This archive report was first published on 12 December 2019.
Published on December 12, 2019, a critical moment in British politics has been marred by a relentless barrage of lies and misinformation. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government have left voters and broadcasters reeling, struggling to keep up with the sheer volume of false claims.
The Tories' strategy has been to flood the airwaves with false information, from their promise to bring Brexit to a swift end to the damage it would cause to jobs and Northern Ireland. They have even gone so far as to falsely edit a video of an opposition politician and rebrand their Twitter account as a fact-checking site during a crucial debate.
Mr. Johnson has dodged tough questioning, opting for carefully constructed photo-ops instead. He has refused to engage with the BBC's most rigorous interviewer, leaving him unchallenged. His team has seized upon the fact that the old media is no longer the gatekeeper of communication, and that cunning politicians can now bypass accountability by going straight to the voters' emotional jugular.
These tactics appear to be working, with the Tories ahead in the polls and seemingly heading for a majority. However, the race is tightening, and the polls could be wrong. If the Tories win, they will likely shrug off critics, emboldened by the fact that the demos has approved their tactics.
I fear that a Tory victory would embolden Mr. Johnson and his strategists, leading them to threaten the futures of broadcasters who embarrass them. Their manifesto promises to look again at the relationships between Parliament, the government, and the courts, which is code for: We intend to emasculate anything that constrains us.
