By: Editorial Stwaff AS FAR AS Brantford, Ontario, mayoral candidate Robert Lancaster was concerned, having his local newspaper publish a week-old poll six days before the election was an injury.
But printing a file photo from the days when the politician was still overweight, Lancaster complained to the Ontario Press Council, added an
insult.
In a complaint to the council, Lancaster charged that the Brantford Expositor misused its power of the press to influence the outcome of the 1994 mayoral election. He said the Expositor conducted a poll on Nov. 1 and 2, but did not publish the results until Nov. 8. Further, he charged that the polling sample was too small to be worth much.
Lancaster also accused the newspaper of deliberately using what he said were "unflattering" photos that did not reflect Lancaster's recent weight loss.
For its part, the Expositor told the council, a voluntary organization of provincial newspapers and public members that rules on press complaints, that its reporting of the poll was accurate and no slight was intended by publishing the file photos.
As it happens, the poll accurately reflected Lancaster's ultimate third-place finish in the race.
The council dismissed the complaint.
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