Camilla Tominey Meets Reality

Those who have complained about articles published by the increasingly desperate and downmarket Telegraph know all too well how difficult it is to get any kind of concession out of the paper. So when someone does get a “correction”, it means the complainant had a very sound case. Thus it was for Jonathan Portes, Professor of Economics at King’s College London, who has caused the Tel’s complaints people to yield in just ten days.

This is my article here, and as you can see, it's complete shite

What happened to provoke his complaint can be put directly: “Associate Editor” Camilla Tominey, formerly Royal reporter for the Express, had authored a piece which was published on February 4 and headlined “University fat cats have abandoned students … Shocking research suggests the majority of colleges are continuing with virtual lectures despite the retreat of Covid”. More shocking was the lack of veracity in her copy.

Specifically, she told of Paul Wiltshire: “In July last year, he was staggered to learn that both of his sons’ universities did not intend to deliver any in-person lectures for the first term”. That was not true. And Portes said so. “This is a straightforward lie from [Camilla Tominey]. I and most of my [Kings College London colleagues have [been] giving in person lectures since last September. If she has any integrity she'll correct and apologise”.

He added, for good measure, “Indeed, [Camilla Tominey’s] *own reply* makes it clear she was lying about what KCL actually said (that some modules would be in person, some mixed, some online)”. So did she do the decent thing, withdraw and apologise? You jest. Instead, she sent Portes a copy email. Except the email didn’t look right.

From “Joseph Wiltshire”, it read “My name is Joseph Wiltshire. I am a 2nd year history student at Kings College London. I had no in-person lectures for his first term at Kings 21-22”. “I had no in-person lectures for HIS first term”? But there was more.

Portes provided his own proof. "Dear [Camilla Tominey] … Here is the email I received on August 8, 2021 … I taught *in person* in September 2021”. What say Ms Tominey? “Let me know when you’re retracting your defamatory smear [Jonathan Portes]. Thanks … (Being a man of ‘integrity’ and all that. Also curious why you decided to shoot the honest messenger? Because I’m on [The Telegraph] ?)”. Honest messenger, eh?

But meanwhile, Portes had complained to IPSO, which appears to have signalled to the Tel’s complaints people that their usual approach, of in-your-face denial and refusal to budge, might not work. Because not even IPSO would back the Tel when it was quite clear that KCL”did not intend to deliver any in-person lectures for the first term” was untrue.

And so it came to pass that the Tel issued one of those rarities: a correction, conceding that “In July last year, he was staggered to learn that both of his sons’ universities did not intend to deliver any in-person lectures for the first term” “may have given the impression that KCL was not delivering any in-person lectures across all courses”.

So Ms Tominey will get no “retraction” of any “defamatory smear”, because it wasn’t. And it has nothing to do with the paper for which she writes - it’s just another example of bad journalism, another hack who, in days gone by, would not have been let in the Tel’s door.

Ms Tominey would do well to research more, and deny less. But don’t hold your breath.

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