A week after the end of the James v Thompson, and the local press has a chance to catch up with events. The South Wales Guardian has come out with a strong opinion piece criticising the chief executive's use of public money to bring a counter-claim for defamation against blogger Jacqui Thompson.
Last week the Carmarthen Journal ran a piece which managed to be both confusing and biased towards Mr James. This week the baton is taken up by the Journal's sister paper, the Llanelli Star. The report of the concluding statements in the trial contains 18 lines detailing the arguments put forward by the chief executive's barrister, and half that to a brief and very half-hearted summary of Jacqui Thompson's position.
No mention is made of the fact that Mr James's defence and counter-claim were funded out of the public purse or any of the other evidence brought by Jacqui Thompson's legal team. To say that the paper's report is shameful is an understatement.
Whether the report is also carried in the Carmarthen Journal remains to be seen, but Cneifiwr for one will not be wasting 65p on council propaganda to find out.
6 comments:
sad, the Journal used to be a NEWSpaper but like most local papers have to rely on councils adverising budget too much.
a famous journalist once said the relationship between paper and politicians should be the same as the dog and the lampost - In this case the Council is the dog - WRONG!
Oh I've been quite appalled at some of the reporting/journalism in this case. Especially when we can read extracts of the trial on Broken Barnets excellent blog so we know EXACTLY what was said, the backtracking on signed statements, the degree of convenient amnesia, etc, etc ALL laid out bare for anyone to read and deduce.
The kind of journalism I've seen in the papers, and online, it feels like the old-boys-network is really closing ranks and protecting their own.
Furthermore the degree of underlying misogynism in the reporting has made me so angry. Even the BBC, yes the BBC! 'Carmarthenshire Council meetings to be broadcast live on web' news-page, I found so slanted as 'pesky-little-attention-seeking-housewife-causes-bother-by-not-doing-what-shes-told' where 'embarrasing-court-case-causes-Council-to-conceed-to-courageous-crusader-for-greater-transparancy' would have been an equally valid slant.
I really wish Jacqui every success in the court case, not just for her but for me too, for us, for the county, for it to progress.
BUT this was a trial by judge not by jury. I DO try not to be cynical but ..... ...an old boy passing judgement on a 'peasants revolt' ?? Still, ya never know.
Anon @22.25 That's a very interesting point, and something I have been wondering as well - the subject of a future blog post I think. Although there are several senior women councillors, none of them exactly inspires positive thoughts. And of course the real power lies with the top officers where there is hardly a woman in sight. Also, I wonder if it is coincidence that nearly all of the people who have crossed swords with the council in the last few years are women.
To another Anon who wrote in about personnel changes at CAVS. Thank you for the information, which I had probably better not publish for fear of legal repercussions. But it will be put to use.
The e-mail link should be working - I am certainly receiving e-mails, including some which are not actually spam!
Anon 22.25
I think you've hit the nail on the head with the old boys brigade association. It should be mandatory that all officers declare their association, or better still, they should not be allowed to be a part of it at all, as surely it conflicts with their jobs.
It's strange Cneifiwr, I too, like Jacqui Thompson, have been accused of becoming obssessed with my complaint. Yet the person who said this is an officer who failed to deal with aspects of my complaint, so I suppose I must be hitting a nerve!
I haven't spent the last 7 years fighting for what's right to give up now. The only way lessons will be learnt is through holding officers to account and if this doesn't happen, this awful abuse will happen again. The reason I am still fighting is my concern for the vulnerable as the management structure who failed are still there.
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