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29 Nov 2009

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About those local newspapers … | George Monbiot

... town."

"Please add the Yorkshire Post to your list of fearless papers. Check out the work of investigative reporter Rob Waugh."

J: "When a major homebuilding company wanted to build a large development on greenbelt land south of Nottingham, we [the Nottingham Evening Post] wrote early and often about the plans … That coverage was a part of our politics team's overall plan for reporting on the city's 20-year homebuilding strategy as early in the initial discussion stages as possible. The council has been less than thrilled by this, but local residents seem to appreciate having more than six weeks to plan and ramp up protests. Just this past weekend, we ran several front-page splashes and major stories on how the county council – newly under Tory control – plans to slash social services. We talked to people who will be affected – one front page featured a wheelchair-bound woman – and won no new friends at County Hall."

"I have been campaigning for five years about a scandal here in Waltham Forest involving the council wasting millions of pounds of regeneration money meant for the poorest people in the borough, and the Waltham Forest Guardian, and its assistant editor Jonathan Bunn, have not only covered my investigations, but added to them … I should point out that both I and others have brought this story to the attention of your Guardian colleagues, who showed considerable interest over a number of months, conducted their own probe, and concluded that there was indeed a scandal here, but nevertheless did not follow through with a published story. Who has 'spoken truth to power' in this instance? Not the national daily, clearly."

J: "In the last few years, the Lymington Times and New Milton advertiser series … has challenged several 'overdogs' on its patch. It exposed Hampshire county council's leader trying to pass the buck for shutting a care home to the then Commission for Social Care Inspection (it was actually down to HCC's own 'standards' that it was closing). It showed the harbour master at Lymington having had a key part in his former job helping design the highly controversial new ferries he then had a role in regulating. It tirelessly pursued New Forest district council for its mishandling of its sports hall floors which cost the taxpayer nearly £350,000, and in doing so exposed the false lower cost the council originally tried to pass off. It also repeatedly highlighted the frequent secrecy used by Lymington town council when it goes into private session – successfully pressing councillors to be more open. And it was quite happy to upset the notoriously secretive MP Julian Lewis when he declined to answer questions in the wake of the Common expenses revelations."

"Our local newspaper, the Lancaster Guardian, regularly runs stories in support of local campaigns: against a large retail development ...

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