Mainstream journalists have received provocative new handbooks from the Independent Alliance, a group of five independent MPs including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The guides, titled ‘Journalism During a Genocide: a guide to holding the Prime Minister to account’, have been spotted in the Parliament press lobby and around the Westminster estate.
🗣️ Demanding Tough Questions
The booklets urge journalists to grill Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy on the UK’s role in the Gaza conflict. They call on reporters to ask “difficult but necessary” questions, including whether the UK has indirectly supplied F-35 jet components to Israel or if RAF bases in Cyprus are being used to funnel weapons into the region.
Sample questions from the handbook include:
- Why has the Prime Minister ignored Corbyn’s demand for an independent inquiry?
- When will the PM and the Foreign Secretary retract statements denying genocide in Gaza?
- Will the government release video footage from RAF spy planes over Gaza?
- When will the government publish a full list of military shipments to Israel since October 2023?
🚨 A Call for Accountability
The handbook pulls no punches. It accuses the government of “aiding and abetting” the ongoing crisis and argues that journalists have a moral duty to hold those in power to account.
“Since the government was elected in July 2024, the Prime Minister has held numerous press conferences to mark a range of policy announcements, from increases in military spending to the development of a theme park. These press conferences are an opportunity for the British media to hold the Prime Minister to account over the government’s role in Israel’s military assault on Gaza,” the guide states.
💔 A Costly Truth
The handbook’s final pages strike a solemn tone, reminding reporters of the risks they face when challenging those in power.
“Exposing the truth comes at a cost. In Gaza, journalists have paid with their lives. Here in Britain, journalists may damage personal relationships or hamper their professional ambitions. In an ongoing genocide, these risks are surely worth taking,” it concludes.
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