Former prime minister Liz Truss has criticised some elements of the media as “froth”, and said that comparisons between her dress sense and Margaret Thatcher’s represent “lazy thinking”.
She also described the Daily Star’s livestream of a lettuce, to see if it would last longer than her tenure in No 10, as “puerile”.
Asked at a media conference in Dublin whether she seeks to dress like Baroness Thatcher, she said female politicians are often compared with one another because “there aren’t that many of us”.
“I just think, frankly, it’s lazy thinking on people’s part. It’s not something I have ever consciously sought to do at all,” she said.
I came into politics because I wanted to change the country, I want to push particular ideas, and it is frustrating when you get diverted onto a discussion of what hat you’re wearing
Ms Truss said that although “robust debate” in the British media represents “a good thing overall”, she also expressed frustration with some elements.
She added that following politicians around “shouting things at them is not really journalism”.
She said that, when she attended international summits, she would get “a lot of sympathy” from politicians from other countries about the attitude of the British media.
“I think that the British media are known throughout the world for being particularly vociferous and I don’t think they are particularly deferential to politicians,” she said.
“It’s frustrating because I came into politics because I wanted to change the country, I want to push particular ideas, and it is frustrating when you get diverted onto a discussion of what hat you’re wearing, or whether you like photographs, all this other stuff, rather than one of the crucial issues that are affecting Britain, Europe, Ireland and the US.
I do think sometimes politics is sort of treated as a branch of the entertainment industry ... it’s a bit playground when there are really serious issues going on
“I do think sometimes politics is sort of treated as a branch of the entertainment industry. Who’s up, who’s down, who says what about who – it’s a bit playground when there are really serious issues going on.”
Opening the conference, Noel Curran, director-general of the European Broadcasting Union and a former director-general of RTE, said those involved in news cannot but be worried at the trends which indicate the industry is losing younger audiences.
He said the “downright brilliance” of journalism has never been so evident as it was during the Covid pandemic and during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and criticised the “day-to-day bullying” of newsrooms by governments across Europe in what he said is a rising phenomenon.
He added that, despite fears about the threat to the industry from artificial intelligence (AI), he believes it should be embraced with “a big, warm – but regulated – hug”.
