A regional press chief has hit back after a Liberal Democrat candidate claimed journalists were “hypocrites” for criticising his party’s local newspaper mimicry.

Jenni Phillips, Reach plc’s audience and content editor for Gloucestershire, has defended the industry after Andrew Makinson, who is standing for re-election to Liverpool City Council, said he was “sick of hypocrisy” by journalists over the issue.

Mr Makinson’s comments came after Jenni posted a photograph on Twitter of a fake newspaper called the Gloucester City Bulletin, the latest example in a string of such publications produced by the Lib Dems across the country in the run-up to tomorrow’s elections.

Among the accounts to share Jenni’s post was that of the News Media Association, which is running a campaign warning voters not to be “duped” by political parties’ fake local newspapers ahead of the poll.

In her post, Jenni wrote: “This is not a newspaper – really annoyed to see this nonsense has spread to Gloucester. And don’t even get me started on the double bylines and horrendous design.”

But the post angered Mr Makinson on the grounds that regional titles accept party political advertising.

He wrote: “Somehow I doubt you would be moaning here if they had paid to have this as a wraparound on one of your newspapers.

“Sick of this hypocrisy from journalists, happy to sell fake covers to political parties, but object if a party produces its own newspaper.”

In response, Jenni said: “The Lib Dems paid for a wrap on the [Gloucestershire] Echo on the day of the 2015 election I seem to remember – and an ad feature would, as per ASA rules, be clearly marked up as an ad feature.”