Proposed 30% Middle Rate Tax Band

Yes, almost certainly correct - it is a common tactic of all kinds of media outlets about all kinds of issues - nothing to do with the ideology or otherwise of the source materials.
Hardly. The first job a newspaper editor has to do is to fill every issue with content. Of course they're going to report statements supplied from the press offices of think-tanks.
 
Hardly. The first job a newspaper editor has to do is to fill every issue with content. Of course they're going to report statements supplied from the press offices of think-tanks.
I'm agreeing with you. They report statements from think tanks and lobbyists and trade bodies and academics and councillors about potholes and all kinds of guff. It has nothing to do with the ideology of the materials.
 
Journalism by press release.
There was a time, not too long ago either, when journalists were subject matter experts, who knew their beat, knew their industry contacts, and had more than a rudimentary knowledge of grammar, spelling and were well able to research and write a piece of prose. If they didn't, there were subeditors and editors who actually did a bit of error correction and enforced standards. And maybe more importantly, they had the time to do so. Sadly, those days are gone, possibly never to return.
Modern media is driven by speed, superficiality and a high pressure financial model. Journalists aren't even jack-of-all-trades any more, yet alone masters of any. Click-bait revenue models demand incessant content, and demand it now. Journalism salaries have fallen, jobs have become precarious and temporary and, ultimately, the quality of journalist in the profession has followed the same downward spiral. Journalists are under pressure to churn out more and more content with less and less checking. So the press release is a godsend. The story is pre-written and barely needs topping and tailing to become a newspaper article. There's no time to dig deeper, do research or ask the awkward questions. Ever wonder why spookily similar stories appear in all the newspapers? They're not "written" by journalists - they're spun and served up to journalists as an oven ready piece of work.
I know this as I used to write press releases for my old employer - it was truly remarkable to see our words, and our spin appear word for word in print. Time it right and you got uncontested coverage too!
 
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