AFTER a week of rioting and violence across England and Northern Ireland, the mainstream media have come under intense scrutiny from the public for their reporting on such incidents.
To summarise what has been going over the past seven days, the killing of three children in Southport last Monday at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class has been followed by a string of far-right fuelled riots in major towns and cities across England and more recently Northern Ireland.
The unrest was clearly sparked by disinformation spreading like wildfire online regarding the identity of the suspect, with people falsely speculating he was an asylum seeker who had arrived by boat.
Water was quickly thrown on the rumours as it was confirmed the 17-year-old suspect – now known to be Axel Rudakubana – was born in Cardiff.
But it was too late. From Southport to Bolton, from Sunderland to Aldershot, riots have been popping up everywhere and as the days have gone by, the UK media has found itself hit by criticism for its framing of how events have unfolded and how interviews have been conducted.
Good Morning Britain
By far the biggest uproar came following an interview on Good Morning Britain, as Ed Balls and Kate Garraway spoke to MP Zarah Sultana, who was born to a Muslim family in Birmingham.
Sultana was discussing the violence seen in England and Northern Ireland and clashed with Balls on how they were being described, as she asked if Keir Starmer had referred to them as “Islamophobic and racist”.
Speaking on Sunday, Starmer did make reference to “racist rhetoric” although host Kate Garraway asked the MP why describing them as "Islamophobic" was important.
When Garraway told Sultana “we have to ask you questions as well,” she replied: “Absolutely.”
However, Balls then started speaking over both by saying “and if you want to you can answer them” with Sultana hitting back to say she was going to let the host finish her question.
Sultana said that mosques had been targeted but was continually interrupted by Balls telling her Starmer had condemned the riots.
Balls continued to behave in this manner as the interview went on which led to widespread backlash, with key criticism coming from former LBC broadcaster Sangita Myska.
Myska, who previously lost her job with LBC following a tense interview with an Israeli spokesperson, said the interview had been “very disappointing” and accused both Garraway and Balls of displaying “classic reverse affinity bias”.
She said: “Unable to perceive Muslim female MP Zarah Sultana, as both politician AND someone affected by the trauma of the worst race riots in decades they use a completely inappropriate tone.”
It was not the only interview on the programme which left viewers in disbelief as Balls also spoke during an interview with his wife and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
A number of people took to social media to question why Balls had been allowed to interview her, with Niall Christie – a Green candidate in the 2024 General Election – writing: “Ed Balls allowed to defend his wife, the Home Secretary, under the guise of journalistic integrity is utterly disgraceful while right-wing media figures chuckle on gleefully.”
BBC blasted for ‘pro-British march’ claim
While all of these horrific scenes have been going on in England and Northern Ireland, no such violence has experienced north of the Border so far and Scots are getting increasingly riled up by incidents being described as “British”.
The BBC came under fire as Phillip Norton, reporting from Bolton, described some rioters there as being part of a “pro-British march”.
They had turned up for a demonstration entitled Enough is Enough: Stand Up For Our Country, which had been promoted by renowned far-right activist Tommy Robinson – whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon.
The characterisation by the BBC was branded “utterly appalling”, with people pointing out unrest had not been witnessed in all parts of these islands. The corporation later accepted in a comment it should have been more clearly explained that "pro-British" was how the event was being advertised.
Humza Yousaf interview
Former first minister Humza Yousaf also hit back at a BBC presenter at the weekend when he was told by Luxmy Gopal his description of unrest in England as “far-right race riots” risked “tarring everyone with the same brush”.
Gopal claimed he was “fuelling the problem” with his description because some people simply wanted to “express their opposition to immigration” without being involved in the violence, but Yousaf hit back to point out that the issue of lawful protest was not what was being discussed.
“No, that’s not what you’re talking about,” he said.
“What you’re asking me about is violence that we’ve seen, a hotel in Rotherham almost set alight.
“It’s the Nazi salutes we’ve seen on the streets, it’s the attacking of mosques, it’s the battering and beating of black, Asian and Muslim people. The framing and language is exceptionally important.”
