Media Coverage of COVID -19

[RomeoCharlie71]

Why are interviewers so reluctant to ask the government hard questions regarding the pandemic? I seems to me that Piers Morgan on GMB is the only one who is willing to go there?

Yes that seems to be the case, but Piers Morgan is biased from what I've seen and seems to have an agenda against the UK Government. Yes, they've not been perfect, but neither have the NI, Welsh or Scottish governments. He continually says the UK Government have been late to things such as masks, border closures.... yet never holds the devolved administrations to account for also being "late". E.g. Scotland introduced mandatory face coverings on public transport a week after England, Wales didn't introduce mandatory face coverings in shops until September.

Him and his co-presenter Suzanna Reid are extremely toxic, they both interrupt interviewees when they're giving answers etc. They only get views because they are the most argumentative.

 

[brad465]

Why are interviewers so reluctant to ask the government hard questions regarding the pandemic? I seems to me that Piers Morgan on GMB is the only one who is willing to go there?

I think it's weakness from journalists to stand up to the Government's likely act of banning scrutiny. Piers Morgan's hard scrutiny early in the pandemic saw Government ministers boycott it for months as an example. There is plenty of fault with the Government for trying to evade scrutiny, but the journalists are weak to it and would rather keep answering weak questions so they keep the air time.

What they need to do all is get together, have some guts and argue tough questions, where if any of them are barred from further appearances all the main journalists get together and boycott the briefings. They did this with a no.10 lobby briefing once pre-COVID in Johnson's tenure, when journalists who were not invited were asked to leave, causing all other journalists to walk out in unity, so it's not like they haven't staged a walkout before. I've also heard apparently the Government have changed providers for finding public questions because apparently the first provider kept giving the ministers difficult questions.

The journalists have their faults that they need to address, but this poor scrutiny isn't all on them.

 

[DB]

I think it's weakness from journalists to stand up to the Government's likely act of banning scrutiny. Piers Morgan's hard scrutiny early in the pandemic saw Government ministers boycott it for months as an example. There is plenty of fault with the Government for trying to evade scrutiny, but the journalists are weak to it and would rather keep answering weak questions so they keep the air time.

What they need to do all is get together, have some guts and argue tough questions, where if any of them are barred from further appearances all the main journalists get together and boycott the briefings. They did this with a no.10 lobby briefing once pre-COVID in Johnson's tenure, when journalists who were not invited were asked to leave, causing all other journalists to walk out in unity, so it's not like they haven't staged a walkout before. I've also heard apparently the Government have changed providers for finding public questions because apparently the first provider kept giving the ministers difficult questions.

The journalists have their faults that they need to address, but this poor scrutiny isn't all on them.

The broadcast media has potential pressure from Ofcom as well.

 

[bramling]

Yes that seems to be the case, but Piers Morgan is biased from what I've seen and seems to have an agenda against the UK Government. Yes, they've not been perfect, but neither have the NI, Welsh or Scottish governments. He continually says the UK Government have been late to things such as masks, border closures.... yet never holds the devolved administrations to account for also being "late". E.g. Scotland introduced mandatory face coverings on public transport a week after England, Wales didn't introduce mandatory face coverings in shops until September.

Him and his co-presenter Suzanna Reid are extremely toxic, they both interrupt interviewees when they're giving answers etc. They only get views because they are the most argumentative.

Pretty much all the journalists seem unable to go beyond either trying to make a thing out of the death figures, or about compliance.

It’s almost unheard of to get questions asked on topics like how the economic cost of all this is going to be managed in the medium term, impacts on mental health or non-Covid conditions like cancer, or the impact on education and development for young people.

I’d like to have seen some proper scrutiny of what happened with exams last year and what is proposed to happen with them this year. If I was in one or the affected cohorts I would be proper fuming.

 

[westv]

More misery on this evenings BBC 6pm news.

 

[VauxhallandI]

Morgan is also a hypocrite going on about masks the. Not wearing one himself so whilst I admire the fact he is having a pop he should stand by his convictions that he obviously doesn’t believe in masks

 

[brad465]

The broadcast media has potential pressure from Ofcom as well.

Do you mean Ofcom demand that they turn up to the briefings/are not allowed to shy away from duty? I know they've put restrictions in about going against scientific guidance on air, despite not all science being uniformly in line.

 

[DB]

Do you mean Ofcom demand that they turn up to the briefings/are not allowed to shy away from duty? I know they've put restrictions in about going against scientific guidance on air, despite not all science being uniformly in line.

I mean the pressure to toe the line, which is likely to result in themr avoiding awkward questions, especially those which go against what Whitty and the other Doomsters are saying.

 

[Andyh82]

I’m not sure Piers asks “tough questions”, he just asks the same question over and over again to generate social media content.

This morning he asked the minister again and again for 100% certainty that schools would reopen after February half term. When the minister said it was too early to say, we need to see what happens with infection rates etc etc, he just kept barking “You don’t know do you? You don’t know what’s going on, will you resign, will you resign, You’ve just said you don’t know, so when will you resign..?”

Of course it went viral as did the previous day as this is the content people want

 

[greyman42]

I’m not sure Piers asks “tough questions”, he just asks the same question over and over again to generate social media content.

