The Executive Director of the Society of Editors, Dawn Alford, has this week warned that government cuts to journalism training will ‘weaken civic fabric’ at a time when ‘public trust in news is crucial’. Speaking to Press Gazette amid the government’s decision to withdraw Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) funding from journalism courses, Alford said that as well as reversing the decision, the government should look at how it can help to sustain and protect the media industry for the next generation rather than undermine it. Although The Dumbarton Democrat has assisted with the training of prominent, award winning journalists including Kamal Ahmed, Samantha Polling, Annette McCann, Lynn Cochrane, John McGarry, Archie Fleming, James McGhee, Sergio Casci and Martin Hannan without ever receiving financial aid in the form of grants from any source, our editor, who has won many awards including Weekly Journalist of the Year (three times) has been banned for something he never did which was to interupt a meeting of West Dunbartonshire Council.
The meeting was over when he asked the Provost quietly if the sound could be adjusted so that the press and public could hear what was being done in their name. It is a lie to suggest otherwise. Bill Heaney is not allowed to even speak to the council’s press officers, which goes against all custom and practice in local government. He said: “They may not like what I write about them sometimes, but it is anti-democratic to ban me as they have done without ever putting this matter before a committee. It amounts to denying freedom of speech, and something should be done about it.”
As part of its work with the National Council for the Safety of Journalists, the Society is asking members and newsletter subscribers to report incidents of harassment encountered through their work to the Journalism Safety Tracker. Launched last year, the tracker aims to help build an evidence base in the campaign for improved journalists’ safety.
Mr Heaney said: “I most definitely see the conduct of West Dunbartonshire Council as harrassment in that I was ushered out of the council chamber by the then chief executive and chief press officer, and denied the right to cover council matters in the normal way. West Dunbartonshire Council’s handling of its media relations is worse than anything I have encountered in more than 60 years covering local government.”
If we want questions answered then we have been told to send Freedom of Information requests, which can take weeks if not months if not years to receive an answer. Even requests to identify the people in pictures which the Council have sent to me themselves for publication in The Democrat go unanswered. This is demanding that we do our job with our hands tied behind our back. They are not on.
We have asked both Dame Jackie Baillie and the former provost Douglas McAllister MP to take this matter up with the appropriate people for us, but Dame Jackie says it’s a matter for the Council and Mr McAllister has not responded to our request.
Readers should be assured however that we will not be gagged.