IWCA takes Oxford Mail to Press Complaints Commission
Stuart Craft of the IWCA has complained to the Press Complaints Commission about inaccurate reporting, subterfuge and denial of an opportunity to reply by the Oxford Mail in relation to the article ‘Don’t give drug dealer’s homes’ which appeared on 3 August.
A journalist from the newspaper contacted Stuart Craft on 29 July to ask his opinion on proposed new council legislation to stop those with drug convictions from being housed. Mr Craft replied that it was IWCA policy that people dealing crack-cocaine and heroin should not be housed by the council and housing associations. He then explained that this could be achieved through the enforcement of existing tenancy agreements, which usually allow for the eviction of those known to be dealing drugs.
However, when the article appeared a few days later the idea that people with previous drug convictions should be refused housing by the council was falsely attributed to Mr Craft. In order to support the story, Mr Craft was also misquoted. There was also no mention of any proposed council legislation in the article
Getting someone to agree with an idea or suggestion of the reporter and then printing the comment as that person’s own is an old journalistic trick. In this case, Mr Craft was careful to avoid the trap. However, this didn’t stop the Oxford Mail from running a story obviously planned in advance. It appears their intention was to portray the views of the IWCA as simplistic in relation to those of New Labour, the council and the drug rehabilitation group Libra.
This is not the first time the Oxford Mail’s coverage of issues on Blackbird Leys has left it open to allegations of bias. On numerous occasions the paper has featured lengthy quotes from a Labour councillor about drug dealing on the estate while blanking out the IWCA councillor, even though New Labour has never shown any interest in the issue. Furthermore, a pattern is emerging where opinions deemed critical of the police or the housing associations are effectively censored.
As an example, the Oxford Mail recently refused to print a letter from the IWCA responding to the article ‘Yardie problem over, say police’ (8 July). The letter, which pointed out that ‘the police are well aware these "Yardies" did not have the monopoly on heroin and crack dealing on Blackbird Leys,’ and that they are ‘operating a policy of containment’, obviously didn’t fall within the narrow range of opinions the Oxford Mail considers acceptable.
A newspaper is perfectly entitled to take a particular slant on any issue. But as the Oxford Mail enjoys a near monopoly on local news then it has the ability to present an utterly false picture without strictly being unethical. This is why those producing the paper need to be aware that when they do overstep the mark as in the ‘Don’t give drug dealers homes’ article, the IWCA won’t let them get away with it.
A report on the Press Complaints Commission’s findings will be posted up on their website at www.pcc.org.uk.
Leys Independent, issue 15, September 2002
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