[g jones]

I don't think the Ob was deliberately slanted.

The previous Council put £,000 hundreds into press and Google Page Ranking. Articles written ready to drop in with photos. It was made easy for the Ob. An army of Council staff employed to monitor, report, write stories, produce a tsunami of positive press stories all paid for out of Council Tax.

The Council refused to do Labour Councillor stories but would regularly do backbench Conservative to make sure the public believed they were working hard.

I did once demand from the press officer to see the press releases and for a month got a quote in. PB quizzed everyone how this was happening and discovered it was the press officer doing a CC. He was angry and a new policy was announced, press releases were only to be released to councillors after they had been published.

I used to constantly be pushing against a closed door when Mervyn was editor because he was concerned his source of news would be cut off. PB regularly on the phone to
Mervyn to get a second quote on what the opposition has said often getting an opportunity to rubbish me/us.'

After getting little coverage one budget, I planned the next one in advance. When I spoke to Mervyn to thrash out our coverage I was told the Observer had been guaranteed an exclusive by PB so long as no quotes were reported by Labour Councillors - no opposition. I had to argue the wrongs of this to get quoted.

I was led to believe Peter was never off the phone to the OB. When Gail Atkinson was LT reporter they used to have ding dongs as she loathed him and Nigel Rix who when he didn't get his way would bully and threaten legal action.

In the end Gail almost broke down, beaten by the endless pressure and bullying.

Now neither paper needs Peter like they once did.