| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Around Ealing - 'Money-Wasting Propaganda Sheet' | |
| Posted by: | Simon Hayes | |
| Date/Time: | 27/02/19 10:58:00 |
| I have made some suggestions to the editor of Around Ealing about how to make it a more balanced and representative magazine and I’m awaiting his response. My main issue, as I have said before, is that the Council shouldn’t be spending so much money on this publication. If it was privately owned it would have been scrapped years ago because losses of over £100,000 a year are unsustainable. I would propose a smaller magazine published four times s year (as happens in neighbouring Hounslow). Politically neutral, so Julian Bell’s page simply tells us non-controversial facts - as Steve Curran does in Hounslow - rather than use it to push his political agenda. Otherwise there would have to be a balancing piece from an opposition leader. There are two sides to every argument, as Brexit has sadly proven. There should be comprehensive listings of all ward forums, dates of council meetings and full contact details of every councillor. There should be relevant information about forthcoming consultations and details of major disruptions likely to be caused by, for example, planned building or road works. If policy decisions are to be highlighted in the magazine then these must be presented in a balanced way. Take the increase in CPZ charges, which featured in a double page spread last autumn. This was publicised after the relevant votes had been taken. There was widespread opposition to it, not least because the reasons put forward for making the changes were supported by rather debatable evidence. Yet there was no reflection of this in the article nor any right if response from people affected by the decision. The Council is making a big thing of Ealing residents ‘getting involved’ in the community and I would suggest that it extends that to the pages of this magazine. We pay for it, after all. But certainly less should be spent on it. |