Maybe it's just different. Which may well make it the book of the summer. Or even the most popular.

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