Barely a Sunday passes without someone getting on to The Andy Marr Show™ paper review and snarking at revelations about the conduct of the 2016 EU referendum. And most of the snark is aimed at one journalist, the Observer’s Carole Cadwalladr. In the meantime, the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines and his rabble at the Guido Fawkes blog have kept up their drum beat of misogynist abuse.
Remember who brought you this story
But, as so often, how different it all is when the boot is so firmly on the other foot. The ones doing the snarking can be guaranteed to fall silent on one particular occasion, and that is whenever Ms Cadwalladr wins an award, something she is starting to do with some regularity. This happened again last night, as the Guardian reported, telling readers “Carole Cadwalladr wins Foreign Press award for Trump and Brexit work”.
Carole Cadwalladr
Do go on. “The Observer and Guardian journalist, Carole Cadwalladr, has won the Foreign Press Association media award for print and web story of the year for her reporting on the links between Cambridge Analytica, the UK’s pro-Brexit campaigners and Donald Trump presidential election team”. And there was more.
Squeaky dead quiet finger up the bum time
“Cadwalladr’s award-winning article showed the world the face of the whistleblower who created a tool used by the former Trump adviser, Steve Bannon, to harness data to target political advertising at voters … Christopher Wylie, after choosing to waive his anonymity, said he helped to put together ‘Steve Bannon’s psychological warfare mindfuck tool’ while working for the political consultancy, Cambridge Analytica”.
Bad sports, more like
The Guardian, not backward in coming forward when it comes to promoting the work of its own, added “The piece was part of a lengthy series of articles Cadwalladr has produced on the subject, which have brought her a series of awards, including the Orwell journalism prize”. So where are the congratulations from the rest of the media, and perhaps grudging acceptance from her detractors that she actually knows her stuff?
No awards for hauling around multiple bellies
There aren’t any. Nothing even from Press Gazette. Nothing from the broadcasters. Nothing from other newspapers. And, to no surprise at all, nothing from those who have devoted so much of their energies to heaping abuse on Ms Cadwalladr.
No awards there, either
No mention from Nigel “Thirsty” Farage. Nothing from Arron Banks. Or his side-kick Andy Wigmore. Nothing from The Great Guido. Nothing from Andrew Neil (and still no apology). Nothing from Isabel Oakeshott. Nothing from Julia Hartley Dooda.
Not much award winning activity here
This is the measure of this convocation of propagandists. The constant barrage of sneering abuse. The hijacking of broadcasts to slip in falsehood and misinformation. The deliberate naysaying. The routine demonising. And then the refusal to even acknowledge the target’s real achievements. What a disgrace they all are.
Still, that’s what happens when they aren’t good enough to win their own awards. Jealousy can be a terrible thing.
Congratulations to Carole. So much bad sportsmanship from the rest of the media though.
ReplyDeleteThe Foreign Press award to Carole Cadwalladr wasn't covered by the media because it's never covered by the media - no matter who wins.
ReplyDeleteUnknown 04:15
ReplyDeleteits (sic) forrin (sic) innit (sic)
Those pics with captions- Andrew Neil etc..too funny and spot on.
ReplyDeleteJust like the other press reaction to Nick Davies and the phone hacking scandal.
ReplyDeleteCould it be that they are pretty much as compromised as they were then? And still are if the current trial is any guide?
Congrats to Carole but more work to be done in the face of all those bullies.