This morning he asked the minister again and again for 100% certainty that schools would reopen after February half term. When the minister said it was too early to say, we need to see what happens with infection rates etc etc, he just kept barking “You don’t know do you? You don’t know what’s going on, will you resign, will you resign, You’ve just said you don’t know, so when will you resign..?”

Of course it went viral as did the previous day as this is the content people want

So why didn't Williamson just say "I don't know"?
Regarding his resignation, Morgan asked if he had offered his resignation to Johnson. All he had to do was answer Yes or no instead of going on about what his focus was.

 

[bramling]

So why didn't Williamson just say "I don't know"?
Regarding his resignation, Morgan asked if he had offered his resignation to Johnson. All he had to do was answer Yes or no instead of going on about what his focus was.

Williamson is an awkward communicator at the best of times.

 

[westv]

So why didn't Williamson just say "I don't know"?

Politicians never say that.

 

[MikeWM]

Gavin W was on the receiving end of one of the most amusing political interviews of all time a few years back, given by Richard Madeley of all people! Look it up if you haven't seen it - it is great fun, and the elephants roaming in the background only add to the oddness.

 

[Cowley]

Gavin W was on the receiving end of one of the most amusing political interviews of all time a few years back, given by Richard Madeley of all people! Look it up if you haven't seen it - it is great fun, and the elephants roaming in the background only add to the oddness.

Is that the one where Madeley says he can’t be bothered to carry on with the interview if Williamson won’t reply properly to his questions?

 

[greyman42]

Politicians never say that.

True, but i don't think they would loose any credibility with the public if they did. We all get asked questions that we don't know the answers to.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

We all get asked questions that we don't know the answers to.

Often in job interview situations!

 

[kez19]

True, but i don't think they would loose any credibility with the public if they did. We all get asked questions that we don't know the answers to.

But..but they should, they should know it all, why not just say follow the science lol seems the media still fawns on that, could have got away with it

 

[Scotrail12]

given by Richard Madeley of all people!

Richard Madeley has been a good one throughout all of this and is more than willing to criticise COVID strategies, wish he was still on TV more often rather than the locktivist morons we have now.

 

[MikeWM]

Is that the one where Madeley says he can’t be bothered to carry on with the interview if Williamson won’t reply properly to his questions?

Yes, and then after he cuts him off is really irritated that he wouldn't give a straight answer. A very rare occurrence of the interviewer saying exactly what the viewer was thinking!

Richard Madeley has been a good one throughout all of this and is more than willing to criticise COVID strategies, wish he was still on TV more often rather than the locktivist morons we have now.

Actually that is true, yes, he has been far more sensible than most and one of the rare few people in the public eye who have spoken out.

 

[kristiang85]

This is the one:

It's a classic, very Yes Minister - esque (if not worse). And his smirk just shows he knows very well what he's doing.

I used to not mind Pier Morgan's opinions (despite his many historical failings) as he normally stood up for common sense. But he's gone completely off the rails since the pandemic hit, and has become a delusional locktivist and maskopath, with absolutely no desire to debate. I just can't stand him right now.

 

[102 fan]

This is the one:

It's a classic, very Yes Minister - esque (if not worse). And his smirk just shows he knows very well what he's doing.

I used to not mind Pier Morgan's opinions (despite his many historical failings) as he normally stood up for common sense. But he's gone completely off the rails since the pandemic hit, and has become a delusional locktivist and maskopath, with absolutely no desire to debate. I just can't stand him right now.

My opinion of Richard Madeley has improved!

 

[DustyBin]

My opinion of Richard Madeley has improved!

The elephants only serve to add a degree of surreality, it’s quite funny actually!

 

[MikeWM]

I thought people might enjoy that, we could all do with a bit of silly fun right now. Best political interview I'd seen in years

Thanks @kristiang85 for finding it

 

[bramling]

I thought people might enjoy that, we could all do with a bit of silly fun right now. Best political interview I'd seen in years

Thanks @kristiang85 for finding it

Yes it made me laugh. The worst of it is Williamson didn’t even seem to notice that he was making a total fool of himself.

 

[DB]

One of the most complete demolitions by an interviewer of a hapless goverment minister was this one by Paxman:

Interviewing Tory Treasury Minister Chloe Smith in 2012 (skip to 6m20 for the start).

 

[Bantamzen]

One of the most complete demolitions by an interviewer of a hapless goverment minister was this one by Paxman:

Interviewing Tory Treasury Minister Chloe Smith in 2012 (skip to 6m20 for the start).

We need to get hold of some Paxman DNA and clone him for future press conferences.

 

[kez19]

We need to get hold of some Paxman DNA and clone him for future press conferences.

Wait is this the same BBC that had a backbone?

 

[kristiang85]

"do you think you're incompetent?"
Answer: completely unrelated to the question.

That was amazing.

I'd love to see Paxman locked in a studio with Hancock.

 

[jtuk]

"do you think you're incompetent?"
Answer: completely unrelated to the question.

That was amazing.

I'd love to see Paxman locked in a studio with Hancock.

I'd prefer Tyson over Paxman tbh

 

[Scotrail314209]

I'm getting very fed up with the constant headlines and stories about COVID now, so much that I don't even check my social media often.

All it is is scaremongering, doom and gloom...