[cma-l] community radio in political rumpus

[Julian Mellor]

I thought I'd share this with you all - possibly as a cautionary tale.

Locally we have a conservative candidate whose mother has been  
critically ill during the campaign (and indeed she died on Tuesday  
evening).  Some rather nasty comments have been made on local websites  
(not ours) about the candidate's absence to be at her bedside but  
after the actions of one of our volunteers who sent a rather nasty  
email in our name late on a Friday evening (the person has confessed  
and has taken full responsibility) we seem to have become embroiled in  
the local mud fight.  The local conservatives are now clearly after us  
(although the candidate's campaign manager accepted my apology for the  
email shortly after it came to light) and are monitoring our  
broadcasts looking for the slightest reason to make complaints about  
what we do whether on or off air.

As you'll see from the press release below, we're now being criticised  
for what we didn't broadcast (rather than what we did broadcast) from  
a recording of political hustings made earlier this week.  The edited  
exert was a complaint about a photographer - to me at least this was  
clearly not part of the debate between candidates (the Lib Dem  
candidate said nothing about it) so it felt legitimate to cut it out,  
along with other parts of the recording, in order to reduce total time  
to a one hour broadcast.  To the complainant, however, this represents  
political bias.

Quite how this level of scrutiny, control and criticism marries up  
with notions of everyone being empowered to engage in community action  
and the Big Society I can only wonder - but then that's probably  
expressing political partiality which they say we, as community media,  
mustn't do on or off-air!

I don't know if the press are going to pick this up, or if Ofcom will  
receive a complaint and launch an investigation.  But it all takes up  
the time of volunteers to respond - which we'd much rather spend more  
constructively working with our local community.

Of course they do say 'any publicity is good publicity'!

Julian


> From: trevor morgan <verthandi at hotmail.co.uk>
> Date: 29 April 2010 11:03
> Subject: 10 Radio "political bias"
> To: 10radio 10radio <info at 10radio.org>, alex cameron <alex.cameron at countygazette.co.uk 
> >, welli weekly <wellyedit at tindlenews.co.uk>
>
>
> Press Release
>
>
>
> 10 Radio Claim of “Political bias”
>
>
>
> This morning (Thursday 29 April), 10Radio broadcast what they  
> claimed to be a recording of a general election hustings meeting in  
> Wiveliscombe.
>
>
> What they did in fact was to broadcast an edited version of the  
> meeting.
>
>
> Under a regulation issued by their regulator, Ofcom, they may must  
> report with total impartiality.  This they have not done.
>
>
> Throughout the meeting a photographer employed by Jeremy Browne was  
> constantly hovering around another candidate, Mark Formosa,  
> constantly photographing him.  This was no doubt in order to get a  
> suitable shot to show an opponent in an unflattering light.
>
>
> Eventually Mr Formosa was forced to protest about this behaviour.
>
>
> This part of the meeting showed the Liberal Democrat candidate in a  
> poor light.
>
>
> In editing this section out it is clear that 10Radio have acted with  
> undue partiality.
>
>
> This is not the first time they have acted in this manner.
>
>
> When recently they were sent a press release saying that Mark  
> Formosa would be stepping down from campaigning as his mother was  
> ill that replied:
>
>
> “We are not interested. Please don't play the sympathy card here  
> again.”
>
>
> Says Trevor Morgan, Chairman of Wellington Conservatives:-  “Over  
> many year I lobbied for both educational radio and community radio.   
> I have considerable radio experience and it is with great sadness  
> that I now feel obliged to complain about the dreadful and hurtful  
> behaviour of 10 Radio and about breach of duty to report with any  
> undue impartiality”
>
>
>
> "They are not permitted to show any undue partiality towards any  
> political party or politician and if they do they are open to the  
> risk of losing their license"
>
>
>
>
> Ends.
>
>
>
>
> Footnote: Subsequent to these incidents Mark Formosa’s mother has  
> passed away.
>
>
> Trevor Morgan
>
> Chairman, Wellington Conservatives
>
> 01823 660718
>
>

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