Local council newspapers have come under fire from the culture, media and sport secretary.

In an interview in yesterday’s Sunday Mirror, ex-local press journalist Ben Bradshaw MP calls authority newsletters “propaganda sheets” and urges council chiefs to reconsider how they use the cash they’re spending on them.

Mr Bradshaw started his journalism career with the Express and Echo, one of the papers in his Exeter constituency, and later reported for Norwich’s Eastern Daily Press and the BBC.

He took over his current role from health secretary Andy Burnham in June.

Mr Bradshaw told political editor Vincent Moss: “You’ve got local authorities that are spending considerable amount of council taxpayers’ money employing armies of press officers to produce these propaganda sheets masquerading as newspapers.

“They remind me of (Soviet state newspaper) Pravda and papers I knew from my times in East Germany as a BBC correspondent.

“If the only information you’re getting is misleading propaganda put out by politicians from one particular party, I think that’s very dangerous.”

Comments

DBK (03/08/2009 13:50:00)
Council newspapers are not dangerous as long as there are independent local newspapers and radio to counter balance the local news agenda. The problem we face at the moment is the decline in independent news media where many areas of the country will face a dearth of news outlets, with the closure or amalgamation (with the resulting dilution of news stories) of local newspapers, radio stations and even regional television (ITV).

DBK (03/08/2009 13:51:39)
Sorry. I should have added that as to whether local councils should be funding their own newspapers, well, that’s another argument altogether!

Bill (03/08/2009 14:01:41)
Government could stop these propoganda sheets easily – simply reduce their grant to the council. I suspect very few councils would continue with them then – and those that did, and sacrificed other serves to make up the shortfall, wouldn’t be in office for much longer.

Paul B (03/08/2009 22:45:55)
I think “dangerous” is a bit harsh, but they are “propaganda sheets” and the information they do carry could be advertised in local papers saving the council tax payers money and giving local papers ad revenue.
For local council tax payers (including those who work for local papers) to pay more to compete unfairly with stuggling local papers is just wrong.

agedhackette (04/08/2009 09:27:51)
There’s another side to this.
Council advertising is still valuable to weekly papers.
Is that why some give acres of space to boring tripe from mickey mouse politicians that is of no interest to readers?
In some areas the council hardly needs a propaganda sheet- the local paper does it for them.
Thank heavens there are still a few that get stuck in.