The Conservative MPs who think news coverage of coronavirus is too negative
With one of the worst coronavirus death tolls in the world, the UK government is facing scrutiny over its response to the outbreak.
The UK press has been at the forefront of this scrutiny – particularly as journalists have played a visible role in the daily government coronavirus press conferences which have been watched by millions.
In recent weeks, however, there has been growing pushback by Number 10 and its supporters against news reporting of COVID-19.
Here is how the government and Conservative MPs have turned their fire towards news outlets.
Government on the attack
Sharp criticism of coverage of Boris Johnson’s coronavirus response has come from the very top of government.
First, there was the government’s 2,000-word response to a Sunday Times article which claimed Johnson’s government “sleepwalked into disaster”, with the PM reportedly skipping five emergency meetings at the beginning of the outbreak.
In its detailed response, Downing Street said the article “contains a series of falsehoods and errors”.
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Then, on Tuesday, health secretary Matt Hancock criticised a BBC Panorama investigation which claimed the government failed to stockpile personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers in the event of a pandemic.
Hancock said it was not a “fair and objective journalistic assessment of the situation”.
Health minister Nadine Dorries, meanwhile, last week said of journalists at the daily press briefings: “The nation tuned into daily press briefings and saw journalists at their very left leaning, gotcha worst. They failed to adapt and behave appropriately in a crisis.”
The nation tuned into daily press briefings and saw journalists at their very left leaning, gotcha worst. They failed to adapt and behave appropriately in a crisis. Regarded it as a political event to trip up the gov trying to keep people safe. Big mistake. https://t.co/I062eYko4g
— Nadine Dorries 🇬🇧 (@NadineDorries) April 24, 2020
Other Tory MPs join in
The criticism has not been confined to the top of government.
Delyn MP Rob Roberts told the Commons on Monday: “Sadly, public trust in the media is collapsing, as many elements are seemingly more interested in catching politicians out and creating a story than reporting the news.”
On Wednesday, Redcar MP Jacob Young accused Sky News of “gotcha” reporting after its political editor Beth Rigby questioned whether Hancock will reach 100,000 daily coronavirus tests by the end of Thursday, a target that had been set by the health secretary.
Every arm of Government is working to deliver as many tests as they can, as much PPE as they can and to get a vaccine as soon as they can - with the aim of protecting as many lives as we can.
Disappointing to see journalists searching for a “gotcha” moment in this story. https://t.co/QXWFYkTYkZ— Jacob Young MP #StayHomeSaveLives (@JacobYoungMP) April 29, 2020
Rigby and BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg were also criticised by Lewes MP Maria Caulfield for not saying “congratulations” when reporting on the birth of Johnson’s and Carrie Symonds’ baby on Wednesday.
I think the word Laura and Beth are looking for is “congratulations” 🙄 pic.twitter.com/jpVbwD1xQA
— Maria Caulfield MP #StayHomeSaveLives (@mariacaulfield) April 29, 2020
This was Rigby’s response:
This is called reporting the news.
It goes without saying that I’m delighted Carrie Symonds and PM have had a healthy baby boy https://t.co/TxHynRH8Mb— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) April 29, 2020
Not all Tory MPs are on the attack
Earlier this month, culture secretary Oliver Dowden urged people to buy the very newspapers which are criticising his government colleagues.
With newspapers fighting for their existence during the coronavirus crisis, Dowden said in an article for The Times: “Newspapers are at heart of the British media and essential to its vibrant mix. People across the country are rising to the coronavirus challenge and I suggest we all add one small thing to our to-do list: buy a paper.”
But what do the people actually think?
A YouGov poll published this week suggests the public is not buying MPs’ criticism of coronavirus news coverage.
The survey of 1,643 people on Monday and Tuesday shows public trust in TV and newspaper coverage remains largely the same as it was before the outbreak in December – and in some cases has increased. Here are the results:
No, trust in the media has not collapsed because of #coronavirus - trust for journalists remains much the same as it was prior to the crisishttps://t.co/eqeVWROBhl pic.twitter.com/ymuIAwmRmR
— YouGov (@YouGov) April 29, 2020
Meanwhile, an Ipsos MORI poll, also published on Wednesday, found people think journalists are doing a better job than Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in holding the government to account:
Journalists asking questions at the daily #coronavirus briefings are seen to be better at holding the government to account over its response than MPs or the Opposition https://t.co/SmIzYQf75L pic.twitter.com/fjrRcqaRxw
— Ipsos MORI (@IpsosMORI) April 29, 2020
However, another poll from last week, carried out by YouGov and Sky News, showed more people trust Johnson during the coronavirus crisis than they do journalists.
Johnson got a net score of 12, with TV journalists getting -40 and newspaper journalists -55.
The poll suggests the public are putting their faith in the government and existing institutions of state in this crisis -with some 51% of people saying they trust Boris Johnson to handle #coronavirus.
More on the Sky News and @YouGov poll here 👇https://t.co/tRHjniZS5w pic.twitter.com/nNYGv3ALzw— SkyNews (@SkyNews) April 23, 2020