By Eric King-
The Hackney North & Stoke Newington Labour Party has lent their support to the constituency’s MP and Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott over her recent appearance on BBC’s Question Time.
Their support for the Labour MP follows a bitter complaint by Abbott over treatment she received during last week’s question time, which she says was racist and misogynistic. The BBC has admitted that the show’s new host Fiona Bruce joked about Abbott’s past relationship with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during the warm-up to the episode in Derby on 17 January. The precise joke has not been disclosed, but has been interpreted to have contributed to treatment the MP has described as racist on BBC’s question time. Sources close to Abbott have also attacked the British media for legitimising racism.
Abbott also stated that Bruce demonstrated bias during the programme by interrupting her more often than other guests.
In a statement titled ‘We Stand with Diane Abbott against Media Bias, Misogyny & Racism’, Hackney North’s constituency Labour Party (CLP) offers the MP its unequivocal backing. The statement says: “This CLP general meeting once again condemns the overt racism and misogyny, embodied in threats of physical violence and vile verbal abuse in both social media and sections of mainstream media against our MP Diane Abbott.”
Abbott has represented Hackney North since 1987, when she became the first woman of African-Caribbean heritage to be elected to Parliament. She is also the first black woman to hold a position as senior as Shadow Home Secretary.
The CLP goes on to state: “She is, of course, a public supporter of Labour’s general change of direction following Jeremy Corbyn’s election as Leader in 2015. But she occupies her current Shadow Cabinet post because of her potential to be a radically progressive Home Secretary, who has already demonstrated a commitment to dramatically reform the immigration detention system.”
It adds: “There is no doubt that during the course of the programme Ms Bruce interrupted Diane’s contributions with far greater frequency than those of any other panellist, permitted a member of the audience to persist with a personal attack, and allowed notorious Conservative columnist, Isabel Oakeshott, to shout over her.
“In addition, Ms Bruce insisted on contradicting Diane, repeatedly promoting an utterly inaccurate view of opinion poll data. Condemning the conduct of the new host who took over from former veteran host David Dimbleby, her behaviour was described as “at best irresponsible and strongly suggested shameless bias”.
It goes on: “This CLP believes it is vital that the Labour Party speaks and acts as one in opposition to the appalling media treatment Diane has received and the failure of the BBC to offer a comprehensive apology. They concluded by declaring their “wholehearted solidarity with her in campaigning against the type of abuse she has faced both historically and most recently in the context of Question Time, and we again commend her for the considerable courage and dignity she has consistently displayed in confronting racist and sexist bullying throughout her political career”.
The Eye Of Media.Com began an investigation this month into the way the media reported Abbott’s use of the N word in September 2017, and have been engaging some sections of the media including news editors and the writers themselves to establish their mindset when their articles were published. Some of the journalists have either changed jobs or nit been accessible, whilst some of the editors have opted to respond in writing to our investigation.
However, whilst that investigation was pending, this publication has started a separate investigation into the professionalism of Abbott’s press team after one of her press team supervisors slammed the phone on us during an inquiry into the way in which Abbott considered her treatment on question time to be racist. Consultation with our thintank including a social worker has delayed that investigation, whilst the incidence is broadly discussed behind the scenes.On the one hand, The Eye Of Media.Com is intent on getting to the bottom of the poor and biased press coverage of Abbott’s coverage by the press, but on the other hand examining the reflection of Abbott’s press team on her own competence and training given to them.
Our publication on the topic promises to be very revealing , it could get confrontational on all fronts if appropriate action is to be taken against guilty parties on all sides.