Bogus claim about Labour made the front page, but neutrality breaks out when it's Osborne
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has crunched the numbers and says George Osborne’s budget will leave 3 million people on average £1000 a year worse off.
This and other findings by the IFS have been covered by the Tory press – who apparently feel no shame at having trumpeted the same budget just 24 hours ago.
But there was another story a few months ago which was treated very differently.
The Times newspaper ran a front page story on Friday, April 24, claiming a Labour government would mean £1000 more tax for ‘every working family’. (Click to enlarge.)
Just over a week later, on May 2, the paper admitted this was completely wrong.
It ran a correction, and on June 19 was forced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) to run the correction on its front page.
So a false and baseless claim – disproved even in the original story, as the correction makes clear – was plastered on the front of the former newspaper of record weeks before the election.
But when families are actually facing a £1000 raid on their bank balances, its just one story among many in the budget coverage.
As with Osborne’s aping of Ed Miliband’s pledge to abolish non-dom status, the difference in coverage reveals the party bias of British newspapers.
Today’s Times even has a cartoon with George Osborne dressed as the claymation character Wallace, with a naked Miliband in the background – Osborne has ‘stolen Labour’s clothes’.
But is that a good thing? Does the Times support any policy, even Labour policies, if they are brought in by the Conservative party?
Adam Barnett is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow MediaWatch on Twitter
Read more:
Times runs ‘Labour’s £1,000 tax on families’ correction on front page after IPSO ruling
Tory press shirks its duty and waves pom-poms for Osborne’s budget
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15 Responses to “The Times ran false ‘£1000 on families’ story. Now it’s true, where are the headlines?”
blarg1987
there is a stark difference, for those people in Africa studying hard does give a high chance for them to get a well paid job and so there standard of living increases tenfold.
People here on the other hand are disillusioned with the perception of a closed shop and contacts meaning studying hard ode not necessarily mean you will be CEO of a company etc.
I do agree with the effort reward thing, however it seems to go backwards, as an american comedian has said. If a person at the bottom end of society discovers an entitlement they are allowed, they are seen as a lazy person / free loader etc, however a person working for a private company who discoverers a tax entitlement the company is allowed is seen as a striver and the next best thing etc.
damon
My main problem with what you said there was the idea of someone being disillusioned that they couldn’t become the CEO of a company.
Well how about setting their eyes lower and doing something that is more possible?
Like all the white van man people you see driving about earning a living.
I do that at the bottom end, just being an unskilled driver, but you could be some kind of engineer with very particular skills. How about a lift engineer for example. How much money would a skilled person in that profession make an hour? I bet it’s loads.
You just have to go out of your way to get trained up I guess. And live in an area where there is some demand.
For all its unfairness, capitalism that actually functions, like in western countries is the system that does the best for most people. When you spend time in a third world country you can appreciate what opportunity it offers people.
Like honest police and officials for example.
In Sri Lanka the police spend their days stopping motorcyclists to make them hand over bribe fines. And the country is dysfunctional in some areas because there’s so much corruption.
So complain that things aren’t perfect in the UK by all means, but all those immigrants come here because they want some of what we’ve got.
blarg1987
The point I am making say you had to study hard to become a white van man, you would not consider it effort/reward unless you got paid a lot for it.
People are probabaly disillusioned about the effort reward here with the perception that working hard does not guarantee a well paid job compared to other countries.
Hollie
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