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You didn't ask for this, but I'm doing it anyway, so tough: a bit of a defence of Laura Kuenssberg.
If you come to this with your mind made up, you're unlikely to be persuaded. But I hope you'll at least give this some consideration...
If you come to this with your mind made up, you're unlikely to be persuaded. But I hope you'll at least give this some consideration...
I think Kuenssberg suffers from a problem many others do, but is high profile, so gets a lot of shit.
Lobby Correspondents like her used to be seen as fair, cos the politicians broadly played by the rules: briefings were mostly honest, policies were mostly delivered.
But ...
Lobby Correspondents like her used to be seen as fair, cos the politicians broadly played by the rules: briefings were mostly honest, policies were mostly delivered.
But ...
Globally, the populist right is flagrantly ignoring those rules. That's their deliberate approach.
But the BBC still has a duty to follow the rules - report what they're told as if its fact. And populists exploit this.
Her hands are tied by UK broadcast media convention.
But the BBC still has a duty to follow the rules - report what they're told as if its fact. And populists exploit this.
Her hands are tied by UK broadcast media convention.
[ I should say at this point that the populist right is exploiting this. But if the populist left had a chance, they would too.
The issue is populists: not allied to reality, shorn of conscience, just churning out vituperative, exploitative bullshit with no remorse ]
The issue is populists: not allied to reality, shorn of conscience, just churning out vituperative, exploitative bullshit with no remorse ]
Kuenssberg could report the lies when they are revealed to be lies (as I do in The Week In Tory); but her role is daily news: she can't go on TV and say "remember that thing from 3 months ago... well it was a lie".
And again, populists exploit this omission.
And again, populists exploit this omission.
The govt is like a shark of bullshit: it has to keep moving, or it dies. Daily doses of lies and misdirection: the BBC has to report the news, so it reports the lies. It then has no time to tell people that yesterday's news has been proven to be lies.
It's regrettable Kuenssberg is from a Tory background, cos this exposes her to more criticism than she deserves for simply following the established Lobby Rules.
Not her fault, and generally I think she's relatively unbiased ... just exploited by a govt without conscience.
Not her fault, and generally I think she's relatively unbiased ... just exploited by a govt without conscience.
And obviously she's a woman, and therefore gets far more abuse than a man would.
But I think a male journalist from a Labour background would be just as exploited by a political class contemptuous of rules, cos if they work in broadcast news they have to follow the rules.
But I think a male journalist from a Labour background would be just as exploited by a political class contemptuous of rules, cos if they work in broadcast news they have to follow the rules.
If I were the BBC, I'd forget all this pointless BritBox nonsense, and focus on making a compact with ITN, Sky and C4 News to apply new standards to Lobby Reporting. Stop themselves being exploited.
But they have to ALL do it or it won't work. My 5-point plan is ...
But they have to ALL do it or it won't work. My 5-point plan is ...
1. Do not report any anonymous quotes about other parties.
Anonymous quotes about internal party issues are ok. They reveals hidden truths. But anonymous quotes about another party allows unsubstantiated lies to be reported as if they're fact. It must end.
Anonymous quotes about internal party issues are ok. They reveals hidden truths. But anonymous quotes about another party allows unsubstantiated lies to be reported as if they're fact. It must end.
2. Do not report any policy announcements unless they also have a budget, schedule and delivery team.
If they don't have those things, they aren't a plan. They're merely headline-grabbing empty propaganda, not policy. Simply refuse to report it.
If they don't have those things, they aren't a plan. They're merely headline-grabbing empty propaganda, not policy. Simply refuse to report it.
3. Do not engage in any interview that limits the number of follow-up questions.
Only allowing 1 or 2 follow-up questions allows politicians to evade scrutiny. They wriggle out of answering twice, and then know they're safe. It must stop.
Only allowing 1 or 2 follow-up questions allows politicians to evade scrutiny. They wriggle out of answering twice, and then know they're safe. It must stop.
4. If a politician is found to have failed a fact check, that politician and their ENTIRE PARTY are given no coverage until the politician apologises on camera, and gives the correct info.
They get away with lies. So make lying hurt. Make it not worth doing.
They get away with lies. So make lying hurt. Make it not worth doing.
5. No party or politician should be allowed to embargo one of the Big 4 (BBC, ITN, Sky, C4). If they refuse to appear on one, the others stop reporting the entire party.
This ends the "no minister was available" stuff that let's them escape scrutiny
This ends the "no minister was available" stuff that let's them escape scrutiny
These 5 tactics work because politicians require a megaphone. Their biggest megaphone is still broadcast news - it's repeated and commented upon via social media, but the originating material is TV news.
If those channels apply new rules, the exploitation stops.
If those channels apply new rules, the exploitation stops.
And then, when Kuenssberg reports what the govt has told her, she will not get the abuse. Cos the govt will be forced to tell her facts, or be muted by the major outlets. And the govt cannot escape questions. And the govt cannot use her to broadcast empty promises.
And that's my defence of Kuenssberg, whose hands are tied because she works within a system that is being gamed by populists. The only solution is to adjust the system.
Shouting at Kuenssberg will not change it.
The end.
Shouting at Kuenssberg will not change it.
The end.
