As Virus Deaths Jump, Boris Johnson's Press Relations Turn Testy - The New York Times, Nytimes.com

A strain of populism, similar to that during the Brexit campaign, is visible in the government aggressive rebuttals and critiques of the news media.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson arriving at Downing Street on Monday.

(Credit …) John Sibley / Reuters

Prime Minister Boris Johnson arriving at Downing Street on Monday.

Published May 4, (Updated May 5,

, 3: am ET

LONDON – When Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced journalists last week for the first time since recovering from the coronavirus, he took his leadoff question from a member of the public, Michelle from Cornwall, who asked him about the dangers of infected tourists coming to her seaside region after the lockdown is lifted.
“Michelle, the short answer is you’re dead right,” Mr. Johnson replied. “We’ve got to get tourism going again, but we can’t allow such a big influx of tourists as to create a second wave of the disease.”

He went on to take questions from reporters at the BBC and national newspapers, though he did not voice the same hearty agreement with those interrogators. The Johnson government relations with much of the news media have never been warm, but as the death toll has risen and the government handling of the crisis has come under harsher scrutiny, the mood has turned openly contentious.
Britain’s culture minister recently accused the BBC of bias in reporting on the shortage of protective gear in hospitals; the health secretary heatedly claimed that the Times of London misstated policy on shielding older people; and Downing Street posted lengthy rebuttals, by unnamed officials, of newspaper articles that detailed its missteps in dealing with the outbreak.

Even opening up Britain’s daily coronavirus briefing to the public – an innovation Downing Street rolled out two weeks ago to a nonplussed press corps – is viewed by some critics as a sly way to put the journalists on the defensive. With their probing questions, they can easily look meanspirited and petty, especially compared with ordinary people voicing their hopes and anxieties.

“It positions the government and the public against the media, at the very moment that the media is presenting itself as the representative of the people in holding the government to account, ”said Meera Selva, director of the Reuters Journalism Fellowship Program at Oxford University.

To some extent, these skirmishes merely continue the hostility between the government and the news media that was deeply embedded before Britain’s general election in December. Downing Street, in trying to control the flow of information and shape the narrative, is using tactics that date back to the 2019 Brexit campaign, when the “Vote Leave” organizers used populist appeals against the news media.

“The populist rhetoric is starting to seep back into the government message, ”said Sophia Gaston, director of the British Foreign Policy Group and a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics. “In particular,” she added, “the suggestion that there has been a collapse of trust in the media.”

It is not clear that the campaign is working, at least in broad terms. The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism found in a recent survey that the public expressed high levels of trust in the BBC and, to a lesser extent, other broadcasters. Newspapers fared less well, but that was the case before the virus struck, too.

What is true, however, is that attitudes toward the press have fractured even more sharply along political lines. In a study to be released on Tuesday,

the Reuters Institute found that the public split three ways in its views of whether the press was too critical of the government response to the crisis ( (percent), not critical enough (percent) or fairly balanced (percent).

A large Majority of those who said the news media was too critical described themselves as being on the right, while comparable majority who said it was not critical enough described themselves as being on the left.

“We’re begi nning to see a polarization that is familiar in the U.S., ”said Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, professor of political communication at Oxford and the director of the Reuters Institute. “This is more evidence that the government is taking the offensive against the media.”

Antagonism between Mr. Johnson and the news media has flared regularly despite the fact that he began his career in journalism, as did his ally and sometime rival Michael Gove, who is now a cabinet minister.

during the election, the left- leaning Daily Mirror was barred from Mr. Johnson’s campaign bus and, after his landslide victory, the new government boycotted two BBC news shows over vague allegations of bias. There were tensions with political reporters, who are collectively known as the Westminster lobby, when Downing Street invited favored journalists to exclusive briefings.

The conflict subsided in the early days of the pandemic, when Queen Elizabeth II rallied the nation to show World War II-like solidarity and Mr. Johnson’s hospitalization with the virus won him sympathy.

But growing questions about the government performance brought more negative coverage, including an investigation by London’s Sunday Times that revealed that Mr. Johnson had missed five meetings of an emergency committee dealing with the early stages of the epidemic. BBC’s Panorama program exposed dire shortages of masks, gloves and other gear for health workers.

Downing Street became even more sensitive after the opposition Labor Party elected a leader, Keir Starmer, who has accused the government of being slow to react to the crisis and who has won praise for his forensic questioning.

The tensions have played out on another front, with a secretive scientific panel that advises the government on the virus. Critics put intense pressure on the government to name the members of the panel – known as the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, or SAGE – but it had refused, arguing that keeping them confidential was important for their security and independence.

On Monday, another group of scientists, led by David King, a former chief scientific adviser to the government, staged a splashy protest of SAGE’s lack of transparency. They set up a group called Independent SAGE and convened a meeting on the pandemic, which they streamed on YouTube. Those scientists, not surprisingly, were critical of the government handling of the outbreak.

