Two board members at Impress, the only press watchdog approved by the Press Recognition Panel, have been recused from an investigation into an article by the Canary about the BBC’s political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, after they shared social media posts questioning her impartiality.
Máire Messenger Davies and Emma Jones retweeted posts questioning why Kuenssberg had been named journalist of the year at the British Journalism awards last year, and Jones retweeted a cartoon in January that included Kuenssberg wearing a “Vote Tory” sign on her back while interviewing Jeremy Corbyn alongside the line: “What you get when you have the Tories controlling the media including the BBC to spout their propaganda.”
Impress is reviewing an article by the Canary, the leftwing news website, which reported that Kuenssberg was due to speak at a fringe event at the Conservative party conference. The article was debunked when the BBC said Kuenssberg was not speaking at the event.
The article was headlined: “We need to talk about Laura Kuenssberg. She’s listed as a speaker at the Tory party conference.” Impress received dozens of complaints about the article and it was also criticised on social media because Kuenssberg has faced hostility on and offline as political editor of the BBC. She was accompanied by a security guard at the Labour conference after receiving threats.
The retweets by Davies and Jones were first reported by Press Gazette. They both retweeted a post about Kuenssberg being named journalist of the year that said: “Laura Kuenssberg ‘journalist of the year’. Oh. So THAT’s what journalism means? #Propaganda.”
Davies is emerita professor of media studies at Ulster University, and Jones is a former editor of Smash Hits magazine and deputy editor of the Sun’s showbiz column Bizarre.
Davies and Jones had a disclaimer on their Twitter profiles that said retweets were not endorsements. However, Impress has recused the pair from adjudicating on the Canary. The chairman of Impress, Walter Merricks, has to pick at least three members of the board to handle investigations.
This is not the first time Impress has been embroiled in controversy due to social media activity. In September it published an internal report that concluded its chief executive had brought the organisation into disrepute and that his position would be untenable if the Daily Mail and the Sun had applied to join.
Jonathan Heawood, the head of Impress, shared messages on Twitter that were critical of the two newspapers, including posts comparing the Mail’s editorial position and fascism, and content promoting a campaign to stop companies advertising in them. Jones and Davies were also reprimanded by the report and effectively banned from dealing with major publishers.
Impress was approved by the PRP in 2016. The PRP was created in 2014 by a royal charter and its board members are chosen by an independent appointments committee.
Impress, which is backed by the former Formula One boss Max Mosley, has 76 members, mainly local or specialist publications, including the Canary. No national newspaper is a member.
An Impress spokesperson said: “In January 2017 Impress began a review of the historic use of social media by members of the board who oversee the strategic direction and management of the organisation. The items to which Press Gazette has drawn attention preceded that review, and were considered as part of the review exercise.
“There are well-known procedures in place at Impress that allow directors who have commented upon a topic, or who have an interest, to recuse themselves from decisions. Impress is committed to following the highest standards of governance and, unlike any other press regulator in the UK, is recognised and monitored by an independent body, the Press Recognition Panel.”
• This article was amended on 16 November 2017 to clarify that Impress was approved under royal charter by the PRP, not by the May government.
