Purdah – again

Should those standing for town and/or district council seats be allowed to trumpet their Devon County Council “influence” – especially when said trumpeting is hot air rather than anything else?

At least one local newspaper seems to think it’s fine.

Purdah? What’s purdah? Oh, that’s when you ban stories about those not in power – yet!

6 thoughts on “Purdah – again”

As for a Paper’s Purdah and Heralding a County Councillor’s Influence, isn’t it a case of who pays the piper?

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Yet another somewhat unbalanced story. There was a letter published from an East Devon Alliance candidate (Robert Crick), but you don’t critisise that particular purdah-breaking episode. Is it OK for Independents to have their names brought before the public in the letters column, but not other parties’ members; or is it that existing councillors are banned but not challengers? Explain your logic; justify your description of yourself as “an independent blog, editorially independent of all political parties and all election candidates”. I’m in no way backing the existing coucillors, nor am I against the Independents (far from it) – but I do find your self-professed “independence” a bit of a sham.

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Paul F says:

19 Apr 2015 at 12:18am

I think that there is a BIG difference between publishing a letter from a candidate, and publishing a news story or editorial about a candidate.

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- Hibou says:
  
  19 Apr 2015 at 10:50am
  
  Not so. Both put the name of the candidate into the public arena at a time when such exposure should be closely controlled. Neither letters said “vote for me”, but if one is disallowed then so should the other.
  
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- Paul F says:
  
  19 Apr 2015 at 4:59pm
  
  Actually neither is disallowed – the Purdah applies to EDDC not newspapers. Newspapers actually have a responsibility as part of a democratic society – to investigate and publish stuff that is secret without fear or favour – the so called fourth estate. I do not personally believe that ANY newspaper should have a bias towards one party or another – though they can have a bias towards or against policies based on the beliefs of the journalists and / or editor which might then favour a particular party indirectly because they share those policies.
  
  In my opinion newspapers should continue to publish any newsworthy story or letter even in the pre-election period, but during this period they need to take extra care to remain unbiased and for their own articles (as opposed to letters) to ensure the veracity and balance of the news stories they run.
  
  There is also very much a difference between news articles and letters – letters are clearly attributed to the author, and the reader can form their own judgement (possibly aided by editorial analysis if the newspaper believes that the letter itself is newsworthy) about the veracity of the letter, whereas readers tend to expect news articles to be well researched, balanced, unbiased and truthful, and with this greater trust comes greater responsibility.
  
  Unfortunately one local newspaper group seems to be biasing their news reports to one party, without testing the veracity, without critical analysis and without balance – and at the same time claiming a self-imposed Purdah. What hypocrisy!! What dereliction of duty as the fourth estate!!
  
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