Lying is not enough...
We all know, even the Tory party knows, that Boris Johnson was not a decent enough person to be elected dog catcher in 1950’s Alabama and yet he made it to the top of the Conservative Party and the country.
He did so by lying and he and everyone else has always known this, but enough of his lies were believed to achieve Brexit and that was enough for the UKIPers who have taken over the Conservative Party.
He got away with it for so long and continues to for many reasons but journalism and journalists need to take a good long look at themselves and their industry.
Presenters who don’t understand or care about economics or business and have been too lazy to arm themselves with the facts about trade and the EU; have been easy meat.
You cannot call out a lie if you don’t know the facts.
Despite having numerous researchers and producers and having been chosen for the top jobs because they know more than others, presenters have been useless at standing up to this new political reality of outright lies.
Secondly even if you do know the facts the mainstream media is built on the same ethos as British politics. It is all a game, chaps may bend the rules but never break them, they are mates as well as sources, I knew him at university, everyone has to bend the truth to succeed, maybe this time it has gone too far but we can’t call him a liar. Let’s go for a pint.
That is how the Government has got away with lying; about Brexit, about the UK having the best vaccine roll out in Europe, lying about the worst economic damage in the G7, about the role of the European Medicines Agency, crown marks on pints and a thousand other things.
Putting up a fact checking web page four hours after the lie is useless.
Journalists and presenters especially have to change, they have been coasting for too long, enjoyed being close to power and in the know, got too close to the story and the people in power and this is the result.
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.