Media responds to The Telegraph’s ‘Lockdown Files’
On Tuesday, The Telegraph revealed it had obtained over 100,000 WhatsApp messages between Matt Hancock and various government ministers and officials at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic – and that they would be published in the coming days.
The conversations included in an ongoing series of investigative articles explore the controversy around care home deaths, lockdowns, testing targets, school closures and face masks.
Matt Hancock was health secretary at the time, and has long since been criticised for his decisions in leading the government’s response to the pandemic, particularly in relation to schools and care homes.
Hancock has since issued a statement claiming that the release is a “massive betrayal and breach of trust”. He went on to say,
I am hugely disappointed and sad at the massive betrayal and breach of trust by Isabel Isabel Oakeshott. I am also sorry for the impact on the very many people – political colleagues, civil servants and friends – who worked hard with me to get through the pandemic and save lives.
There is absolutely no public interest case for this huge breach. All the materials for the book have already been made available to the inquiry, which is the right, and only, place for everything to be considered properly and the right lessons to be learned. As we have seen, releasing them in this way gives a partial, biased account to suit an anti-lockdown agenda.
The messages were published by Isabel Oakeshott, who previously worked as a ghostwriter for Hancock’s book, Pandemic Diaries. Oakeshott admits to breaking an NDA in order to leak the messages – but claims it wasn’t “personal”, but necessary and “in the public interest”.
The Telegraph’s motivation to publish the messages has been questioned, as the surrounding angle they have taken, could be seen as an example of bias. The Telegraph frequently published lockdown-skeptic articles at the height of the pandemic, and some have argued stories surrounding the publication of these messages is laden with the intent to vindicate holding that point of view, and/or an attempt to exonerate Boris Johnson by highlighting the conflict and power struggle at the top tiers of government. The Telegraph claims the Lockdown Files will ultimately “help people form their own conclusions about what the UK went through in the darkest days of the pandemic” by offering “an unprecedented view of government failings”.
Regardless of your opinion on lockdowns, the fact that the messages have been leaked makes for informed reading – something the public have long hoped for, in an attempt to make sense of the confusing, disruptive, and often distressing pandemic years.
Below are some examples of the media response to the messages so far. It will be interesting to see if the media loses sight of the importance of the messages themselves, if they choose to focus on an Oakeshott v Hancock brawl, or even scrutinise the messages to align with their own bias in the coming days.
It’s worth remembering that the messages stand alone as they are – and the media has a responsibility to inform on this basis, rather than use the leak as an opportunity to push opinions and agendas around lockdowns, social issues and political leanings, all of which ought to be reserved for the op-ed section, rather than extend this influence to the angles and headlines of stories themselves. But they don’t – and that’s why we’re here.
Covid messages leak a massive betrayal – Hancock
Boris Johnson’s fears over lockdown revealed in Hancock WhatsApp leak
Sickened by Hancock’s messages: Covid victims’ families hit out at WhatsApp chats suggesting he overruled care home test advice
Metro, front page
What do Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp messages show? Not what the Telegraph wants us to see
- The Guardian also suggests with today’s front page headline that confidence in the Covid inquiry has been undermined by entrusting these messages with a journalist who has been an outspoken critic of lockdowns throughout the pandemic
- They also ran a front page quote from Hancock claiming “The Telegraph used stolen messages that have been doctored”.
Matt Hancock was warned it was ‘inhumane’ to impose restrictions on visiting care homes and elderly were at risk of ‘just giving up’ due to being isolated for so long, leaked messages show
SHIELDED FROM TRUTH: Millions of Brits ordered to isolate for months – despite chief scientist warning it’s ‘not effective’, messages reveal
- Context of the full message sent by Sir Patrick Vallance read, “It is a theoretically attractive idea but in reality we haven’t found shielding easy or very effective first time round and I don’t think anyone else has either. It is a particular problem with multigenerational households and will be even more difficult amongst some parts of society.“
Messages obtained by The Telegraph allegedly reveal Matt Hancock ignored Covid advice
Matt Hancock denies he rejected clinical advice about care home residents at start of pandemic
