By Gabriel Princewill-
The British media copied one other when reporting the Diane Abbott twitter racism in September 2017.This has been the conclusion of a thinktank team that pondered on the issue for over a month, after additional research was done in this area.
The Eye Of Media.Com has investigated why many sections of the British media focused on the Shadow Home Secretary’s use of the N word in September 2017 when reporting her complaint of being subjected to racism and horrifying complaints of misogynistic abuse on Uk’s This morning programme. The issue was brought up with us after Ms Abbott raised the issue again in December 2018, when she asked for Twitter to to find a way to address the level of abuse on their platform.
The British press that covered the story could have well made the focus of their article the fact Ms Abbott had been the subject of racial attack on twitter, or the fact she had been threatened with rape. What they chose was to use the very word the Labour Mp needed to describe her traumatic experience on social media, against her.
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It was a reckless and thoughtless approach committed by multiple sections of the media who simply replicated the subtitle used by other media outlets. This is the easiest, most logical and compelling conclusion among other possibilities explaining why Ms was so poorly treated by the media after being the victim of a cruel attack by internet trolls using toxic language on social media
VARIED
Our investigation was varied and meticulous, using members of our thintank that included a psychologist, a social worker, and a lawyer among others. As we do with many other subjects of research we conduct, we also obtained views from random professional members of the public. it was obvious from the outset this was going to be an awkward topic for the various media organisations, but it wasn’t one we were going to shy away from.
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SPECULATIVE
Most of the views were speculative, varying from charges of racism on the part of the press themselves to that of indifference. After studying and pondering on all the views, the most obvious and unarguable conclusion was the media all copied one another when reporting that story. In doing so, they invariably exhibited a nonchalant stance against her callous attackers by failing to address them. There is also the added element that those sections of the press who covered her have a cynical view about the Labour Mp because of some of the incompetence she has displayed during her tenure as Mp in the past.
Abbott complained she had been referred to as nxxxxx bxxxx, and threatened with rape after Amnesty international revealed she had received more than half of the abuse on twitter. About 90% of the British media highlighted her use of the N word without rebuking or condemning those racists in any form or shape. Only the Independent and The Metro appeared to take issue with the fact many of the reporting was biased, and had failed to tackle the appalling racists who targeted Abbott mercilessly and without concern.
STAND
We decided to take a stand against not only the awful level of racism demonstrated against Ms Abbott, but to also confront the attitude of the general press, who seemed to show no empathy for the Labour Mps plight. Members of the press we contacted were evasive and uncomfortable about the matter when questioned, many claiming that the writers of the article had either left the publication or work from home. We will save them the unnecessary ridicule of naming them since progress is the main objective of an assessment of this kind.
VICTIMISED
Abbott was effectively victimised twice, once by the internet trolls who were abusive against her, then again, by those sections of the press which recklessly reported the story without focusing on her abusers. Although they may have copied each other, and may have objected to her weaknesses or failings, they should not have been so careless as to blindly heighten her woes by victimising her twice. This amounted to a two pronged attack against a victim of sheer malicious abuse.
Journalists should never sit on the fence and just report descriptively when it comes to despicable incidents of hate crime such as thiis.
Our publication is closely examining a January episode of question time in which she alleged racism to see if any signs or evidence of it can be observed. The competence of Abbott’s press team has also come under scrutiny after we found a college girl pick up the phone and claim she could not answer questions.
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