Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #scummedia

Most recents (11)

Tory propagandists have now settled on a narrative to explain away Kwarteng's disastrous mini-budget

"The Pound Has Recovered"

This misleading, over-simplistic, and downright inaccurate claim is now spreading like wildfire on social media with hashtags like #ScumMedia

THREAD
After floundering for several days, Tory MPs and right-wing hacks are now trying to explain away Kwarteng's disastrous mini-budget with claim that the Pound has rallied back to where it was before ...

Meaning that all of the criticism can be dismissed as mere "press hysteria"
This narrative is being pushed hard by Tory MPs like Brendan Clarke-Smith and John Redwood, plus radical-right propaganda hacks like Mike Graham, Darren Grimes and Emily Hewertson

It's also being amplified on social media by Tory accounts using Trumpian slogans like #ScumMedia ImageImageImageImage
Read 21 tweets
If there's going to be a geography-based plot to replace Johnson, suspect that one originating in Melton Mowbray is far more likely to result in a new Tory leader who's actually a conservative than one originating in either Cameroon Notting Hill or Goldsmith Richmond.
As @GoodwinMJ suggests in this thread, if the Tories were to elect a new Party Leader/PM ideologically grounded in Notting Hill/Richmond, rather than the shires & the Red Wall, their chances of retaining power are much lower.
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1481612…
To survive in office in the medium-to-long term, they need to engage with, and 'lean into' the political realignment that the UK is going through, not shy away from it retreat into a Home Counties/SE England metro-'liberal' comfort zone.
Read 10 tweets
(01/31) The late film critic @ebertchicago was not a huge fan of @rolandemmerich’s “Independence Day”. His review of the larger-than-life, schmaltzy blockbuster noted that it was little other than “silly summer fun”, which was reluctant to “slow down for the small details”.
(02/31) ‘Not slowing down’ is very much part of the modus operandi of blogger, hat model and occasional-#PrimeMinister Dominic Cummings. Particularly when maximising the fuel efficiency of the vehicle transporting his symptomatic family to medical facilities in Northern England.
(03/31) Cummings favours haste, brevity and a broad-brush approach over ‘the small details’. This is perhaps best demonstrated by his relentless promotion of catchy-yet-meaningless slogans, such as #StayAlert, #GetBrexitDone and #ConsiderTheMatterClosed.
Read 32 tweets
With all this far right talk of defunding the BBC, fake news and general abuse through hashtags like #ScumMedia ... I just want to say, sure you're not perfect, yes I get annoyed with the BBC sometimes but we still #LoveMedia - it's better than the alternative.
However, that doesn't mean I'm happy with where much of the media is. I too have lost trust in many areas - theguardian.com/media/2020/jun… - with the exception of Radio 4, which is a beacon of light. R4 on its own is worth the license fee. Long may it continue.
That said, I have been impressed recently by @maitlis and delighted by @piersmorgan more forthright style and we need more of this.
Read 3 tweets
X : Do you have examples of such radicalisation.
Me : Oh, lots. I've been collecting this. I'm looking into industrialisation of certain technologies and the impacts of such.
X : For example?
Me : Hmmm ... well, I suppose it's public information ... so
... I feel uncomfortable naming names but I've watched ordinary people, surrounded by a "supportive collective" i.e. a bot networks using messages, likes and follows to radicalise. In particular on #ScumMedia it has been awash with it. As for the impact ...
I’ve seen messages go from (as example)

* family concern e.g. my wife has been here for 20 years and doesn’t need this abuse

TO

* calls for rebellion e.g. These patriots are not far right AND Time for the vigilantes to sort out the country

... in the space of two months.
Read 4 tweets
Fabulous reporting. Ok, beyond R4 (ie. PMQ, World at One, Today Programme) and the times when @maitlis shines ... I'll admit, some of the BBC is still very good. Anyway, we should definitely not defund it - R4 is worth the funding alone.
However, there's a lot of noise against MSM coming from #ScumMedia. If you dig, it appears to be a mix of bot driven networks. One that seems to be about deflection but another that has co-oped it and is attempting to radicalise people that fall within its orbit.
The interesting aspect is the co-opting. Yes, you can use bot networks to create artificial collectives with a "sense of belonging" and "safety" around questionable views but it seems they can be invaded by other bot networks with other purposes i.e. further radicalisation ...
Read 4 tweets
X : What's the profile of the typical person you block?
Me : Most common? Well, it's [Name][Long list of digits] i.e. Simon5949303020 ... in other words, it's not a person, it's almost certainly a bot. Usually with common images in their "profile" i.e. UK flag / sparta etc
X : That's now the default behaviour for new signups to Twitter.
Me : I know, but I genuinely find that "real" people tend to change that to something else ... it's always the [name][long numbers] that have common background images and common profile photos and ...
... common "stereotyping" profiles i.e. "Services Veteran, former rugby player, believes in democracy" (aka man of action) or "Anti-nonsense, mother of two, business owner" (aka mother earth) ... some of the bots are more complex / devious in masking identity.
Read 10 tweets
To all @SkyNews @BethRigby @SamCoatesSky @BBCNews @bbclaurak @Peston etc. You may wonder why #ScumMedia is trending again today. Let me explain. You have spent the week hounding Dominic Cummings. You have incited harassment and intimidation towards his family and presented a 1/2
bias view of his determination to safeguard his family, within the guidelines, in April. However, you have now failed to present, in as much depth, with rolling coverage the facts that this was built on lies.
You have further failed to expose the fact that a Labour peer leaked personal information in relation to Mr Cummings
Read 6 tweets
#ScumMedia - the hashtag being promoted by legions of far-right trolls, bots and apparently even some Tory MPs - is the contemporary equivalent of Lügenpresse - the term used by Goebbels & other Nazis to attack any media that failed to show them in a suitably flattering light. Image
Interesting short history of the word "Lügenpresse" here (it was also used by the East German regime to attack Western media). Another close modern equivalent is "fake news" as used by far-right populists such as Trump, Farage, etc.

#scumedia #ScumMedia
washingtonpost.com/news/worldview…
#MaitlisWasRight and the BBC dangerously wrong to bow to this sort of intimidation.
Read 3 tweets
X : Do you think schools should start to re-open on the 1st June?
Me : Since we're fond of learning from the private sector in some political circles, I think we should let the private sector take the lead i.e. Eton isn't opening until September. So after then sounds good.
... basically, when some member of the elite is saying send your kids to school whilst at the same time their own are kept away .... well, it's a bit like eat cake, tends to cause pitchforks to sharpen. Leaders should lead. The elite need to fill their schools first.
"Acting very early was really important and I would have loved to have seen us acting a week or two weeks earlier" ... I couldn't agree more. Our start was very poor indeed - standard.co.uk/news/uk/govern…
Read 101 tweets

Related hashtags

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3.00/month or $30.00/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!