Media Not Trusted - Media In Denial

Our free and fearless press has been bottom of the league for public trust when compared with other European countries for several years now held in lower esteem than its counterparts in countries like Spain, Portugal and those in Eastern Europe which have, in the living memory of many, been totalitarian dictatorships. Yet the press has continued to claim it is “trusted”. And broadcast media has fared better.

Not any more. Below the headline in a Sky News article telling readers “Coronavirus: Britons still support lockdown despite being sadder and more anxious - poll … In a poll of 1,652 Britons for Sky News conducted by YouGov this week, the public were emphatic that the lockdown should continue” came some grim news.

Peter Oborne - warned broadcast hacks ...

First comes the indifferent news for political leaders. “The public are putting their faith in the government and existing institutions of state in this crisis … Some 51% of people say they trust Mr Johnson to handle coronavirus, while 39% say they do not trust him, giving him an overall net score of 12 … Some 25% say they trust Sir Keir Starmer, while 34% do not trust him, giving him an overall net score of minus 9”.

... some of whom may not have listened ...

That means that, although alleged Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson gets an overall plus score, he also receives more negative feedback than Keir Starmer, who has the opportunity to convert a few undecideds. But for the media - both press and broadcast - there is no glimmer of optimism. Their trust scores are grim.

... and some others may not have, either

“Journalists fare very badly in the poll. Some 24% say they trust TV journalists while 64% say they do not, giving a net score of minus 40 … Meanwhile, 17% say they trust newspaper journalists, while 72% say they do not, giving an overall net score of minus 55”. Why that might be is not hard to understand: much of the press has done no more than play cheerleader for the Government, talking up PR as if it were fact.

Broadcast journalists, on the other hand, have often made the story more about them than the pandemic, using Downing Street briefings to showboat. At least Ian Dunt was willing to face up to the bad news, even if many of his fellow journalists were not. “It's hard to overstate just what a disaster these results are”. Disaster is correct.

With the press, John O’Connell of Far Right Watch looked at the front pages from two of today’s offerings, the Mail and Express, and concluded “I'm all for some positivity but this is just pipe dreaming. Vague Government ‘’targets'' printed as done deals ? For a Government great at announcements but weak on actual execution ? No”. And it’s the same, especially with the tabloids, every day. The punters have had enough.

And for those in broadcasting, one Tweeter had an instant response to Dunt: “Remember when Peter Oborne tried to warn you all about this and got blacklisted by most publications?”. Oborne has warned for some time of the tendency of some broadcast hacks to recycle claims from anonymous Government spokespersons. He named Robert Peston of ITV and Laura Kuenssberg of the BBC as serious offenders.

Now has come the public’s verdict. Don’t say you weren’t warned, media people.

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