Sidmouth Herald - promoting incumbent MP Hugo Swire?

Zorro is a supporter of the Sidmouth Herald and all other local and regional papers. They alongside other local and regional media outlets play a valuable role in informing people on local matters, both the important and the less important. Indeed they also have a valuable role to play in holding those in positions of power and authority to account.

The Sidmouth Herald usually manages to fulfil this role very well and tries hard to represent the range of views that there might be on any particular issue.

However, today’s edition of the Sidmouth Herald, in carrying a two page promotional piece on incumbent East Devon MP Hugo Swire has, in Zorro’s opinion misjudged matters.

Since the beginning of this New Year the country is very clearly now in the period of electioneering ahead of the 7 May general election. It is therefore very important that the press and media be they national, regional or local play an even handed approach when reporting on candidates.

As the incumbent MP Hugo Swire has a regular slot in the Sidmouth Herald. Zorro can accept that this is a legitimate and proper opportunity for the local MP to report on his activities and thoughts. However, today’s article has overstepped the mark. It is clearly a piece that is designed to promote Hugo Swire at this point in the election campaign.

The question that the Sidmouth Herald now has to answer is will it now allow all election candidates ion East Devon to submit a piece that it will print over two whole pages and support with two large photographs?

Fairness and balance in the run up to the election surely means that the Sidmouth Herald will respond in the affirmative. I look forward to the editor Stefan Gordon confirming that this will be the case.

You can read about Hugo Swire’s exciting life as our MP and a Minister in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office -

http://sites.google.com/site/realzorro1/9.1.15SidmouthHeraldHugoSwireArticle.pdf