By Steve Stratford, Deputy Editor
It's been pretty hard being neutral over the last few weeks in the run-up to the local elections (and if you're reading this on Thursday, May 1st I hope you've been out and voted - if not, what are you doing reading this?!).
Contrary to what any given politician will tell you, the North Wales Weekly News is not politically biased. We're always being accused by the Tories of supporting Labour, and by Labour of being Tory, but the truth is we're genuinely not biased any particular way at all.
As a newspaper we do take a stance on some issues which are steeped in politics - eg. hospice funding, NHS service provision - but we always take a stance based on what we believe, and more importantly what our readers believe, is right. We don't care whether Labour are to blame, or the Tories, or Plaid Cymru or the Screaming Lunatic Party. We just care about what is right.
But it's been hard trying to stay neutral while all the election candidates are out doing their best to get noticed, campaigning hard so they get enough votes to win their respective seats.
Individual journalists obviously have their personal, private opinions on local politics, but when it comes to writing stories, there's no intentional bias. We tell the facts like they are, and try to represent all sides in any argument. You can't please all of the people - or parties - all of the time, but as long as we keep trying, I think we're doing the best that can be expected.
Oh, and seeing as you've reached the end of this blog entry, I sincerely hope you have already voted, because it is so important that everybody employs their right to vote, their right to say yay or nay, their right to exercise power over the way their county is run. Because if you don't bother voting, you get the councillor - and the local authority - you deserve.
By the way, don't forget to keep checking our website on Friday morning for the results of the local elections live as they come through from the count at Venue Cymru.
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