Fake news: Lib Dems condemned for campaign leaflets ‘imitating local papers’
You may be getting tired of this image, but it adequately describes the Liberal Democrat offer to the electorate.
This is awkward:
The Liberal Democrats are facing criticism over election campaign leaflets that look like local newspapers.
The party, led by Jo Swinson, has distributed material that mimics local papers as part of its election campaign leading to complaints from newspaper editors.
The Society of Editors has condemned the party for what it says “appears to be a concerted effort by the Liberal Democrats to mislead readers and voters”.
Ian Murray, executive director of the Society of Editors, suggested the move showed the party was taking a hypocritical stance on ‘fake news’.
He said: “It is ironic how it is often politicians who complain about fake news but then set out to at least blur the lines for readers – and in this case voters – by packaging their partial messages to ape independent newspapers.
“If political parties were genuine in their desire, often expressed, to both remove the effects of fake news and disinformation as well as support existing regional and local media they would take steps to ensure their political freesheets look markedly different to real newspapers.”
Indeed. This Writer received one through the door yesterday morning.
News from Jo Swinson’s Liberal Democrats, it thunders. When did Jo Swinson take ownership of the party as well as leadership?
And I wonder why Ms Swinson is being pushed as the bright beacon of the future, after her disastrous performances on the campaign trail and her disintegration in front of the BBC Question Time audience.
There’s a headline article about building a brighter future and a load of quotes from more and more people who are apparently backing the Liberal Democrats.
I’m willing to bet if I compared the quotes and the images with other Lib Dem election communications, I’d find the same things attributed to different images with different names. After all, they’ve done it before…
It’s all extremely propagandish and fake.
Still, at least it wasn’t a local leaflet ordering me to vote for them tactically, using a cleverly-inaccurate bar chart to convince me.
What a nauseating, patronising mob. Every time I receive one of their creepy leaflets I become even more determined to vote for someone else.
In true Tory style, Jo Swinson took the SNP to court for “lying” about her receiving £14k from a Fracking Company.
She won the case on a technicality where it was not a fracking company but a company with a fracking licence – such hypocracy !
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50565209