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Political journalists at Westminster conspire with ministers’ aides to fake multiple sources for stories to give them spurious credibility.
That is the shocking claim made yesterday by a senior political journalist on The Times newspaper.
The paper’s parliamentary sketch writer, Tom Peck, says stories that purport to feature quotes from three government sources, including a Cabinet Minister, are often false.
In fact, all the quotes may well have come from a single Labour spin doctor – in collaboration with a journalist who “can then make it look as though you have spoken to three different people when you haven’t”.
Peck’s allegation in an interview for BBC Radio Four political programme, Strong Message Here, was met with disbelief by the show’s host, political satirist Armando Iannucci.
He exclaimed “Whaaat?!” in response to the disclosure.
After stating he was “loath to pull the wizard’s curtain too far back on my colleagues”, Peck went on to explain how he said it worked. If the spin doctor – or special adviser – was a “real pro”, they would “give you three different ways you can quote them”, he said.
“All the spin doctors say ‘you can quote me as a Cabinet member, you can quote me as a senior Labour source, you can quote me as a Starmer acolyte’, or what have you. It is all the same person.”
Iannucci: “And that person will give you three different quotes?” Peck: “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Totally.”
the state of journalism
When a stunned Iannucci pressed him: “Under the guise of three different people?” Peck went further.
He compared the practice to the Sunday Sport newspaper, renowned for its sensationalised and often fictitious front page stories. The “methods are the same”, he said. “You ask them to say what you want them to say. And then you’ve got the story you want.” Peck added that a “good journalist” would not take part in such abuses.
His comments were made during a long interview with Iannucci, who co-wrote and directed the BBC TV comedy series The Thick of It about fictional foul-mouthed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker, played by Peter Capaldi.
Iannucci’s Strong Message Here radio show proclaims its mission is to “decide political language”. Iannucci said he was naturally “cynical” about politics – and Peck’s claims made him “want to question everything that I have heard”.
There is no suggestion that Peck was referring to himself or fellow political journalists on The Times.
Here is Iannucci’s full exchange with Peck (starting about 23 mins into the program) about bogus multiple-source Westminster stories:
Iannucci: “Much of the stuff we quote on the show is lifted out of reports that said ‘a senior source said’, ‘an MP said’, ‘a Cabinet minister said’ – who want to remain anonymous but are happy to be quoted in a very indiscreet way. I mean, what is that process like?”
Peck: “I do a bit of it, I don’t do too much – and I’m loath to pull the wizard’s curtain too far back on my colleagues, but I will say… there’s two phases to it: one, you get given the quote and then you debate over how you can be attributed.
“Sometimes you will have a conversation with someone, and if they are a real pro, they will give you three different ways you can quote them, and then you can make it look as though you have spoken to three different people when you haven’t.”
Iannucci: “Whaaat?!”
Peck: “If you are a good journalist, you will say no to that. But they all try it: all the spin doctors say ‘you can quote me as a Cabinet member, you can quote me as a senior Labour source, you can quote me as a Starmer acolyte’, or what have you. It is all the same person.”
Iannucci: “And that person will give you three different quotes?”
Peck: “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Totally.”
Iannucci: “Under the guise of three different people?”
Peck: “The methodology… I mean, you probably remember the glory days of the Sunday Sport: stories like ‘Gordon Ramsey lookalike sex dwarf found in Welsh badger’s den’. The methods are the same. The Sunday Sport did have to hand a dwarf who had been in porn films who looks like Gordon Ramsey – and you give them some money, and you ask them to say what you want them to say. And then you’ve got the story you want. It’s only the Sunday Sport, so it’s fine. But the same process happens in Westminster.”
Iannucci: “That now makes me want to question everything that I have heard. I have a fair amount of cynicism but…”
