Read on Twitter
1) Kuenssberg & Peston, very much part of the problem
Excellent article here on the difference between actual & courtier journalism
We've had years now of @peston & @bbclaurak facilititating Cummings in driving the story through "my sources tell me..." https://bylinetimes.com/2020/05/28/in-this-age-of-untruth-bbc-journalists-are-being-taken-for-a-ride/
Excellent article here on the difference between actual & courtier journalism
We've had years now of @peston & @bbclaurak facilititating Cummings in driving the story through "my sources tell me..." https://bylinetimes.com/2020/05/28/in-this-age-of-untruth-bbc-journalists-are-being-taken-for-a-ride/
2) this tweet issued by Kuenssberg 27 minutes after the original story broke (And actually attached to the tweet breaking the story) is untrue or at least contradicts other accounts
And of course in reality the "source" is Cummings himself https://twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/1263914724305055745?s=20
And of course in reality the "source" is Cummings himself https://twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/1263914724305055745?s=20
3) follow on tweet says "more details emerging...."
But this is a contradiction of the original tweet
sister, not parents (because they're vulnerable)
separate house (Because moving in with other people forbidden)
She's a journalist, she doesn't note this https://twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/1264093415253385216?s=20
But this is a contradiction of the original tweet
sister, not parents (because they're vulnerable)
separate house (Because moving in with other people forbidden)
She's a journalist, she doesn't note this https://twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/1264093415253385216?s=20
4) now, given that obviously the "source" is Cummings effectively, these tweets actually mean "Cummings told me..." followed by "Cummings changed the story after the reaction to the first tweet...."
And of course these don't match up with the eventual story from Cummings himself
And of course these don't match up with the eventual story from Cummings himself
5) so to briefly summarise, the story breaks, within 25 minutes or so @bbclaurak gets the rebuttal from Cummings, which she does not sanity check (obviously the original story was not within guidelines), posts the rebuttal verbatim under the original tweet...
6) then later gets a *different* story, obviously adjusted to fit growing concerns about the original and posts this as "more details emerging...." rather than "different story emerging..."
And in both cases taking the rebuttal of a story about Cummings from Cummings himself
And in both cases taking the rebuttal of a story about Cummings from Cummings himself
7) and finally, when the "true" story emerges, she does not stand up and say "this doesn't match the account I was given originally"
this isn't journalism, it certainly isn't public service journalism, it's more like state broadcasting
this isn't journalism, it certainly isn't public service journalism, it's more like state broadcasting
8) @peston does exactly the same thing by the way, there was an incident when he essentially announced a new #COVID19 policy as "my sources tell me..."
(As an aside, compare the grilling Matt Hancock got on every news program to the gentle ride he got on @peston )
(As an aside, compare the grilling Matt Hancock got on every news program to the gentle ride he got on @peston )
9) there's 2 issues here, the general issue of "my sources tell me..." courtier journalism & the specific one of the BBC political editor being a Bluetooth speaker for Cummings to her 1.2 m followers, allowing herself to be used as a medium to issue evolving rebuttals
10) Kuenssberg was given 1 rebuttal by the subject of the story, then a different 1, each of which she passed on without question & in fact covered for Cummings by saying a changing story was the same story with more details (This of course was her choice) https://twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/1264093415253385216?s=20
11) the broader issue of course is this practice of simply broadcasting lines you are given by Cummings
Of course there's always been "private briefings from an unknown source..." however there's never been a government frankly so comfortable with lying to the public
Of course there's always been "private briefings from an unknown source..." however there's never been a government frankly so comfortable with lying to the public
12) so now Cummings can hand any line, no matter how false or self serving, to Kuenssberg (1.2m followers) and Peston (1.1m followers) and they will pass it on, unchanged & unchallenged, with the added cover of "an anonymous source told me..." rather than "The government said..."
13) a dream come true for Cummings, as a propaganda tool the ability to reach a following of 2.5m at no cost, with a veneer of respectability ( @Peston lead political figure for ITV, @bbclaurak the same for BBC) and without anything tying back to him ("my sources tell me...")
Ps, as noted by @cazzrhughes
And in all this Kuenssberg of course did not reference the account she must have been aware of, Cummings' wife, Wakefield, who had told a completely different story in the Spectator. Extraordinary really
And in all this Kuenssberg of course did not reference the account she must have been aware of, Cummings' wife, Wakefield, who had told a completely different story in the Spectator. Extraordinary really
