Dear Sir,
We are used to the gutter press in this country regularly flouting what most would regard as the canons of journalism, such principles as truthfulness, accuracy, objectivity, fairness and public accountability.
I believe however that the Newton News, our community newspaper, has striven to abide by these principles in all the years it has served the town. This is, of course, as it should be as we do not seek out your paper it drops through our letter boxes without invitation. The publication of two letters in last week’s paper have alarmed me therefore.
The first letter was written by Mrs Elaine Robson and was essentially a rant directed at a Labour Party candidate in a forthcoming by election. Perhaps one can understand why, as editor, you chose not to suppress it, however personal and offensive the attack. Less easy to understand however was the careless placing of the letter in Friday’s paper. It was starkly juxtaposed with election addresses by two other candidates. This, in itself, can be seen as likely to cause harm to the election chances of Mr Peter Davies. Hardly fair!
The publication of the second letter is far more problematic. It was a foul diatribe by Honest John masquerading as a contribution to the debate on the EU prior to the referendum. Instead it was an incendiary offering which openly incited racial hatred and the use of violence. This is a criminal offence whereby not only the person expressing such views but also the publisher of such material puts themselves at risk of prosecution.
Very disappointing!
Lest anyone should suppose otherwise I am not, by the way, a member of any political party.
Yours faithfully
Ann Elizabeth Gilling