Thread by @shaunjlawson

Emily, of course, knows exactly why Newsnight is being deliberately run down. She's just too decent a human to spell it out.

So I'll spell it out instead. The reason why Newsnight, probably the best current affairs programme on the planet for decades, is being destroyed is:

https://twitter.com/maitlis/status/1793926807101534582

- The same reason as Emily was raked over the coals by her CBC (no typo) bosses for the crime of asking Rod Liddle whether he considered himself a racist and highlighting his never-ending racism.

For having depicted a racist as a racist, she had "failed to be even-handed".

- And the same reason as when she declared that Dominic Cummings had broken the rules during lockdown when he'd... broken the rules during lockdown.

A journalist stating facts sent the CBC into fits of apoplexy.

- And the same reason as when she was AGAIN reprimanded for retweeting the following, by Piers Morgan:

"If failing to quarantine properly is punishable by 10yrs in prison, what is the punishment for failing to properly protect the country from a pandemic?"

- And the same reason as why she, Jon Sopel, Lewis Goodall, Andrew Marr, Mark Urban and others have all left the BBC.

It's because it's not allowed to cover UK politics remotely properly any more. It's not allowed to do journalism - because facts hurt Tory feelings.

The feelings of 'Lord' Robbie Gibb, in particular.

This isn't cost-cutting. Nor is it some inexplicable accident.

It's deliberate, wanton vandalism - because Newsnight continued to at least try and do its job, and WE JUST CANNOT HAVE THAT.

I first discovered Newsnight in the very early 1990s: sometime around Thatcher's resignation or just afterwards.

There was John Cole on the main bulletins enthralling the audience quite majestically. And there was Newsnight providing the most SUPERB analysis.

It was also around the time Jeremy Paxman started presenting it. He went on to give it an even more special place in the nation's heart.

If a journalist worked for or presented Newsnight, they were a true, proper journalist. They were the cream. The best in class.

Once I finally had a TV put in my bedroom, I'm not sure I ever went to sleep on a weeknight without first having had my Newsnight fix.

Its coverage of the latest misfortune to befall Major's shambolic government was especially unmissable.

Then, during the Iraq war, the quality of Mark Urban's analysis was absolutely astonishing.

Quite often, he even stunned US military generals with it. They were beyond impressed at how much he knew and understood.

Don't forget Peter Snow's sandpit during the 1991 war too!

My idea of Newsnight being run down was when it started only using a shortened version of the closing titles, which I adored. Only on Fridays was the full version played now.

But I wouldn't even have dreamt of what's been done to the BBC in the years since.

The Tories vandalise everything they touch. Everything. Above all if, like the NHS, it's a cherished national institution.

The Conservative Party is, in practice, about as 'conservative' as the Democratic Republic of Korea is democratic. It conserves NOTHING.

And Emily? I had my criticisms of her when, as I repeatedly suggested on here, she was being muzzled by her despicable bosses.

But she, just like Newsnight was for so long, is absolutely top drawer. A world class broadcaster.

Like most people probably, I found local news boring whether on the BBC or ITV.

But when Emily and Nina Hossain started presenting the revamped London News in 2001... wow. They both seemed so modern, so new, and both had such a presence about them.

No surprise to me they've gone on to enjoy the great careers they've both had.

But now, again unthinkably, ITV's domestic news and political coverage is far, far in excess of almost anything the systematically devastated BBC puts out.

ITV, Sky News and good old Channel 4 News all do a fine job - with Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Sophy Ridge the two best anchors on UK screens.

At its best, Newsnight was even BETTER than C4 News. The latter always had a discernible editorial slant: under Jon Snow and Krishnan.

Under the splendid Cathy Newman too.

The thing about Newsnight was: it NEVER HAD any kind of editorial slant. It was never biased. Never ever.

It was quite astonishingly objective and scrupulously fair.

It did 'balance' for many decades before the Tories bastardised the entire concept. So much so that if it's raining outside, someone saying "it's raining" and a Tory saying "it's sunny!" are now treated as THE SAME.

Of course Emily wanted out of that. Any journalist worth their salt would.

Ditto her colleagues at the News Agents - a fine show, however much *cough cough ahem ahem* what Global did to Sangita Myska remains an indefensible national disgrace.

But anyway. Emily Maitlis remains what she's always been. A superb broadcast journalist with oodles of integrity.

I once almost met her, by the way! She was in the Duke of Clarence pub in South Kensington. But I thought it'd be too invasive for a stranger to say 'hello'.

As for the BBC... there is no way, no way on Earth, that Labour somehow haven't noticed what's been going on there.

They'll have tons and tons of media contacts who'll have told them as much - and a blind chimp could see what Kuenssberg and Fiona Bruce both do, every damn week.

For obvious reasons, cleaning up the BBC root to tip isn't one of Labour's main initial priorities... but it has to. It bloody HAS to.

The wanton degradation of a once glorious, world leading broadcaster has been an absolute disgrace.

It needs massive renewal, like everything else the Tories have trashed.

cc @maitlis @lewis_goodall @jonsopel @AndrewMarr9 @MarkUrban01 @MarinaPurkiss @jemmaforte @peterjukes @campbellclaret @RoryStewartUK @AvaSantina @UKLabour @BBCNewsnight @krishgm @cathynewman @SophyRidgeSky