The season to be brutal

They are a canny lot in Leeds Metropolitan University's publicity department - and refreshingly modest about the kind of things going on in their institution. Their latest newsletter carried a plea for stories from Leeds Met academics over summer "to capitalise on this time when it's easier to get our messages and news stories in the press". They explain: "News dries up in the summer months, leading to 'silly' articles that wouldn't normally appear." Now there's an incentive for news-nervous boffins.