Right-wing British media accused of promoting "Brexit lies"

Osman Boushikhi-London

British media, particularly known for their right-wing orientation, face charges of "misleading and promoting lies" both before and after the Brexit referendum, reinforced by the results of an investigation led by the Institute of Policy at King's College London in collaboration with the Migration Advisory Committee.

The investigation surveyed 2,200 people and offered them a choice between three hypotheses. The first is true: in two years, immigrants paid more than £ 4.7 billion in social services, or they cost the country 4.7 billion in taxes. Or is the balance between taxes and services.

Only 29% of respondents were able to find the right answer, and even the majority who support Britain's stay in the EU did not succeed in their answers, while 47% of those surveyed said immigrants give the country more than they take.

The investigation confirmed that 56% of Britons believe that European immigrants have contributed to the increase in crime rate in the country, but the Advisory Committee on Migration says there is no concrete evidence of this.

According to the poll, 39% believe that immigration has led to the collapse of the quality of health services and high unemployment rates, and two thirds of Britons confirm that London pays 350 million pounds each week to the European Union, which is contrary to reality.

Many observers believe that the newspapers supporting the exit from the European Union contributed to the promotion of such convictions.``But the British media would focus ahead of the referendum on fears of the independence of Scotland and Wales because of the Brexit to push public opinion to vote differently, '' said economist Mohammed Haidar.

the responsibility
Haidar pointed out that the government "distributed enough leaflets warning of the consequences of divorce, and highlighted points including the economic problems that will result from the flight of major European companies and institutions from the country, and the migration of European talent from sensitive sectors such as medicine, technology and others."

"The media played a role in distorting the relationship between the UK and the European bloc, because it considered it a national issue related to dignity, although previous governments, particularly during the Tony Blair era, conducted research on immigration, and concluded that the role of immigrants is positive, not negative, despite They are competing with the local workforce. "

One example cited by former opinion-makers as evidence of media involvement in fabricating false news is Sun's front-page story that Queen Elizabeth II supports Brexit. When Buckingham Palace complained, the paper published a brief correction at the bottom of the first page, and then published the sequel on the second page in such a way that it seemed to fall short of the original wrong news.

The Daily Express reports that the result of the referendum "has contributed positively to the recovery of home buying and selling markets," and that "98% of Britons oppose any agreement with Brussels and wish a divorce without talks."

The Daily Mail also reported details of the police finding a family living in the vault of a truck, stressing that the family is from the European Union countries, but it turns out that this is a matter of individuals from the Middle East.

In another headline, the same newspaper published that EU human rights laws prohibit the deportation of a relative of the jihadist Abu Hamza al-Masri from Britain, but it was only the opinion of a European Court lawyer who said that in special circumstances the deportation order could be carried out.

The Xpress used to publish such news, claiming that "the European Union is seeking to control our coasts," referring to a European plan for the deployment of the Coast Guard, but in reality it was only for the Schengen area, which does not include the British island at all. .

"The problem of false news emerged before 2016 and was greater than the role of the media," said Mustafa Bazerkan, an adviser on finance and energy. "Politicians fell into a trap in which they did not realize the risks and consequences of the referendum before calling for it. Of deliberate absence of facts and the promotion of lies, before the shocking details of the scenario of secession from the European Union were made public. "

Bazerkan believes that the responsibility "is also borne by research centers and government institutions that made the British citizen a victim of the lies of some of the media, especially as it was not consistent in its vision of the relationship between London and Brussels."