"Proper Papers Not Propaganda"
Trinity Mirror, publisher of local newspaper the Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle, has launched a campaign opposing Hammersmith & Fulham Council's "propaganda" paper, h&f news.
Using the slogan, Proper Papers Not Propaganda, the campaign is designed to raise awareness of the council’s publishing activity and the cost and threat to democracy this poses to the borough’s residents, local businesses and politicians.
Trinity Mirror says its key objectives include stopping h&f news in its current format, which it says costs residents £174,292 per annum.
Additionally the campaign aims to attract the attention of central government, national commentators and key decision makers.
Next week the Chronicle will launch an outdoor advertising campaign on sites around the borough.
Simon Edgley, Managing Director of Trinity Mirror Southern, said: " We have always maintained that while we support the council’s statutory obligation to communicate its activities to residents we don’t believe it should present its views in a way that suggests h&f news is an impartial news observer.
" The format, content and frequency of the h&f news is quite clearly intended to look and feel like a genuine newspaper, which of course it is not. It is outrageous that the council is using taxpayers' money to produce a publication that masquerades as a newspaper but which instead produces biased council spin.
“The council’s publishing strategy is fundamentally wrong and our Proper Papers Not Propaganda campaign will continue until the h&f news, in its current format, is stopped."
March 26, 2010
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