#3400

Journalists shouldn’t write whatever people tell them.

There’s literally an old saying about reporters - if someone tells you it’s raining, you don’t write it until you’ve stuck your head out the window and got wet.

18 Likes
#3401

Well that’s for us to assess after the journalist’s told us it’s been said.

#3402

Just parroting whatever a source tells you regardless of its veracity isn’t journalism though. You’re just a spokesperson one step removed at that point, which is more damaging than useful.

7 Likes
#3403

Fair enough, but this was him reporting the view expressed by a “tory source” and since he got that via direct communication it’s equivalent to reporting that it’s raining after being rained on.

#3406

Should he not report what any of Corbyn’s team in the meeting said about the discussion either?

#3408

What substantial reason?

#3409

I mean getting journos to report The Line verbatim has always been the game but I swear pre-Twitter they used to have to work for it. Everyone wants/needs to be first I guess so if you’re not willing to pass on what Dom wants someone else will.

2 Likes
#3411

All parties

#3413

OK I wasn’t aware of this, so fair enough.

[Assuming you’re not lying to me :wink: ]

1 Like
#3414

Yeah. He’s old old school conservative, but pretty fierce in attacking journalists and politicians on both sides, racism, islamaphobia, the Israeli and Indian governments etc. Resigned from the telegraph over the HSBC scandal.

But then he goes and starts writing utter flag waving nonsense in the mail.

#3416

Was just reading the Grauniad’s piece on the talks which also includes exactly the same quote, but also with a Labour one.

1 Like
#3418

God this is all so depressing. I guess at least we can be thankful we’re not dead in the back of a container though I suppose.

#3419

Journo’s gonna journ.

#3421

mate

#3422

No I’m seriously suggesting we should consider ourselves lucky compared to those poor people.

#3423

ok, stay classy

3 Likes
#3424

There are degrees of spin and lies, and I think you’d have difficulty justifying an argument that all parties are doing it to the same degree.

#3426

Oborne’s article i mentioned earlier is actually quite good on this (astonishingly), gives some good examples of how the government has been putting out lies unofficially from ‘sources’ via journalists and then denying all knowledge and accountability when asked officially.

eg he talks about how when Rudd resigned she complained that she was not given access to legal documents she had requested access to, an anonymous source told journos that ‘actually she had every chance to view these documents at any time’, while the official Tory response was ‘no comment’. they were able to put it out into public consciousness that Rudd is a liar without having to be held to account for it (i know Rudd is awful and you do get the sense that Oborne is very willing to side with her either way, but i don’t see any reason to believe anonymous sources over her, tbh)

5 Likes
#3428

also talks of how they were able to distract from the content of Yellowhammer by anonymously accusing Hammond’s office of leaking it and making that the story

#3430

yeah it’s just PR innit

never forget that Cameron worked in PR before politics, it explains alot