MNA Media says political campaign material was sent to homes in the style of newspapers, with the titles Wolverhampton Chronicle, Sandwell Chronicle and Dudley Chronicle.
Those names are trademarked by Midland News Association, publisher of the Express & Star, and are distributed as free local newspapers across the region under the title Chronicle Week.
The Conservative versions were designed to mimic the style of a newspaper and they caused confusion among many who received them, who believed they were reading their usual Chronicle, says the publisher.
Now the Conservative Party has unreservedly apologised to the Midland News Association and agreed to provide a donation to charity.
It has also published an advertisement in today’s Express & Star in which it provides an explanation. It reads: “Earlier this month we published three pieces of campaign literature titled the Wolverhampton Chronicle, the Sandwell Chronicle, and the Dudley Chronicle.
"It has been brought to our attention the titles of all three of these party-political leaflets were titled the same as three newspapers published and owned by MNA Media. This was a genuine mistake, and it was never our intention to mislead residents. We understand the confusion this may have caused, and we sympathise with the reputational damage this could cause an independent media outlet with nearly 150 years’ service to your local community.
“MNA Media has never been and continues not to be associated with the Conservative Party. We therefore would like to apologise to the MNA Media Group.”
Midlands News Association managing director Matt Ross said that, by mimicking long-standing titles owned by the MNA, the Conservative Party was seeking disingenuously to benefit from the credibility of trusted local news brands which have been a part of the fabric of communities across the West Midlands for generations.
He said: “All of these titles are trademarked by us. It is vitally important that we protect both their integrity and the rights of our readers who look to our titles for reliable and objective news and information. Consequently, we have come to an agreement with the Conservative Party, which has made a payment that will be donated to local charities.
"As a trusted media organisation, soon to be celebrating our 150th year of publishing, we have previously suffered similar infringements from organisations prepared to mislead readers by attempting deceitfully to strengthen the provenance of material they publish. It is hard to comprehend how the political party responsible for governing our country could have made such a grave error.
“Although the matter has been resolved amicably and to the benefit of local charities, I am utterly bemused why an institution like the Conservative Party should seek to camouflage its identity in such a way. There was no reference to the party whatsoever on the majority of materials. In my experience individuals who are proud to be associated with the brand they represent would never seek to disguise their identity.”
