Let's start holding the hacks (and their bosses) to account

With the apparent revelation that Tory Chairman Caroline Spelman is to be cleared by the Parliamentary Watchdog for a misuse of public funds, there might be a case for looking at how such a claim came about - a kind of accountability equivalent of "wasting police time".

The story was broken by Michael Crick, a man for whom you may remember I have very little time or faith in (a low regard for which only one other figure in the media shares, in my opinion). On the night that Crick may have to eat humble pie, he then releases a massive non-story about CCHQ "watching" Tory candidates. The shock might of been that CCHQ wasn't watching candidates and I am sure both Labour and the LibDems do the same. The vehemently anti-Tory Crick is using one non-story to cover up the failure of another.

As I keep saying, politicans of all parties and at all levels are held accountable when they make false allegations or get things wrong. Why are hacks, policemen, school governors and the like not treated the same?