The Eastbourne Herald publishers, Johnston Press, have been labelled a disgrace by local web editor, Simon Montgomery
Talking about their decision to wrap themselves in glory with what appeared to be an editorial in support of the Conservative Party in its edition of Friday 1 May he said;
‘I am willing to bet that 95% of the readers that browsed the front page of the Eastbourne Herald on Friday 1 May believed that they were reading the editorial of the Eastbourne Herald on that day, encouraging people to vote Conservative.
‘From a distance on the newsagents shelf it is an editorial, it is only when you get close up that you see the thinly disguised single centimetre line that says it is an advertisers announcement’.
“Johnston Publishing has gone too far and they should be ashamed of themselves. What has become over the last few years a very readable news magazine style paper, with acres of good stories every week and great sections on history, community features and the arts, perhaps amongst the best output in the South of England, on this day shamed itself’.
He went on to suggest “Nobody is saying that it should have supported the Liberal Democrats and Stephen Lloyd who was the MP for the town, or the Labour Party, which quite possibly was found out by people across the country and showed itself to be unelectable, it is just that newspapers in this country have never before indulged in such blatant showboating disguised as editorial”.
“it is a stain on the good name of the editor, staff and production team behind the paper and it is unlikely to be forgotten by local people,’
“There are some fabulous local journalists and writers on the newspaper and I am wiling to bet that some of them went home that night with their heads down as they left the building”.
“Johnston Publishing should be well and truly ashamed of itself. And for what? A few thousand pounds? Was it worth the money to see the reputation of the paper tarnished in such a visible way, threatening the independence of its reputation and the circulation of its valued readership? ”
“The Conservative Party”, he added “deserves great credit for running a straight campaign and talking directly to people and winning their support and the majority that it now enjoys, but I honestly believe that this kind of disguised advertising has no place on the front page of local newspapers. We have never seen it before and I hope we never see it again.”
In the journalists bible, ‘Hold the Front Page’, which advertises and supports journalistic training positions in the industry an article by David Sharman, published on 1 May and titled ‘Political storm after Tory wraparound appears on regional papers’ suggests;
“The local press has been caught up in a pre-election political storm after a four-page wraparound advertising the Conservative Party appeared on several regional newspapers.
“With less than a week to go until the general election, the wrap has been published on the front of several weeklies covering marginal seats including the Lancaster Guardian, Lincolnshire Echo, Eastbourne Herald and Hastings & St Leonards Observer.
“The wrap, described by one former weekly editor as “inexcusable,” features a message from Prime Minister David Cameron urging readers to vote Conservative in next Thursday’s poll”.
Simon Montgomery
editor, Pevensey Bay Life
