Jeremy Corbyn, photo: John McDonnell
The media don’t seem to rate the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn that highly. This is hardly headline news. Indeed, allegations that media outlets have been especially hostile to Corbyn is met with widespread indifference by commentators who say they would expect nothing less. It is, after all, the responsibility of journalists to nail the flaws and inadequacies of public figures.
We believe, however, that the attacks on Jeremy Corbyn have gone beyond the normal and entirely legitimate investigation of a politician’s record and appear to be aimed at purposefully destabilising, rather than soberly evaluating, Corbyn’s leadership. As a recent letter to the Guardian signed by over 100 media academics argued: ‘We do not expect journalists to give any elected leader an easy ride but Corbyn has been treated from the start as a problem to be solved rather than as a politician to be taken seriously.’
