This is what happens when newspapers fail their readers.

Someone in the office found this story on an Essex paper's website and e-mailed it around the newsroom today.

Reprinted below, it's bewildering stuff and I think it says a lot about standards in some sections of my industry.

Now, this is by no means a political blog and I apologise in advance because this post has nothing to do with Leicester or the police.

People have their views about the BNP, me included.

That's not important here. I would be making the same point if this was about any political party.

What matters is that this paper has given a political meeting the treatment I'd expect for a Blue Peter bring and buy sale.

At first I thought it was a spoof or an election stunt by the BNP. But no, it's there on the paper's website.

That is just not good enough and I don't want to see any party given a free ride like this. We're only a few weeks away from a General Election.

But I think I know why it's happened. It reads awfully like a press release doesn't it?

Newspapers are struggling and I know many are cutting back on staff.

There are so many supremely talented journalists out of work or just plain worried for the future just now it's scary.

I don't know these reporters in Essex, but I'm guessing some of them at least will be under daft pressure to fill their pages and a little 'cut and paste' isn't uncommon.

It's known as 'churnalism'.

PR companies, political parties etc send out their stuff and the lesser among us maybe tinker with it a little bit or drop it straight into the paper or on to the website.

If anyone from the Essex paper wants to defend their reporting I will include their response in full.

Anyway here's the full article:


BRENTWOOD: Nationalists show their support at BNP meeting
Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 08:0018 readers have commented on this story.
Click here to read their views.

PROUD nationalists were asked to dig deep to support an election candidate when the Brentwood branch of the BNP met for the first time.

Buoyant supporters packed into a back room of a patriotic pub for the inaugural meeting of the Brentwood and Chelmsford branch – which has been founded in response to the party's growing membership.

Paul Morris, Parliamentary candidate for Brentwood and Ongar, said: "It was a good turnout considering it was very last minute.

"We officially launched six months ago but this was the first meeting."

The party operates under a veil of secrecy to protect members from those who oppose their beliefs and did not reveal the location of the meeting until just minutes before it was due to start.

With the pub set to become a regular meeting place for the new group, they have asked us not to reveal where it is.

Christine Mitchell, a 68-year-old grandmother from Chelmsford, will be running the branch from here on in.

Mrs Mitchell, who is contesting the newly created Saffron Walden seat in the general election on May 6, said: "We are fighting for British jobs for British workers, that is the start but we are standing for other reasons – crime rates, the state of the education system and the fact MPs have stolen from the public."

The former Conservative leader of Westminster Council, Peter Strudwick, spoke for more than an hour during the meeting, rallying support for what he called "ideologies" for the future.

Unlike other parties which are funded by unions and wealthy donors, the BNP relies purely on members' donations and as the first half of the meeting drew to a close, Mr Morris stood up and asked for donations.

"Michael Bateman is standing in Chelmsford and we need a £500 election deposit," he said. "Can anyone afford to put £500 in the pot?"

Searching faces scoured the room until a man who had until then sat quietly in the corner, put his hand up to pledge £100.

Others then thrust crisp £50 notes in the pot before the less well-off handed over their screwed up £10 and £20 notes.

There was much applause and hand shaking as the money came flooding in, uniting the room in the campaign to bring about radical change.