The journalists’ union has joined the fray over Prime Minister David Cameron’s “heavy-handed” treatment of local press journalists during the election campaign after it was highlighted on HTFP.
As reported this week, Mr Cameron’s entourage has prevented journalists from the Yorkshire Post, Huddersfield Daily Examiner and Nottingham Post from asking questions during recent campaign visits.
Now National Union of Journalist’ president Michelle Stanistreet has described the Tory spin-doctors’ treatment of local press journalists as a “travesty of democratic engagement.”
The union says it will be seeking assurances from all the major political parties that journalists will be given fair access to candidates ahead of the election on 7 May.
During a visit to Huddersfield last week, journalists from both the Yorkshire Post and the Daily Examiner were held in a small room with other regional journalists for more than an hour while national journalists accompanied the PM on a factory tour.
Examiner political reporter Joanne Douglas was then given one minute to interview Mr Cameron while photographer Andrew Catchpool was prevented from photographing him by a press officer as he left the factory.
The Nottingham Post also revealed it was denied the opportunity to ask Mr Cameron questions it had tabled 24 hours prior to his visit to its patch on Thursday.
HTFP has made repeated approaches to the Conservative Party for a comment on the issue but none has yet been forthcoming.
Michelle, pictured above left, said: “Journalists, national and local, say these stage-managed events, stuffed with party activists and supporters, are a travesty of democratic engagement. Heaven forfend if the Prime Minister gets to meet a ‘real voter’.
“They also say the accreditation process to get into election events is vastly bureaucratic and intrusive – journalists are expected to submit details including their home address, passport and driving licence numbers and a photograph and are being charged for the privilege.
“It is unacceptable that licence fee payers money is being wasted on boosting party coffers in this way.
“The NUJ will be contacting all the major parties to seek assurances that journalists will be granted fair access to events and be able to ask the questions they know the electorate want answering.
“Election events should reflect the hurly burly of political debate and not be reduced to patronising photo-calls.
“This is exactly the reason why reporters are discovering the lack of engagement and trust voters have with the political classes.”
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The problem with this is that the NUJ is so left-wing that any complaints during an election period have absolutely no credibility whatsoever. They should have considered this when they were exhorting us all to chip in for three-legged llamas in Chile and transgendered bats in Peru etc.
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@Onlooker
The Conservative party has also treated Hold the Front Page with contempt by repeatedly ignoring their entirely reasonable requests for a comment on this issue. So what does that mean? That HTFP is also too “left-wing” to deserve an answer?
I think it actually means that the Conservatives are hugely arrogant and out of touch.
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The NUJ taking a stand on something is always a good excuse to roll one’s eyes and do a ‘pah’ of derision.
What on Earth do she mean by “licence fee payers money” being wasted?
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The journalists’ union????? Only one that Press Gazette staff are members of is it? Accuracy dictates that I point out that there are others if you take a look
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Odd…I don’t think the NUJ has called for help for three-legged llamas in Peru for at least 25 years…
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Unfortunately it is the end of news. People no longer care about news. All they care about is Facebook and Twitter and uploading pictures of drunken antics, cats, dogs, sometimes fish, days out, selfies on a day out or evening out, funny jokes, football related gossip, sport gossip, jeremy clarkson, wedding days and baby pics. It’s a shame but that’s life. (please note this is sarcasm)
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Michelle Stanistreet’s quotes fascinate me. Interesting use of the word “forfend”. But I’m also baffled at how not talking to local journalists is: ““Unacceptable that licence fee payers money is being wasted on boosting party coffers in this way.”
Can someone explain please?
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I’m afraid the importance of local newspapers now bleating about being sidelined by the political parties can be measured in their freefalling circulation figures.
If the readers don’t think those newspapers are important, then why should the politicos?
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This is becoming boring. Hacks should find some genuine human interest stories instead of trailing cynical politicians. The public is already jaded.
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When will local newspapers realise they don’t count any more? All this nonsense about being a vital part of the community that EVERY local newspaper editor always spouts is nonsense. Falling sales, falling interest. Please stop thinking you’re the be all and end all. You’re not. Regards, Dave (not that one)
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I think some people are missing the point – probably deliberately I imagine.
It’s not about how the Conservatives or other politicians treat the newspapers, it’s how they treat the readers. Like it or not, the newspaper is there on behalf of that community to speak to a serving Prime Minister who is IN their community, not sparing time to talk to them is not sparing time for the people.
The Tories have got form for this of course, their initial refusal to send anyone other than a foot soldier on Questiontime has led to the once great political show becoming the circus that it is.
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Any valid point that might have been made has been lost by politicising it with an “evil Tories don’t care” slant. People just see a union slagging off the Tories and roll their eyes. The truth is the political class are all identical, only the colours of the rosettes are different.
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@Dave (not that one)
If you truly believe local newspapers “don’t count anymore”, why are you wasting your time on a website dedicated to coverage of local and regional newspapers?
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Jeff Jones. While I take your point what is the politician going to say other than party dogma.
Cameron might be read by die hard Tories but the rest of the readers will just check to see if they are in obits.
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Cameron spoke to The Gazette this week:
http://bit.ly/1Dbzwif
Also, Balls did today:
http://bit.ly/1NJFE9y
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While I accept that local papers have less influence than they had, It’s still the only printed medium that’s read by the entire spectrum of the public.
The Times, for all its self-importance, is bought by well under five percent of the nation, mainly Tory voters. The Guardian likewise, mainly Labour voters. The Independent has a print sale a long way south of the Wolverhampton Express and Star. The Sun, Mirror and Star are ‘read’ in rapidly diminishing numbers by semi-literate dopes while the Mail – with perhaps the widest reach – is great for those preoccupied with weight, diet, hair colouring, fingernails and all those veggies that help stave off Alzheimers.
The Express, meanwhile, is read by weather obsessives, anyone looking for a mortgage and those with a fixation on house prices.
I suspect papers like the Manchester Evening News, the Express and Star, the Birmingham Mail and similar titles still reach readers of all classes, though in much reduced numbers.
In light of that, you would have thought Cameron and Co would want to court the press – local, regional or national – in the hope of being heard by as many people as possible.
However, as he and his PR people live cosily inside the Westminster compound, and know little about Real Britain, they are clearly unaware of the reality when it comes to press influence or anything else in British society. Another good reason for giving them the elbow next month.
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@golam. I work in them. Sadly. Regards, Dave
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