A leading regional daily has refused to publish an article by David Cameron on how much he “loves” its patch, accusing him of ignoring its campaign on flood prevention.
The Prime Minister sent what the Yorkshire Post is branding “generic love letters” to a series of regional titles to promote English Tourism Week.
The by-lined articles, all beginning with the words “I love” followed by the name of the county or region, were published in a range of newspapers including The Herald, Plymouth, the Eastern Daily Press, Lincolnshire Echo and The Journal, Newcastle.
But the Post refused to publish it, branding the piece “formulaic” and also accusing the Prime Minister of failing to give a proper response to its campaign to highlight the need for investment in new flood defences.
The YP published an open letter to Mr Cameron last month challenging him to answer a series of questions on flooding policy – but he has yet to respond.
In an editorial, Post comment editor Tom Richmond also accused the PM’s office of “duping” other regional newspapers with what it called a “sham media operation.”
Wrote Tom: “The Yorkshire Post could have published a bylined article this week from David Cameron in support of English Tourism Week, a well-intended promotional initiative which began with Prince Charles urging families to holiday in flood-hit areas.
“The Prime Minister’s piece began with the words “I love Yorkshire & the Humber” and was designed to highlight some of this region’s attractions and why this is the UK’s premier visitor destination.
“Downing Street Press officer Jonathan Bennett telephoned to offer this “very personal” piece at the very moment Mr Cameron was on Sky News embroiled in talks with EU leaders over the migrant crisis which is engulfing Turkey. Was this multi-tasking at its very best?
“And then, when the column did arrive, doubts quickly surfaced – it appeared very formulaic, lacked empathy and only made passing reference to the misery caused by the Yorkshire floods.
“As many of you will be aware, The Yorkshire Post is still waiting for Mr Cameron to respond to this newspaper’s open letter, published on January 26 exactly one month after the floods, when we challenged the Tory leader to answer a series of key questions on flooding policy – and how he intends to provide this region with the level of investment currently afforded to the South.
“Six weeks later, we’re still waiting for a full reply. And that is why, after careful consideration, we chose to spike Mr Cameron’s article on editorial grounds – it would have been a disservice to our readers to give the Prime Minister such a platform when so many homes, businesses and tourist destinations, the latest being Jorvik Viking Centre and the iconic Settle to Carlisle railway, are paying such a high price for the floods.
Tom went on: “And then the insincere – some would say sham – nature of this media operation became clear. The Herald, Plymouth’s newspaper, published a piece from Mr Cameron which began with the words “I love Cornwall and Isles of Scilly”.
“It did not end here. The Newcastle Chronicle carried a piece that started like this: “I love Northumberland.” And the same in the Lincolnshire Echo: “I love Lincolnshire.”
“This is not personal – it has all the hallmarks of a carpet-bomb PR drop that The Yorkshire Post is wise to, and that Mr Cameron is almost certainly unaware of.
“We also believe Mr Cameron thinks more of Yorkshire, and indeed The Yorkshire Post, than to ignore our questions and respond to our open letter sooner rather than later so that this county – and its tourism destinations – are better prepared to withstand future flooding occurrences.”
The YP published its open letter to Mr Cameron on its front page on Tuesday 26 January, pictured below.
It, the paper branded the government’s response to the flooding over Christmas and New Year period as “wholly inadequate” and claimed the North had been left more vulnerable to flooding because of decisions taken on his watch.
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A valid editorial decision by the YP, undermined by the toddler-style attention-seeking which seems to the hallmark of the new regime.
Newspapers across the country weren’t ‘duped’ – they would have been no more under the impression than anyone else that this was anything other than the work of a No 10 press flunky. Publish, don’t publish, up to you – but it’s no different in my eyes to a politician using a speech-writer to do the heavy lifting. Let’s not pretend we’ve uncovered Watergate by simply reporting something that has been going on since the dawn of time (or since the invention of the press officer, at least.)
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“I love” all those lovely votes a good sycophantic letter can win me.
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And to think the YP was once owned by Yorkshire Conservative Newspapers !
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Absolutely right, RT. Although, memo to YP, it IS possible that Cameron does like more than one area of our country, you know,
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A very valid editorial decision. Cameron’s letter, I am sure, was used by many newspapers simply because it is a ready-made story and filled a large chunk of space. At least the YP questioned it, rather than blindly going down the path of using it simply because it came from the PM’s office.
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The YP seems more obsessed with being the news rather than reporting it. First the Savile picture ban. now refusing to publish Cameron. Where will it all end?
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Such a good decision YP. It’s good to remember that the PM is a PR through and through. One of the best in fact. So spin is his game – and this is just another example. Painful to feel you are being manipulated isn’t it?
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Politician in incincerity shocker.
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Good for you Yorkshire Post. Great decision.
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I’m surprised that no one has yet pointed out that these reginal articles penned by PMs have been kicking around for years. Cameron’s office is merely the latest one to come up with the idea – and I bet the YP has seen them from previous occupants of Number 10.
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Has the Post explained why it thinks papers were duped? Or has the editor has his 15 minutes in the spotlight and moved on to his next wheeze? Somewhere in all of this are readers who think what?
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Politicians these days are just empty suits. and that goes for both sides of the house. You see it when they’re on tour and they’re forced to do something ordinary like eat a sausage roll, they look like Mr Spock being introduced to the concept of a urinal. They’re absolutely baffled by anything that belongs more than five miles outside the city of London.
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Great decision. Why on earth do papers unthinkingly collude with Downing St to con their readers into thinking they’re getting something special with these fake “personal” pieces? YP deserves a round of applause for showing this nonsense up for what it is: rubbish PR.
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All the ‘money no object crap’ we’ve had here in the West over the past few years – Somerset levels, Tewksbury, Gloucester – you name it.
They set up a few photo calls with diggers clearing things and then it all gets quietly put to rest as the red tape involved in actually extracting money becomes onerous and the ‘special’ funding to council’s dries up (excuse the pun).
It’s good the YP are taking a stance.
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