from Seen in Journalism
Coverage of the Tumbler Ridge murders – just give us the facts.
Updating this because of the shameful behaviour of a number of outlets which insisted on described Jesse Strang/Rootselaar as a woman, even after the polilce presser which made it clear he’s a male.
The Guardian buried the lead, and our comment on it is here. Reuters tries to pass its lie off by attributing the police: when it should have been at the front asking questions about why they’re so determined to affirm, and whether they knowingly misled the school in its security alert about a ‘woman’. Reuters is bought by almost every newsroom, and has been seen as a ‘one-stop’ resource. It’s trusted. Sky News – its International Correspondent no less – dares to explain how rare it is that a woman committed this crime. ITV News adopts the killer’s pronouns.
You can watch the relevant portion of the police press conference here.
Time was that this affirmative grip on the news cycle would have been watertight. That’s no longer the case. The more outlets refuse to comply – the BBC among them – the more these outlets stand out as recalcitrant, unrepentant, untrustworthy and activist sources.
Our original piece starts here
See also: A serious lie about a shattering event