The National Union of Journalists is about to launch a set of Ethical Guidelines and Working Practices for Journalists working in Public Relations and Information Services.
NUJ members in public service PR have recently been experiencing problems, particularly in local government, and there have been well-publicised cases that have created confusion for both members and employers, regarding ethical behaviour and good practice in press offices.

Northcliffe Newspapers has announced the acquisition of Bargain Pages, a free ads publication based in Birmingham.
The business has been bought from Scott Davidson, who has stood down as managing director. Jo Ford, who was recruited to help Scott run and develop Bargain Pages, will remain with the business.

A disabled badge holder who vowed to go to prison rather than pay a parking fine, has had his penalty revoked thanks to the Scunthorpe Telegraph.
North Lincolnshire Council waived the £50 fee after the man parked in a disabled parking bay. Arthritis sufferer John Benson fears part of his disabled badge may have been obscured when the parking fine was issued.

“Questionable spending” by Leicester City Council will be investigated by the city’s finance chief, after the Mercury exposed a number of invoices which were published in the annual accounts.

Kidderminster Shuttle/Times readers have paid for an 81-year-old widow to visit her native Poland, after her savings for the trip were stolen by thieves.
She wanted to visit the country she grew up in on the trip, which she felt might be her last because of illness.

A report in the Winsford Guardian has prompted police to investigate anti-social behaviour on a local housing estate.
The report details two-and-a-half years of suffering endured by a disabled woman on the Greenbank Estate.

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