"Proper Papers Not Propaganda" is a demonstration against the council's propaganda paper the h&f news, says the publishers.
According to the Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle: “The campaign is designed to raise awareness of the council's publishing activity and the cost and threat to democracy this poses to the borough's residents, local businesses and politicians.
Additionally the campaign aims to attract the attention of central government, national commentators and key decision makers.
The campaign's key objectives are to:
• mobilise residents' support and raise awareness that h&f news is run by the council and is therefore not an impartial news source, even though it masquerades as a genuine newspaper
• inform residents that £174,292 (*Source: FOI 2009/CORO500) of their money per annum is being used to foot the bill for h&f news
• make it clear that if h&f news continues unchallenged then local democracy and freedom of speech are severely compromised
• stop h&f news in its current format.”
The campaign was launched in the Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle last Friday with a front page splash of the campaign along with an open letter from the Chronicle's editor Adrian Seal on page seven in which he explains to readers the implications of the council's publishing strategy.
The Chronicle also includes a petition form and a double page ad campaigning against the council as well as further articles inside the paper and on www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk.
Next week the Chronicle will launch an outdoor advertising campaign on key sites around Hammersmith and Fulham.
Simon Edgley, Managing Director of Trinity Mirror Southern, said: "We have always maintained that while we support the council's statutory obligation to communicate its activities to residents we don't believe it should present its views in a way that suggests h&f news is an impartial news observer.
"The format, content and frequency of the h&f news is quite clearly intended to look and feel like a genuine newspaper, which of course it is not. It is outrageous that the council is using taxpayers' money to produce a publication that masquerades as a newspaper but which instead produces biased council spin.
"The council's publishing strategy is fundamentally wrong and our "Proper Papers Not Propaganda" campaign will continue until the h&f news, in its current format, is stopped."
