Press Association blind to real news story

Press Association blind to real news story

Inside Time - the National Newspaper for Prisoners, May 2010 issue, ran with the headline "WHO GETS YOUR VOTE?". Beneath this headline it states "The Labour Government has failed to implement a ruling made 6 years ago by the European Court to give sentenced prisoners in the United Kingdom the vote. Despite this deliberate defiance of the rule of law by the Government, we invite prisoners to exercise their civil and political right to vote by using the Inside Time ballot paper in the PRISONERS VOTE! section".

Bearing in mind that in the run up to the General Election, election stories are news. So, no criticism can be levelled at the Inside Time for its front page coverage.

Notes for editors: Isn't it shocking that the UK government, which claims to be in favour of human rights for all its citizens, has not only been found guilty of a human rights violation but also has decided to ignore a ruling from the highest court in Europe?

Secondly, isn't it sad that convicted prisoners who are denied their human right to vote in the General Election are reduced to only being allowed to vote in a poll organised by their newspaper the Inside Time?

In 2006, Kenneth Clarke said: "In these home affairs things I think occasionally it's the duty of politicians on both sides to turn round to the tabloids and right-wing newspapers and say 'you have your facts wrong and you're whipping up facts which are inaccurate'."

Instead of picking up the real news story from the front page of Inside Time, some hack at the Press Association decided that the real news story was another piece in Inside Time whereby a prisoner was requesting what he thought was a more sensible choice of TV channels.

Wake up and smell the coffee!