Facts go into the Sun's filter and come out very different. Here's an example.
I’d like to draw your attention to a small but impressive story in today’s Sun, because it’s a good example of what happens to information when put through the paper’s anti-Labour filter.
First, here’s the clip of the transcript of Ed Miliband’s interview with Andrew Marr yesterday on the BBC. Marr began by pressing the Labour leader on a possible deal with the Scottish National Party after the general election:
ANDREW MARR: [the SNP] will be coming to you saying Ed Miliband that is our price for supporting you, we want that referendum.
ED MILIBAND: No, look I want to be clear about this Andrew, no coalitions, no tie-ins, you know –
ANDREW MARR: What about supply and support, a deal, one of those deals that will keep you going?
ED MILIBAND: Look I’ve said no deals, honestly I’ve been clear about that.
ANDREW MARR: Of any kind.
ED MILIBAND: Yeah I am not doing deals with the Scottish National Party, but you know I want a majority Labour government and, you know the way the House of Commons works, as you know, is that we’ll –
ANDREW MARR: (over) So absolutely clearly no support and supply deal of any kind?
ED MILIBAND: I am not interested in deals, no.
Miliband has previously ruled out a coalition with the SNP, but hasn’t before said that he would not have a ‘confidence and supply’ arrangement with them. Knowing he had a scoop, Marr asked the question again later in the interview to make sure he got the same answer:
ANDREW MARR: OK, just finally bang the nail into the piece of wood finally, a confidence and supply deal with the SNP is ruled out.
ED MILIBAND: (over) I’ve made it clear we’re not, no deals, no.
ANDREW MARR: Not going to happen, OK, well let’s move on to some other issues […]
This was reported by the BBC, the Guardian, Politics Home, the Independent, and the Financial Times as ‘Miliband says no to confidence-and-supply with SNP’, or words to that effect – and Labour has made no attempt to protest or backtrack.
So how has this information been reported in the Sun today?
![IMAG0719[1]](https://leftfootforward.org/images/2015/04/IMAG07191-300x170.jpg)
MILI PACT RAP
Ed MIliband has been blasted after refusing to completely rule out an informal deal with the SNP ten times.
The Labour leader appeared to go further in distancing himself from the Scottish Nationalists, but would not say a pact definitely would not happen.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: “Ed Miliband can only be prime minister with the support of SNP votes.”
That’s the whole story. (Or rather, that’s all the Sun reported.)
You’ll notice from the transcript that Miliband was not asked this question ‘ten times’, nor did he refuse to rule out an informal deal. He was asked to rule out an ‘informal’ – as in, confidence and supply – deal with the SNP, and he said ‘no deals’.
One could argue that Miliband could have been more explicit, but one cannot argue that this Sun story is a fair or accurate report of what happened.
So even within the absurdly narrow confines of acceptable political discussion – why should Labour have to rule out a deal anyway? – there seems to be nothing Miliband can do to please the Sun.
The world reflected in its pages is increasingly detached from the one we actually live in, and facts are shaped and moulded to suit the paper’s fancy.
Adam Barnett is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow MediaWatch on Twitter
Read more: Tory cynicism as press takes Salmond’s budget joke seriously
Rupert Murdoch ‘berated’ Sun staff for not bashing Miliband enough, reports Independent
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47 Responses to “Miliband says no SNP deal and the Sun says ‘La-la-la can’t hear you’”
JustAnotherNumber
Not to suggest agreement with – or support of – The Sun for a nanosecond, but one could certainly interpret the transcript of Miliband’s comments as being very much in the present tense, and subsequently potentially open to shifts in the future, should they be required.
Gerschwin
So what? He’ll make a deal if it gives him the keys to No10. He’s from the left – by definition he’s a duplicitous liar and besides he kept his answers to the present tense and not the future to give him the wiggle room he needs.
Are his pants on fire? Oh yes they are.
Jim Bennett
Ed has no choice: he will have to make some kind of a deal with the SNP if he wants power.
Guest
So you claim to have firebombed him. I see.
As you make up utter nonsense about him being leftist, showing your PC bigotry in the process, as you blame others for your views.
Cole
Most of us think that it’s the right that have a long history of ‘duplicitous lying’. Just look at how many elections the Tories have lied to us about VAT, to give one example. And the Tory press is full of distortion and lies, as Adam demonstrates nearly every day.