Trying to pre-empt the session, the government released the names of all but two SAGE members while the rival meeting was underway. The two refused to give their permission, it said. There were few surprises on the list, which included officials from the National Health Services, scientific advisers to cabinet ministries and academics from Oxford, Cambridge, and Imperial College.

Defenders of the government complained that several of the scientists on the shadow SAGE were either outspoken critics of Mr. Johnson or supporters of the Labor Party.

The introduction of a “people’s question” at the daily briefing was similarly calculated to cut the news media down to size, according to Ms. Gaston. But She said it was unlikely to help the government much.

. Johnson waffled as much in answering Michelle from Cornwall as he did in answering questions from journalists. Some predicted the government effort to connect with the public by discrediting the news media would ultimately backfire.

“This is not a group of people who have any sincere commitment to freedom of expression or to accountability,” said Brian Cathcart, a professor of journalism at Kingston University. “This is a very difficult crisis to handle, but I think they have been caught out in failing to handle it well, and the response is to lash out.”







                                            Updated April ,





What should I do if I feel sick?                  (If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

When will this end?

                 This is a difficult question, because a lot depends on how well the virus is contained . A better question might be: “How will we know when to reopen the country?” In an American Enterprise Institute report , Scott Gottlieb, Caitlin Rivers, Mark B. McClellan, Lauren Silvis and Crystal Watson staked out four goal posts for recovery : Hospitals in the state must be able to safely treat all patients requiring hospitalization, without resorting to crisis standards of care; the state needs to be able to at least test everyone who has symptoms; the state is able to conduct monitoring of confirmed cases and contacts; and there must be a sustained reduction in cases for at least days.

(How can I help?)

                 The Times Neediest Cases Fund has started a special campaign to help those who have been affected, which accepts donations here . Charity Navigator , which evaluates charities using a numbers-based system, has a running list of nonprofits working in communities affected by the outbreak. You can give blood through the (American Red Cross) , and (World Central Kitchen) has stepped in to distribute meals in major cities. More than 58, (0 coronavirus-relatedGoFundMe fund-raisers have started in the past few weeks. (The sheer number of fund-raisers means more of them are likely to fail to meet their goal, though.)

Should I wear a mask?                  The C.D.C. has has (recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms . Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.

(How do I get tested?)                  If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the CDC recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance – because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance – you won’t be able to get tested.

How does coronavirus spread?

                 It seems to spread very easily from person to person, especially in homes, hospitals and other confined spaces. The pathogen can be carried on tiny respiratory droplets that fall as they are coughed or sneezed out. It may also be transmitted when we touch a contaminated surface and then touch our face.

Is there a vaccine yet?                  No. Clinical trials are underway in the United States, China and Europe. But American officials and pharmaceutical executives have said that a vaccine remains at least to (months away.)

What makes this outbreak so different?

                 Unlike the flu, there is no known treatment or vaccine, and little is known about this particular virus so far. It seems to be more lethal than the flu, but the numbers are still uncertain. And it hits the elderly and those with underlying conditions – not just those with respiratory diseases – particularly hard.

What if somebody in my family gets sick?                  If the family member does not need hospitalization and can be cared for at home, you should help him or her with basic needs and monitor the symptoms, while also keeping as much distance as possible, according to the guidelines issued by the CDC If there’s space, the sick family member should stay in a separate room and use a separate bathroom. If masks are available, both the sick person and the caregiver should wear them when the caregiver enters the room. Make sure not to share any dishes or other household items and to regularly clean surfaces like counters, doorknobs, toilets and tables. Don’t forget to wash your hands frequently.

(Should I stock up on groceries?)                  Plan two weeks of meals if possible. But people should not hoard food or supplies. Despite the empty shelves, the supply chain remains strong. And And remember to wipe the handle of the grocery cart with a disinfecting wipe and wash your hands as soon as you get home.

Can I go to the park?



Yes, but make sure you keep six feet of distance between you and people who don’t live in your home . Even if you just hang out in a park, rather than go for a jog or a walk, getting some fresh air, and hopefully sunshine, is a good idea.



Should I pull my money from the markets?                  That’s not a good idea. Even if you’re retired, having a balanced portfolio of stocks and bonds so that your money keeps up with inflation, or even grows, makes sense. But retirees may want to think about having enough cash set aside for a year’s worth of living expenses and big payments needed over the next five years.

(What should I do with my) (k)?                  Watching your balance go up and down can be scary. You may be wondering if you should decrease your contributions – don’t! If your employer matches any part of your contributions, make sure you’re at least saving as much as you can to get that “free money. ”


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As Virus Deaths Jump, Boris Johnson's Press Relations Turn Testy – The New York Times, Nytimes.com

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