IN last week's paper, you stated that the Bury Times is launching a campaign against fake news.

While I welcome such a move, I have to say there was a stink of hypocrisy in the air as I flicked back to the front page.

On page 16 of the paper, the editor argues that local newspaper "uphold, promote and support local democracy, and fight against fake news" and highlight "the industry's highly trusted credentials and the importance of local newspapers in reporting on the upcoming general election".

The front and back pages of the paper, however, were dominated by a paid-for four page wraparound promoting the Conservative Party, intentionally designed to look like a newspaper article and, therefore, mislead readers into associating the 'trusted' voice of the Bury Times and Theresa May's Conservative Party.

I appreciate that local papers need to make money from advertising and that political parties will use advertising to their advantage, but this was just a step too far.

You cannot print an article calling on local people to have more trust in their local newspapers while at the same time taking money from a political party to peddle its propaganda.

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