British Tabloids Pitch Mock Reach

This is the video - now retitled - which first appeared in Cambridge News UK in February 2017. In it 'reporter' Raymond Brown - who wrote the article with which it ran (& duped the Cambridgeshire Constabulary to endorse it) also appears as the driver demonstrating what tabloids called the "Double Dutch". The video & article were quickly syndicated in the UK. It accompanied rewrites of the story with somewhat less editorial irresponsibility in The Daily News & the Sun. This version still claims the method involves leaning out the window to grab the outside handle, thus performing an an awkwardly contorted torso pivot to gain a view back. Indeed it is effective~! although unlikely to be adopted. Both London tabloids & Cambridge News eventually withdrew or revised their coverage to restore some semblance of integrity to their enterprises. This remake was posted on DailyMotion Sept 2019. Credit: JPI Media Archive.

UK DAILY MAIL & THE SUN MIS-IDENTIFY THEN RIDICULE 'DUTCH REACH' 

A sign that RoSPA-approved Dutch Reach now merits 'culture war' status.

The tabloids' escalation - see below - is now raising these issues further, albeit by use of dis-information and mockery.  Their attack may be in support of British Transport Secretary Chris Grayling who since December 15th, 2016 has been faulted for failure to use the Dutch Reach.  Grayling had doored the cyclist in October 2016 but his offense was only exposed two months later when a video of the dooring surfaced, posted by The Guardian, a legitimate newspaper in UK.  

The tabloids seized on an alternate "official" advisory, allegedly that of the Cambridgeshire's police but so dodgy as to be prime -- which vastly distorts RoSPA's message.  

First reported online by Cambridge News UK, it features a jaunty video which purports to show the Dutch Reach.  But far from it:  It instructs drivers to lean out their opened side window to look for on-coming traffic, and use the far hand to grab the outside door handle and latch to open.

Note:  The original hoax story & dodgy video which appeared 9 Feb. in Cambridge News UK was taken down on 17 Feb without explanation nor accompanying retraction.   The headline and link are deceptively unchanged.  The substituted article again carries Raymond Brown's byline but whether the called-out editors or Mr. Brown actually did the re-write is here unknown.  Camb New UK & Brown's featured dodgy video has been removed -- & replaced by Outside Online's The Dutch Reach - Safe For Work.

CAMBRIDGE NEWS, UK    -   Cambridge Newspapers, CNL Media Ltd 

City leaders and police urge drivers to deploy 'Dutch Reach' to improve safety for cyclists

'Dutch Reach' is a method of opening a car door which is less likely to injure a passing cyclist
by Raymond Brown, 9 Feb., 2017 -- Now revised & considerably altered as of 17 Feb., 2017.  See preceding note above.

The British tabloid press seized upon this report to "ridiculue" (sic) theCambridgeshire police - perhaps well justified, but also mislabeled it the Dutch Reach, neglecting to make clear or report at all that the method mocked is a far deviation from the Dutch Reach, and runs counter to RoSPA's expert advisory  

The UK's Telegraph newspaper responsibly reported on the Dutch Reach and RoSPA advisory several days before the down label papers pranked the anti dooring effort.