Yesterday the BNP successfully got its message across to the tens of thousands of readers of the Darlington based Northern Echo which covers most of the Sedgefield constituency. A £600 advert was placed in the paper in the run up to tomorrow’s parliamentary by-election. Instead of accepting the advert as part of that newspaper’s obligation to inform the electorate fairly about all the candidates contesting the by-election the editor, Peter Barron, felt compelled to write a hand wringing apology to the paper’s readers offering self-congratulatory praise that “The Northern Echo has a proud tradition of campaigning for freedom of opinion” and suggesting that to refuse the BNP advert would be tantamount to descending “…into the sinister darkness of censorship”.
Mr. Barron and the board of directors at the Echo’s parent body Newsquest have turned what should have been a straightforward commercial arrangement between the BNP as a paying advertiser and the newspaper as publisher, into a farce and embarrassingly dragged a very worthwhile charity into a mess of their own making.
The paper’s commitment to democracy and free expression of opinion fell at the first fence yesterday when, after lengthy discussion, the editor refused to publish a second advertisement, as originally agreed, and due to appear in today’s edition.
Moral grounds
The staff in the advertising department have been exceptionally helpful and a good rapport was established. However the decision to reject the advert was made, in our view perversely, by the overall editor on “moral” grounds. He objected to our inclusion in the advert of the now widely publicized fact that primary school children as young as 4 are being taught about same sex relationships.
Rather than allow themselves to be accused of profiting from the BNP advert, yesterday the paper pledged to donate the £1,200 to a very worthwhile children’s hospice.
Questions
Having turned down the advert in today’s edition a number of questions need to be asked.
Who, if anyone, has been piling on the pressure in the past 24 hrs for the editor and the board to do a u-turn in their commitment to democracy?
Will the editor explain why the inclusion of our concern about the appalling sexualisation of our four and five year olds should be so objectionable?
Does the editor agree with the sexualisation of primary school children?
Will the newspaper consider running the ad in tomorrow’s edition?
Will the £600 be refunded to the BNP?
Will the newspaper maintain its pledge to give £1,200 to Butterwick Children’s Hospice?
It’s clear that the good people of the BNP have hurdles to overcome in the long stretch to get our message across to the British electorate. The telephone numbers of the Northern Echo are printed below. We can each use a few minutes of our time today to show our disgust with the editor’s refusal to carry our perfectly legal advert and inform the former hapless racing tipster, Peter Barron, that his decision to censor the BNP shows that once again he has backed a loser.
Main switchboard: 01325 381313
Editorial
Yesterday’s editorial in The Northern Echo
TODAY, on Page 13, we publish an advertisement for the British National Party.
It is not something we have done lightly or from which we take any satisfaction, because we oppose everything that this far-right party stands for.
We understand that some of our readers will disagree with the decision, believing that the BNP should be denied the oxygen of publicity.
However, in going ahead with publication, we have taken into account the fact that the advertisement is perfectly legal and that the BNP is a legitimate party which is entitled to field a candidate in the Sedgefield by-election.
The Northern Echo has a proud tradition of campaigning for freedom of opinion. We believe it is central to a democratic society and we should be proud of the fact that individuals and organisations in this country are free to express their opinions.
It would be hypocritical of us to champion those freedoms only to deny them to an organisation just because we disagree with what it stands for. Where would the line be drawn? How far would we descend into the sinister darkness of censorship?
This is an advertisement which is published reluctantly in the belief that it is right to do so.
But when the people of Sedgefield vote for a successor to Tony Blair on Thursday, we call on them to do so in pursuit of hope rather than the hate which the BNP stands for.
The £1,200 which the BNP paid for the advert will be donated to the Butterwick Children's Hospice.
Contacts
Newsquest (North East - The Northern Echo, Darlington & Stockton Times, Durham Times)
P.O.Box 14
Priestgate
Darlington
DL1 1NF
Tel: 01325 381313
Fax: 01325 380539
FROM THE BNP NEWS TEAM
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