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Pip Batty reports on a recent communications masterclass addressed by two national newspaper lobby correspondents on the media and local government. Our ‘secret hidden agenda' is to sell newspapers. It's really no secret.' Or so James Lyons, current political correspondent for the Daily Mirror, believes. Local government has rarely viewed the press with anything other than suspicion. So, this earth-shattering statement – although not to any communications staff in the room – might have rung a few senior management bells during a communications masterclass at this year's SOLACE conference in Brighton, two weeks ago. But is local government's suspicion justified – or simply paranoid? ‘We don't view local government as the enemy. We view it like we view everything else,' Mr Lyons added. Yes, some nameless parties in councils believe the national – and sometimes local – press are consistently mean to local government. They probably also believe that communications managers don't get enough good news stories about the council in the newspapers, despite statistical evidence proving otherwise. But are we really likely to make the national press with the opening of Little Darters Play Area at the Whisby Natural World Centre in North Kesteven? Yes, it's a wonderful project, but do readers of the Daily Telegraph actually care? Do the journalists even care? However, it's not a question of ‘caring', as Daily Telegraph political correspondent, James Kirkup, explained: ‘Don't overestimate the amount of time and resources we have in the press – in the last 10 minutes alone, I've been e-mailed 20 press releases. ‘Newspapers are usually run by private organisations. People choose to buy them. They can't choose who collects their bins. ‘We start every morning with a blank newspaper and have to find stories which people will be interested in, to sell newspapers. We are a commercial organisation. If our news doesn't sell, we go out of business.' ‘And good news is no news,' Mr Lyons announced to a strangely-quiet bunch of chief executives and senior managers. Both journalists went on to discuss dealing with bad news, with Haringey LBC's handling of the Baby P case in question. Having time to prepare for the incident did nothing to cushion the council from the fallout, they claimed, because at no point did anyone address the public anger. ‘No-one stood up and immediately said, "Sorry we have made a mistake",' James Lyons said. ‘What councils must do is address the public anger. They are looking for someone to blame.' And if there's no national newsworthy angle for the opening of a play park – it's not like it has never been done before – in North Kesteven, the panel had some advice for dealing with issues of potential public outrage, such as chief executive pay. Mr Lyons suggested: ‘What's the story? If the salaries of your senior managers and chief executive were published online, months before the Taxpayers' Alliance produced its annual survey, or before the local newspaper was on the phone to your press office, there's no news angle any more.' And finally, the ever-loved subject of bins and council tax. Both journalists informed delegates that the newspapers received hundreds of e-mails and letters about bins and council tax. That's what most people care about. Yes, it's annoying, because councils do so much more than that, but if it's about selling newspapers… Pip Batty is communications and media manager at North Kesteven DC

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WHITEHALL

All the news that fits

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