Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Moss
It's something I've been doing since last May when I was elected, trying desperately to get Rishton news into a wider audience. Very little has been printed in the Observer whilst the Lancashire Telegraph couldn't have been more receptive. Any political stories have also included quotes from the Conservative group for balance and when events from a Hyndburn ward get better coverage in a Blackburn paper than an Accrington one, despite repeated attempts, I'm more mindful to keep feeding the reporter that actually wants the information we send.
The Observer were going to run a story on kissing gates in Rishton, taking the trouble to phone me up, ask for a press release and even sending a photographer, and yet two issues down the line it hasn't appeared. Dozens of other stories have never materialised and an open invitation to raid my blog for information and photographs has seemingly never been taken up.
It's no skin off my nose as we now have a reasonably good information network for residents within the village but Rishton currently has half a page and is lumped in with Great Harwood, one would imagine due to a lack of stories.
It's disappointing that the local news they apparently crave is being eschewed in favour of adverts.
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Let's not forget that the Lancashire Telegraph is published six times per week, rather than once, as the Observer is. Meaning it's much easier to get a story featured in that paper, because they have many more column inches to fill.
Although the LT is based in the town, it isn't a Blackburn paper. The whole of Hyndburn falls in it's geographic area of coverage.
Trust me, I honestly don't think the Observer has any political bias. I'd be the first to jump up and down if I saw evidence that it was.
It was only last week that they reintroduced the local 'news' pages. Most areas are lumped together with a neighbouring Hyndburn town.
If people suspect there is some right-wing bias at the Observer, can someone please explain why nearly every other week's letters page features a letter from the leader of the local Communist party?