The Western Daily Press has called for the resignation of the Countryside Alliance chief executive Simon Hart – accusing him of trying to “bully” the paper into not printing readers’ views against hunting.
The call comes after the WDP printed a letter from Mr Hart in which he said the paper was in breach of the PCC Code of Practice because it had published a reader’s letter which Mr Hart claimed was “inaccurate, misleading and distorted”.
The reader’s letter in question had criticised hunting, asking “Why is it perfectly all right for hunts to train dogs to chase to exhaustion, drag down and maul pregnant deer to death?”
The WDP responded to Mr Hart’s letter saying it had done nothing wrong and that readers were entitled to their own opinion.
In a comment article, editor Terry Manners said: “The Western Daily Press has a message this morning for Mr Simon Hart, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance: It is time to quit.
“For months you and your media department have been trying to gag this newspaper by using threats to stop us publishing views you do not agree with.
“This sort of bully-boy tactic is straight out of the manual on how to silence critics in police states but it has no place in a democracy.
“So, following your letter published today on page 13, our advice to you is to go now, because you are not helping your organisation put its case across.
“The way things work in a free press is that the letters pages of newspapers are open to people representing all shades of opinion.
“We may disagree with many of the opinions expressed but must defend the writers’ freedom to see reasonable opinions in print.
“This paper has remained stoutly neutral on the issue of hunting for decades. That remains its position.
“We have many pro-hunting friends and many opposed to hunting.
“As you well know, there is little room for middle ground on hunting. To a neutral the views expressed on either side are characterised by strong language about opponents.
“We hear from your organisation that everything we print from your opponents is lies and distortion. We also receive video and photographic submissions with the letters from your opponents which supports their case.
“This is precisely the value of letters pages. We print the arguments from both sides, editing out, despite your suspicions to the contrary, some of the most inflammatory language – then we let readers make up their own minds.
“This is how a free press works, and will continue to. So, Mr Hart, go now.”
“I am afraid your continued unwillingness to address the accuracy of the material which you choose to publish has already led to the Alliance preparing one complaint to the PCC.
“I would ask that you print an immediate correction and apology, equal in size and prominence to your editorial of 10th August, making it clear that the Alliance has never used threats to try and stop the WDP publishing views with which we do not agree, and that we have never suggested that everything the WDP prints from our opponents is lies and distortion. If a correction and apology are not forthcoming we will be forced to consider whether the misrepresentation of our correspondence in your editorial warrants another complaint to the PCC.”
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