1/. Two hundred years ago, a slab of Purbeck stone was set deep into a hillside overlooking London
Called the Free Speech Stone, it is a place where people have gathered whenever their rights were under threat
On #WorldPressFreedomDay it is time to gather there again. #WPFD2021
2/. #WorldPressFreedomDay is a day to remember journalists who've been harassed, intimidated, jailed or even killed
32 were killed in 2020
But it’s also a day to take strength
The truth is powerful
It’s why they fear it
It’s why they try to silence it
3/. “The moment we no longer have a free press, anything can happen. What makes it possible for a totalitarian or any other dictatorship to rule is that people are not informed.” (Hannah Arendt)
These are dark days for press freedom ALL around the globe.
#WorldPressFreedomDay
4/. “Journalists who used to observe court cases from the press gallery, now watch them from the dock"
As a journalist, I’ve watched first hand how govts try to control the press - in Africa, Asia, the Middle East & in Europe
As a campaigner, I’ve fought against this roll-back
5/. “We have a free press! The press are free to die”
Whilst countries where journalists are killed or jailed & may top the #WorldPressFreedomDay charts, more sophisticated govts use subtle ways to intimidate
Journalists aren’t censored
They self-censor
inthesetimes.com/article/6185/w…
6/. When a journalist or editor makes a decision motivated by fear of consequences, it has nothing to do with the principles of good journalism
We witnessed this in 2003
@ragehomaar admitted: “I didn’t do my job properly”
@DanRather said: “The war made stenographers out of us"
7/. “We live in a 'Mediaocracy' where what is politically possible is defined by the media environment” #JulianAssange
The Iraq War showed how swiftly the media comes to heel at “times of national crisis”
Those who fail to do so - like #Assange - can face draconian consequences
8/. During a national crisis - be it war or pandemic - it is vital that false or misleading information isn't disseminated
However, govts actively discouraging or blocking proper scrutiny of their decisions is profoundly dangerous for democracy #WPFD2021
8/. In July 2020, @mailtis tweeted “No.10 is trying to control the media & everyone in our democracy should be afraid”
The words were from a linked article by @adamboultonSKY written after Downing St banned selected journalists from a briefing
The next day she deleted the tweet
9/. Whilst there's nothing new about a govt trying to control the media, @BorisJohnson's govt has taken it to a new level
They starting as soon as the came to office, but since #COVID19 they have been blatant: boycotting news outlets, failing to provide info or answer questions.
10/. Pressure on journalists not to dig too deep also comes from editors & other sources
On 13/3/20, @Telegraph ran an article with the chilling headline: “Those questioning govt COVID strategy are a danger to us all”
But it was those NOT questioning stategy who were the danger
11/. Stonewalling, boycotting & attacking the media is happening globally
In the US, @sarahkendzior talks about “a disinformation crisis" where “investigative journalism is disappearing & far-right media is consolidating"
Could there be a pattern here?
12/. In June 2020, Blair’s ex-Chief of staff - someone who knows about political skulduggery - wrote:
“This looks like the beginning of a rolling coup. It starts with the civil service then moves on to the judiciary & the media."
We know the players but who are their backers?
13/. In 2015, Bannon asked #CambridgeAnalytica’s @chrisinsilico to “create a psychological warfare tool that would create division & hollow out democracies”...which is what he did
He also set about creating a network of populist govts, sharing tactics, technology & a wider goal.
14/. #CambridgeAnalytica were rptdly taught data-scraping by #Palantir, the shadowy CIA-backed company set up by right-wing billionaire, Peter Thiel
Palantir run the NHS #COVID19 data store, & are also collecting population-wide health data in the US & dozens of other countries!
15/. The NHS is the most trusted brand in Britain. #CambridgeAnalytica is the least trusted
Yet #Palantir - together with #FacultyAI who ran Vote Leave’s digital campaign - are gathering data, including genomic data
It takes “bio-intrusive surveillance capitalism” to new levels
16/. In Sept 2020, the UK launched a ten-year strategy, #GenomeUK, which will transform the NHS & put genomics at the heart of the PM’s programme for govt
Incredibly it was launched quietly (on a Saturday!) & received no media coverage
#Palantir appear to have a central role.👇
17/. In the coming decades, genomics will reshape our societies
Population-wide genomic data is the first step
Was the PM alluding to genomics in his “UK as Superman” #GreenwichSpeech?
In the right hands & properly regulated, they’re a force for good
But in the wrong hands...
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.