Time to stop fake news? Columnist Sarah Vine has published questionable information that may lead to the victimisation of a minority group. Shouldn’t she be penalised for it?

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Non-Disclosure Agreements stopping people from whistle-blowing on criminal behaviour may soon be outlawed, but here’s a form of communication that absolutely should be hushed up: FAKE NEWS.

That is particularly true in the case of those whose false information may lead to discrimination against particular groups.

So, for example, here‘s Sarah Vine, political-column harpy and ex-wife of Michael Gove: “One in five new cars in the uk are bought by Motability – with taxpayer’s money – so they can be distributed to people with ‘disabilities’ including constipation and food intolerances. No wonder this country is bankrupt.”

This is false for several reasons. I’ll deal with the last point first because it’s very easy: the UK is not bankrupt and never can be because our government issues its own currency through the Bank of England and may therefore always finance its debts.

As for the substantive issue raised by Ms Vine, here‘s ‘Disability Rebellion’: “Can we please stop with all the “anyone on PIP can get a free car” nonsense?

“1 You have to be receiving the highest rate of mobility [element of the Personal Independence Payment disability benefit] to be eligible.

“2 The upfront costs of a Motability car can run into the thousands depending on the person’s needs and whether or not adaptations are needed.

“3 You LEASE the car and the cost of the lease is taken from your PIP.

“One more time for the hard of hearing: MOTABILITY CARS ARE NOT FREE!”

This Writer tends to believe that should be one more time for the hard of thinking.

Here‘s Ms Vine again to cement that belief in our minds: “That’s just the data… I didn’t make it up. How does wanting to make sure that the right people get these entitlements instead of a load of freeloaders make me a ‘bad journalist and a worse human’? Surely the opposite is true. Or are you too blinded by your own prejudice to see that?”

Her critics argue that she’s a bad journalist because she doesn’t have credible sources.

Here‘s Danny Lee: “That’s not even factual data, its from the Taxpayers’ Alliance that has been known for years to post misinformation, paid for by no other than the Conservatives’ donors.”

And here‘s Romy Cerratti: “The cars aren’t ‘distributed’ to people with disabilities Sarah. That clearly implies they are free, which they very much aren’t. The conditions you mentioned are also most often part of other conditions, as most of us disabled people suffer from multiple health problems! And even if someone is getting PIP only for IBS, it will be a very extreme case that is totally debilitating. You clearly know very little about the whole PIP process and disabled people’s lives.”

Whether Ms Vine’s information comes from the Taxpayers’ Alliance or another source, the information as she provided it is clearly inaccurate because it encourages people to believe that people with irritable bowel syndrome can get a car for free because taxpayers shell out for it instead. They can’t; it isn’t; they don’t.

But the fact that she has published these claims may lead to disabled people being exposed to harassment, alarm, distress, or even violence.

Come to think of it, the planned Respect Orders are supposed to be there to stop people being exposed to such traumas – so perhaps a disability-representation organisation like DPAC or Inclusion London could slap such an order on Ms Vine when they come into effect?

Vine is often criticised over her columns, by people responding most often to her comments on gender, sexuality, race and class. She has not (yet, to our knowledge) faced either professional or legal penalties over them – so she continues to flood the social media with nonsense like that quoted above.

And she’s not the only one.

The material published by such people is potentially hugely dangerous – especially in the volume in which it now appears – but the authorities do nothing.

Isn’t it time that changed?

If you believe media figures should be held accountable for repeatedly spreading misleading or discriminatory information, write to your MP.

You can do it via theyworkforyou.com

Ask them to support stronger oversight mechanisms for media accuracy — especially when false claims affect vulnerable communities.

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