Laura Kuenssberg reports that politicians across the spectrum are using claims of media bias to dodge difficult questions. The broadcaster describes this tactic as part of the script,
intended to discredit scrutiny rather than address it.
Politicians Use Scripted Evasion
Donald Trump popularized the crooked media
approach to deflect pressure, a tactic now adopted by various figures. Nigel Farage tells his audience that the media is unfair to justify his own anti-establishment channels.
Donald Trump invented the phrase fake news. It’s a part of his core script, as it’s part of Nigel Farage’s script to say, ‘The media isn’t fair to us, so here’s my anti-establishment TV channel.’
Kuenssberg challenged Green Party leader Zack Polanski regarding his dismissal of controversy within his party. When he refused to engage with the premise of her questions, she remarked, That’s a ballsy thing for any politician to say. Essentially: ‘The moon’s made of cheese.’
Past Conflicts Over Media Scrutiny
In 2017, then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused ITV News of being utterly obsessed
with his potential resignation. When asked if the line of questioning was an important obsession, Corbyn replied, It’s your responsibility to make sure the opposition voice is heard as well as the government’s voice. It’s your failings.
Disputes Over EU Membership Claims
Kuenssberg confronted the leader of Reform UK over claims he made a decade earlier regarding Turkey’s potential membership in the EU. During the 2016 referendum, the then Ukip leader claimed Turkey was being fast-tracked
into the bloc.
On the BBC, Kuenssberg pushed back against his insistence that the claim was true. It wasn’t true that they were being fast-tracked into the European Union. That was very clear at the time. It wasn’t true,
she told him. Farage maintained that it was the ambition of the EU to admit Turkey as quickly as possible.
Broadcasters Maintain Reach
Kuenssberg rejects the idea that traditional broadcasters have lost their ability to hold officials accountable. Figures such as Andy Burnham continue to use established platforms for major interviews.
The biggest outlets and the biggest places people go for information are still, by a country mile, the traditional outlets.
The reach of major media remains the primary source of information for the public, even as politicians attempt to undermine the conversation.