Sunday, March 13, 2016
The 'dishonesty' of newspapers over Brexit
The Observer reports on comments by former Labour spin doctor, Alastair Campbell who has condemned newspapers that back Brexit for plumbing “fresh depths of dishonesty” and peddling lies and propaganda that insult the intelligence of their readers.
They say that Mr. Campbell has claimed several newspapers have stooped even lower than they had in attacking the Blair government and totally given up on trying to inform their readers or to debate issues, and instead promote the anti-EU views of their owners, regardless of the facts:
“More than in any such debate I can remember, large chunks of the press have totally given up on the role of properly informing public debate. The Mail, the Sun, the Express, and the Star in particular, to a lesser extent the Telegraph and, on a bad day, the Times, are more propaganda sheets for one side of the argument.”
He is particularly critical of The Sun: “The Sun has dragged the Queen into the whole thing, taking something that was almost certainly never said to make a claim that she supported the Out campaign. I had a fair bit to do with the royals and the often crazy coverage of them in my time in Downing Street. Based on that experience, and her ability to shrug off without complaint so many false stories written about her, I can pretty much guarantee this – the fact the Palace has made a complaint to Ipso, the so-called independent press regulator, means the story is a load of cock.”
It looks like whatever the outcome of the referendum we will not be able to rely on the fourth estate to provide us with the facts to help people make up their minds how to vote.
They say that Mr. Campbell has claimed several newspapers have stooped even lower than they had in attacking the Blair government and totally given up on trying to inform their readers or to debate issues, and instead promote the anti-EU views of their owners, regardless of the facts:
“More than in any such debate I can remember, large chunks of the press have totally given up on the role of properly informing public debate. The Mail, the Sun, the Express, and the Star in particular, to a lesser extent the Telegraph and, on a bad day, the Times, are more propaganda sheets for one side of the argument.”
He is particularly critical of The Sun: “The Sun has dragged the Queen into the whole thing, taking something that was almost certainly never said to make a claim that she supported the Out campaign. I had a fair bit to do with the royals and the often crazy coverage of them in my time in Downing Street. Based on that experience, and her ability to shrug off without complaint so many false stories written about her, I can pretty much guarantee this – the fact the Palace has made a complaint to Ipso, the so-called independent press regulator, means the story is a load of cock.”
It looks like whatever the outcome of the referendum we will not be able to rely on the fourth estate to provide us with the facts to help people make up their minds how to vote.
