Tl;dr Please DON’T tacitly demonise any migrants when responding to the BBC’s bad-faith & wildly unrepresentative reporting on asylum

#media #migration #NGOs

Advocates must recognise the realities faced by migrants when routes to settlement keep getting shut down, legal aid keeps getting cut, income thresholds & criteria keep changing, hostility & isolation keep rising

Desperate, facing removal, “This story will work” is understandably tempting

Effective advocacy = refusing the terms set by the right. Focus on the real story:

Unscrupulous people are exploiting migrants intentionally *made exploitable* by UK gov’s (ever-changing) policies; who peddle false dreams of “easy” leave to remain for £££ (& don’t care if their mark is deported)

It is also a HUGE problem & mistake that well-meaning NGOs, charities, commentators are (often unintentionally) re-emphasising the good/bad binary in responses that focus on so-called “genuine” or “real” claimants

Language matters. What do these statements suggest about “other” migrants?

BBC reports on rogue legal “advisors” promote *multiple* right-wing narratives

- Binaries of good/bad; genuine/“bogus” asylum seekers
- System is fair, places limited; “abuse” is the problem
- LGBTQ+ people get “special” treatment
- False accusations of domestic violence are rife

#asylum #media

A great newspaper with a brilliant anti-capitalist, pro-community model. Check out DOPE if it’s not on your radar

#UKmedia #indy

There’s a reason Opinion articles & “Person says…” headlines are more common: fact-checking is widely on the wane

Independent media thrives on readers’ trust, which is built on investment in publishing accurate, reliable content. Tl;dr Support publications like @redpeppermag.bsky.social 📰

5) Independent media especially has limited funds to pay editors or writers, so less time to dedicate to fact-checking (or ongoing training to keep up with trends)

4) Think Tanks, politicians, campaigners, businesses etc publish free reports that frame or interpret data in ways skewed by their interests, tailored for SEO, and often announced as “news” — so even accurately cited claims can be highly questionable/ unreliable

Source existence =/= verified claim!

3) Paywalls & monetisation make it harder for many writers (& independent media editors) to find accessible reputable sources of information/ original texts. Texts once free online now demand £ to read

(Related: image rights companies selling “licenses” to use public domain images… vultures!)

2) Cynical writers submit do AI ‘aided’ articles, which we’ve received from first timers as well as academics/experts who have books with reputable left publishers… (deeply depressing on many levels, including their willingness to waste our time)

1) Well-intentioned writers repeat claims published elsewhere that haven’t been well checked. They trust those sources, and their use + hyperlinks add to impressions that the original ‘source’ is reliable

At @redpeppermag.bsky.social we work on a very tight budget, but *always* prioritise accuracy/ quality over quantity of articles

With #Goodwin and #AI trending, here’s why fact-checking — of the most time labour-intensive tasks in journalism — is getting harder… and why we take it so seriously
🧵📰

The carpet bombing terror campaign further destroying Lebanon with less impunity than a mild shrug

This is an illegal war. There is no security council resolution. These are war crimes.

The cover of the new Red Pepper magazine, “Striking Back” shows a montage of archive clippings of the 1926 General Strike, with RP bookmarks near by

The 2026 @redpeppermag.bsky.social annual print edition has landed!

So proud to be part of this work, publishing engaging left/ radical analysis in a thoroughly independent + beautifully illustrated magazine. We CAN have good things. Subscribe or buy a copy & join the conversation/ community!

All I can do is echo this: @notrightruth.bsky.social's feminist work - in all the ways - is an inspiration and a spur to keep learning, keep expanding, keep questioning. Thank you Ruth - love to see this!

Sinners sinks its teeth into Irish settler colonialism - Red Pepper Ryan Coogler's thriller highlights how Irish people were often complicit in colonial violence against black and indigenous peoples

"Coogler disrupts the cosy narratives of ‘victimhood & sufferance’ associated with the Irish diaspora"

@aislingwalsh.bsky.social picks up an under-appreciated theme in #Sinners: Irish complicity in colonial violence against Black + Indigenous people & investments in ‘terra nullius’ mythology

One part informed analysis of why for-profit investment in housing will always fail to address availability crises, four parts TMNT references, makes for a great read

Why Does This Happen? A video mash-up made in response to the killing of 17 Afghan civilians by a US soldier on March 10, 2012 and the media coverage it provoked. Winner: Best Super…

Seeing as mashups of war and pop culture are doing the rounds, here’s an alternate take on US militarism, chauvinism and war crimes through that lens

vimeo.com/40127773?fl=...

One from the archives. I co-wrote this in Mexico in 2011… Context and history for those interested in how cartels and the war on drugs has shaped daily life for decades

The front cover of a graphic novella “The Ton Pot Foreign General and the Old Iron Woman” by Raymond Briggs. It shows two metal faces, with wild eyes and clenched teeth, saying “mine!” over a tiny island, which is saying “help!” The backdrop is a red white and blue cross

I’m so glad my parents had this book at home—and let me read it even when very young. I’m so glad Raymond Briggs wrote a comic, so simply conveying the folly and horrors of war

As we learned about war at primary school, this taught me to be anti-war. I’m so glad it’s on my local pub bookshelf now

Hola Lourdes. Trabajo por una revista (sin fines de lucro) @redpeppermag.bsky.social. Nuestro comrade Íker Suárez ha escrito un artículo para la próxima edición. El me recomendó para preguntarte si podíamos publicar algunas de tus photos, junto con su texto… ¿Sería posible? Podemos pagarte :)

When Trump’s first term began, Bezos added a slogan to The Washington Post: ‘Democracy dies in darkness’

Media barons *always* have power to turn off the lights. There is no surprise here

Support independent media; now, always

Looking forward to this important day of learning, discussion and strategy from @declassifieduk.org

Challenging the War Machine — join us in London or online!

I’ll be there with @redpeppermag.bsky.social exploring the media’s role in contesting militarisation

In practice, asylum systems have always favoured elites (able to articulate experiences, afford good lawyers, appear suitably deserving to adjudicators, charities etc). But a government putting +/- *years* on process on basis of health, earning power, etc is stark

Basic premise of asylum is that war + persecution impact people who are poor; ‘unskilled’; don’t have assets needed to secure visas otherwise etc. New UK laws are overly designed to punish those who lack social+financial capital (working class); reward rich elites (already hyper-mobile)

A real treat to write about Jurassic Park as anticapitalist inspiration for the new @leftcultures.bsky.social (with brilliant illustration as ever)

A great project celebrating radical politics in unexpected places

🚨BREAKING: We’re deeply concerned at the use of counter terrorism powers to target protest groups.

This is the latest in a succession of measures taken by the UK government to clamp down on protest in the UK.

It has always been genocide

Israeli politicians state clear intent
Palestinians livestream atrocity
Millions protest, face arrest & smears
Experts present data & facts

Arms sales-handshakes-passive voice-excuses-denials continue

‘New’ headlines echo a truth foretold
It has always been genocide

Feeling energised and inspired to action by the sharp insights, provocations, debates and ideas suggested in our rapid-fire workshop

Right wing influence/ dominance in the media *can* be opposed, through alliance & action beyond media spheres…

“Off the doom scroll into communities!” Great advice