The former newspaper of record has been dragged down the path of Murdoch bias
Take a look at these pictures. They show the front page for the Times newspaper for Monday, Tuesday and today. Notice anything strange?
If you’re still stumped, recall that this was the week the two – that’s two – main parties released their election manifestos to the country.
Yet the Times newspaper, thought to be less partisan than other papers, could find no space on its front pages for the Labour manifesto – not even as a smaller story or tiny short at the bottom of the page.
Monday’s headline, ‘Passionate Cameron outlines his Tory dream’, speaks for itself, while Tuesday’s ‘Right to buy for £1.3m families’ hails the Conservatives’ flagship policy.
Today’s paper leads with ‘Brussels vows to block Cameron on EU treaty’, about the prime minister’s valiant but futile stand against the European juggernaut.
While Labour does get a mention in the ‘right to buy’ story on Tuesday, it’s only to highlight criticism from the Institute for Fiscal Studies and shoot holes in Labour’s campaign. (There’s also a cartoon at the foot of the page of a toothy Ed Miliband saying: “Will I make life tough enough? Hell yes!”)
So, what gives? No headlines? No stories? It’s not as if Labour’s manifesto release lacked new policies, from freezing rail prices to expanding childcare services, or surprise moves like placing deficit reduction and fiscal responsibility pledges at the front of the document.
It’s as if these covers were printed in an alternate Tory universe where only one party is running, or at least with any chance of success. And this in what was once the newspaper of record.
You would expect this sort of thing from the openly conservative newspapers. (The Daily Mail for example also ignored Labour on its covers.) But the Times is still considered to be a more serious and objective newspaper, both here and around the world, despite being swallowed by Rupert Murdoch’s News UK in 1981.
How can anyone honestly look at these front pages and call them an authoritative or honest account of this week’s news?
Adam Barnett is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow MediaWatch on Twitter
24 Responses to “Missing something? No room for Labour manifesto on the Times front page”
Gerschwin
You’re a loon Leon. Certifiable.
Cole
While you can read the Sun, Telegraph, Times, Express, Mail and probably some others for misleading and mendacious right wing propaganda.
Guest
“UR MAD JEW”
The usual nonsense from, you, I see, Lord Blagger.
Harold
I agree, it will be the undoing of the newspaper industry, I used to buy a paper every day sometimes two, now I rarely do and often do not even bother to read free copies in cafes. sales of newspapers have declined over the last ten or so years, treating the readers as fools is not a positive way forward. I know Daily Mail readers who joke about the “nasty” views so often expressed. I have always thought the BBC to be right of centre, how many work there who have not had a University and/or Private Education? The staff at the BBC are naturally conservative with a small “c” It is therefore very surprising to see Labour ahead in the polls considering the depth and unrelenting attacks on Ed Miliband, his ex-girlfriends was a classic, along with how the present Government is allowed to make claims without much if any challenge, which if any challenge is made, it is then personally attacked. If most parties had the support of so many papers and media, they would win by the proverbial country mile. I still think the Tories will win not because they have the best policies, but because the unrelenting negative attacks on the other parties and the vast sums of money the “right” is throwing at this election will eventually produce the result they are buying.