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Regional daily changed government policy – Osborne

Chancellor George Osborne hailed the local press as “the civic lifeblood of our country” as he revealed that a regional daily had changed government policy.

In an interview with Western Morning News London editor Graeme Demianyk earlier this year, Prime Minister David Cameron revealed that that he had struggled with mobile phone reception while on holiday in Cornwall.

The publication of the story and the subsequent reaction led to the government implementing a national roaming policy, allowing phones to switch between networks in the way they do when travelling abroad.

Mr Osborne singled out the WMN for praise in his speech to the annual lunch of the Newspaper Conference, which represents regional political journalists based in Westminster.

David Cameron was interviewed by the Western Morning News for its first Sunday edition

David Cameron was interviewed by the Western Morning News for its first Sunday edition

During his conference speech, Mr Osborne said: “The real prize should go to Graeme Demianyk, who reported that David Cameron couldn’t speak to Barack Obama on his Cornish holiday and now we have a national roaming strategy.”

The Chancellor also told attendees that the “incredibly important” battle against state regulation of the press is “one we still have to win”.

Mr Osborne told the conference:  “You are the civic lifeblood of our country.  However sometimes irritating and frustrating and difficult you are for Members of Parliament, you are also essential for the communities that we aspire to represent.

“You hold us to account for that and I think there’s more we can do to make sure that you have access to the information you need, that there’s transparency, that you can see where money’s been spent at both the local and national level.”

During Graeme’s interview with the Prime Minister, which was published in the WMN’s inaugural Sunday edition in June, he asked if the Prime Minister’s signal had ever disappeared on a call to President Barack Obama during his annual Cornish holiday.

Mr Cameron replied: “As I go down a hill into Polzeath, I know exactly which bit of the road I lose my signal. So it is a problem. I know where to go to get a signal, but it can be very frustrating.”

7 comments

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  • November 25, 2014 at 9:22 am
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    And this from the mouth of the man who welcomed a criminal ex-editor into the heart of government! He hates the media – unless it’s the ideologically-controlled, right-wing media.

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  • November 25, 2014 at 10:20 am
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    Oh please…there are so many local papers being patronised at the moment by this Government. Anyone would think there was an election round the corner. Hang on…

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  • November 25, 2014 at 12:28 pm
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    I totally and utterly believe everything politicians say – or so they like to think!

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  • November 25, 2014 at 2:17 pm
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    Stand by for lots of free Tory plugs in local papers from sympathetic editors with barely a comma from Labour, UKIP, LibDems etc. They used to be politically independent until they starting chasing advertising from Tory run councils.

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  • November 25, 2014 at 5:59 pm
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    Unfortunately, national politicians regard local and regional newspapers as tame, which is why they feel free to patronise them so much. With an election in prospect, it’s important to ensure the serfs of the regional media are ‘on message’, as this is the only period in the parliamentary cycle when they become relevant, if only for a few weeks.
    However, let us not forget that David Cameron et al were responsible for the Leveson Inquiry, the most disgraceful episode in British press history, when statutory regulation was seen as the answer to a few ‘cowboy’ journalists in the Murdoch empire.
    Leveson will stand forever as a symbol of oppression in 21st century British society. The UK’s ludicrous claims to being a free and fair society were laid waste by this inquiry. And all because the Telegraph exposed MPs, peers and some ministers as the worthless, fifth-rate shysters that they are.

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  • November 25, 2014 at 10:26 pm
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    Too many press releases from sitting MPs are just dropped without question on to a page by tamed editors who often have had too many free lunches. Shame to see on local papers.

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  • November 28, 2014 at 1:36 pm
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    I think regional media is very tame these days – Biggest news story in Cambridge all year is the ongoing saga of the failed computer at Addenbrookes hospital – frustrating staff and effecting the quality of care for thousands daily from across the region and East of England and still no real coverage and questions from regional press! All the community is talking about it but local media is just reproducing press releases from Hospital press office and local MP’s. Little wonder people are turning away from local media, use to be a time when local papers would get things sorted.

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