Conservative Party Press Office doesn't get blogging

30 July 2009 , ,

A quite remarkable account over at Tory-Politico of the Conservative Party Press Office’s unwillingness to provide basic information – a copy of a public letter to Gordon Brown from David Cameron – to a blogger:

Bloggers don’t count as media so I can’t send it to you.

And in answer to the blogger’s request to be added to the distribution list for future news releases:

No.

It’s well worth reading the whole exchange as a lesson in how not to handle bloggers (or indeed anyone asking for information – would it really have killed them to email a copy of a public letter to someone who has rung in?).

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Gordon Bell
Gordon Bell

please see above under gordon bell says

Gordon Bell
Gordon Bell

As a Supporter I am disappointed by the decision not to have a referendum, as that is what the Nation wanted...i.e withdrawal from Europe.Britain is an island trading nation and could stand on its own two feet...for sure.Send all unemployed immigrants home at once we don't want hem here as the next General Election will prove to you David. Bring back hanging soon. Overturn the Hunting Bill remembering that many Labour M.P's who supported the Bill lost their seats as a result of rural voters action against them. You don't need or want shocks.Listen to what the voters want or we will all regret the consequences.Reintroduce conscription forthwith... WE NEED A TORY WIN You don't know better than the voters. N.B

Mark Pack
Mark Pack

Sssh, Simon - don't tell press officers that they really are bloggers without knowing it!

Simon Dickson
Simon Dickson

It shouldn't be about bloggers being treated as journalists by press officers. In reality, if more press offices thought like bloggers, we'd all be better off. What's a page of press releases on a website - chronological presentation of short text items? That's what we call a blog these days. And in most cases, they'd get much better functionality if they got a blogging tool in.

Sean Kemp
Sean Kemp

I find this odd. Press releases are public statements, there doesn't seem to be a logic for not including bloggers on distribution lists if they so desire.

Trackbacks

  1. HouseofTwitsLib says:
    July 30, 2009 at 7:55 am

    RT @markpack New blog post: Conservative Party Press Office doesn’t get blogging http://bit.ly/mHU5P

  2. Year Of Blogger says:
    July 30, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    Conservative Party Press Office doesn’t get blogging | Mark Pack: A quite remarkable account over at Tory-Po.. http://bit.ly/nzOVe

  3. Are Tory bloggers less trustworthy than Labour or Lib Dem ones? says:
    August 7, 2009 at 9:57 pm

    [...] At the tail end of July, their attitude towards bloggers caught some attention following the refusal of a Conservative press officer to even email an already published letter to a Conservative [...]

  4. Are Tory bloggers less trustworthy than Labour or Lib Dem ones? | Mark Pack says:
    August 9, 2009 at 1:27 pm

    [...] At the tail end of July, their attitude towards bloggers caught some attention following the refusal of a Conservative press officer to even email an already published letter to a Conservative [...]

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