Survey confirms councils routinely bully local media

A survey of  editors by the Newspaper Society reveals that councils routinely bully local media by threatening to withdraw advertising if they don't like what's published. 

Rochdale Online has been discriminated against by Rochdale Borough Council for holding the council to account, with former senior council officers and councillors explicitly promising Rochdale Online advertising revenue in return for not publishing critical articles - all such overtures were rejected by Rochdale Online.

Despite having a massive local audience of over 100,000 unique site visitors per month, the amount the council spent with Rochdale Online in advertising in the last financial year was £900, out of a total marketing/advertising spend running into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Rochdale Council is not the only Greater Manchester council to use this 'tactic', the Salford Star has apparently been treated similarly by Salford Council. An editorial in the Star said: "And we thought it was just the Salford Star that was treated like Al Qaeda for daring to hold Salford Council up to account…"

Last week was Local Newspaper Week, and to `celebrate', the Newspaper Society released the results of its survey of local editors which shows starkly the attitude of local councils to press freedom.

More than a quarter (27%) have received a threat from a public body to suspend advertising as a result of journalistic activity – like an article they don't like or even a reporter asking the wrong kind of question or merely attending a meeting.

Of those which had been threatened, 40% had seen the threat of withdrawing advertising carried out, the Newspaper Society survey found.

The Newspaper Society survey reveals the reality of a free local press giving citizens a right to know what is happening with their money and in their name is being eroded by the day.

Speaking about the findings of the survey, Newspaper Society president Adrian Jeakings said: "Local newspapers' ability to hold authority and the powerful to account on behalf of their readers underpins local democracy in Britain and we are in serious danger of seeing this become irreparably damaged."

http://www.newspapersoc.org.uk/local-newspaper-week-2013-editors-survey