A weekly newspaper editor has hit out at “red tape” at his local council after it refused to give journalists the email addresses of election candidates.
The Wiltshire Times and sister paper the Gazette & Herald contacted Wiltshire Council ahead of the forthcoming elections on 2 May to ask for every candidates’ email address, so it could offer them the chance of a brief biography as part of its coverage.
But the authority refused to give out the email addresses, citing the Data Protection Act as the reason. It also said not all candidates had given email addresses.
Editor Gary Lawrence has hit out at the council’s refusal in a story, saying it had also declined to email out a letter on behalf of the titles.
He said: “Then we asked the council to send a letter out on our behalf but it said its legal department had advised against this because it would give some candidates an ‘unfair advantage’, which is plainly ridiculous.
“We pointed out that we would write to all the other candidates but it made no difference, the council seems too frightened it might upset someone.
“This is very frustrating because all we are trying to do is support and encourage local democracy but the council is too bounded by its own red tape and legal paranoia to have any common sense in this matter.
“I fail to see how any candidate could take umbrage.”
Gary added that the papers would now have to write letters to each candidate.
Some councillors have also backed the paper and called for common sense from the authority.
Labour councillor Ricky Rogers said: “It’s just a load of nonsense, as candidates we are out and about knocking on doors and would love media exposure and the authority running the elections are just getting caught up in bureaucracy trying to limit this.
“It’s making a mockery of the process and it needs a major reboot.”
A council spokesman told the papers that its official form for candidate applications only asked for an email address as an option and not all candidates had given their addresses.
He said it could not give out the addresses because it had not warned candidates it might do so.
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Typical ”gimme, gimme, gimme’ attitude of local press these days. Use your brains, build up a relationship, go and talk to them, ring them up. FFS! I mean, an email is easily ignored anyway. Whining and moaning then taking the easy option. How did papers speak to election candidates in the past? I wonder
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Has the editor no confidence that a notice placed in his papers inviting candidates to submit biographies would be read by those candidates? If candidates aren’t likely to read stuff about the forthcoming elections, what are the chances many others would either?
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Wiltshire Council has widely publicised the forthcoming elections for unitary and town and parish councillors on 2 May, and has published the names and addresses of all 308 candidates standing on its website.
Candidates are requested to supply only their name and address when submitting their nomination form. While some candidates have supplied an email address, the Data Protection Act does not allow for this information to be published or passed to others.
The email addresses received are personal data for use by the returning officer only and cannot be used for promoting candidates. In the circumstances where some candidates have supplied an email address it would be against the law to disclose these details and in several cases candidates have made it clear that they do not wish for their email address to be used for any other purpose than direct contact with the returning officer.
In previous years local media made contact with candidates directly using the published names and addresses and for the candidates to provide personal information for publication if they so wish.
Returning officer, Carlton Brand, said: “It is unfortunate this year’s election and candidate information is being viewed differently to previous years by some of the local media. As the returning officer it is my priority to ensure the elections are run appropriately, lawfully and fairly. To disclose personal information for some candidates and not others could influence the outcome of the elections and this would be completely unacceptable.”
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Never thought about getting the council to do the work. Get a list of the candidates, then contact them all, or better still their local party agents, and ask them all for 100 words and a pic. Do it with plenty of time and if they don’t send details, it’s their loss. Also put a line in the paper as back up. Whole business should take a reporter a morning. Job done. The council isn’t trying to frustrate democracy, there’s a more fundamental reason. It’s their pride and joy to find a reason NOT to do something.
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Town hall’s doing the paper a favour – who wants to read town and parish council candidates’ guff in the first place?
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I wouldn’t mind seeing Cat from DC host either. She doesn’t tolerate fools. That would be fun.
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