Notice of Adjudication for an article first published on THE SKWAWKBOX, 13 September 2020 under the headline “Keir Starmer’s record so far in a nutshell makes the bleakest reading”. An IMPRESS ruling has determined that this article fails to distinguish clearly between matters of fact, conjecture, and opinion and that it contains several assertions of fact that are inaccurate. Click here to read the full adjudication by IMPRESS.
SKWAWKBOX view:
The SKWAWKBOX believes in independent press regulation and by definition will not agree with every adjudication. However, while ‘straw man’ attacks from political opponents are inevitable, they should not be a feature of regulation.
The complainant considered three aspects of the article inaccurate and IMPRESS entertained the complaint even though the article was clearly and prominently marked as a comment piece. That fact notwithstanding, the SKWAWKBOX provided evidence to support every point with which the complainant took issue. IMPRESS decided:
– that examples of Keir Starmer promoting MPs with a track record of racism and/or bullying did not justify the article’s point that he has promoted racists and bullies
– that examples of Starmer opposing wealth taxes did not justify the statement that he had opposed wealth taxes
– that examples of Starmer opposing the Black Lives Matter protests did not justify saying that he had opposed the BLM protests – even though a specific example was linked in the original statement that Starmer refusing to allow an NEC discussion of Rachel Reeves’s support for a statue in memory of a notorious antisemite because Reeves was not present did not constitute defending or supporting her, even though he had just held a lengthy discussion about Rebecca Long-Bailey in her absence
The committee reached this conclusion based largely on the premise that Starmer doing these things did not represent his ‘general position’. That would be relevant if the article claimed it was his general position. But the article was explicitly a look at his record to date and a call for him to change. The SKWAWKBOX considers the ‘general position’ assumption to be a classic ‘straw man’.
It should also be noted that even the complainant could not take issue with the remaining fifteen points highlighted in the article about Keir Starmer’s bleak record as Labour leader.
For an accurate assessment of Starmer’s position on the Black Lives Matter movement, the SKWAWKBOX recommends this video by Canary editor Kerry-Ann Mendoza, in which she concludes that ‘Black Lives don’t Matter to Keir Starmer’:
Ouch!
Hardly “Ouch” – more of a “Meh.”
I couldn’t be arsed reading the full thing – did I miss the bit where Skwawk had to pay a fine or go down on one knee to apologise to whoever the fuck Joseph Venable is, or to Starmpfer?
I’m not saying it’s the same little prick who posts on Twitter as Joe Venable – @josephchv – check out his tweets to see how much of an impartial observer he is. Then tell me he has no association whatever with Starmer – and isn’t cuddling up to him in hopes of a job.
Of course if he does get a job with Smarmy his statement to IMPRESS that he is “not an affected party or the representative of an affected party” will screw the both of them.
Seems Starmeroid and his new best buddy have problems with facing facts, ie the opinion people form after analysing his actions in the cold light of day. Well call it a 6month review akin an assessment/appraisal of process most of us undergo, only that it is us, the members, reviewing his performance or profound lack of it. Pity we cannot sack him……
PS: Has he got shares in Impress?
Very sad to see one of the few who are honest and want a just society get slammed for printing the truth …whilst others make a good living by fraud and misrepresentation of the facts…sorry to hear of this,but not surprised youve been targeted.
Seemed more of a nudge than a slam to me Joseph 😉
Eeeh it’s like 1984 “how do we know that 2+2=4? … orwell
Skwawky gives examples of starmer promoting racists, impress “providing this evidence doesn’t justify the point that he promotes racists and bullies
Pfft
Ouch! Indeed steve, it’s a painful process having dmeocracy stolen from us
Arsed?
Nah. Carry on as you were, Skwawkbox
What a bizarre judgement.
Empty rhetoric from Impress for an empty headed individual with an agenda from his own universe. Totally bizarre but not surprising that Skwawkbox has been targeted. In all honesty I’d say it was well over due given the criminal fraud being impressed upon us by the Conservative Fascist Party and the Zionist Labour Party. I have signed up with Rumble & Parler as I am sick to the back teeth of being censored by Facebook and Twitter. I signed upwith The Canary & Skwawkbox because I was sick to the back teeth of reading the mainstream drivel being leaked out of the brains of dullards through their second anal sphincters in support of the criminal drain on the public purse and the mounting number of deaths of UK medical staff and citizenry. Stay as safe as you can.
I was born in the first half of the C20 & have spent a lifetime challenging social injustice wherever I find it. One particular episode that took place early in 1960s was @ my ‘Christian Brothers’ school. I knew about American Civil Rights because of a musician called Bob Dylan. I began doing my own research, including information about Edward Colston. I became obsessed with the words of DR.Martin Luther King & used every opportunity to challenge the Christian Brothers. I was on a mission from God & this was God’s business but I was beaten regularly & told that it was not my business to question authority. I was later expelled. Today I am constantly called a racist because I voted Leave & question the relevance of BLM in GB. The power of language & the need for some people to throw insults & labels with a minimum of evidence.
Only 4? That is good going.
I learnt from this bullet points should only accompany facts? I use them for refreshing points or memory joggers. Who is the guy who brought the claim? Now to use this against the rw media