By Thomas Kinsella

Last week we wrote about how The Sun had incorrectly reported on a report by the UK terrorism tsar to overstate their importance when the report hadn’t even mentioned them or the press in general. Not looking to be outdone, on Tuesday the Daily Mail published an article on the new “anti-racism commitment” published by the National Police Chief’s Council and the College of Policing professional body. The report is only 5 pages long and under 1000 words, and yet the Daily Mail still managed to report on its content in a misleading manner which has led to a storm of racially aggravated messages online.

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What did the report say?

The report was a result of the Police Race Action Plan that was published several years ago. The report’s aim was to:

“provide a legacy for the Police Race Action Plan and create an opportunity for Chief Constables to restate their ongoing support for a police service that is anti-racist and continues to work towards racial equity” and “provide a clearer description of what anti-racism means in a policing context, and what is required to become anti-racist”

The relevant section to the Daily Mail’s reporting was a section that explained what a commitment to racial equity meant. The report stated that this could be understood as:

“Producing equality of policing outcomes for people from different ethnic groups by responding to individuals and communities according to their specific needs, circumstances and experiences, with understanding that these will be racialised and with the aim of reducing harm.”

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How did the Daily Mail report on this?

The article appeared both online and in print on the front page of the Daily Mail with the headline “‘Two-Tier’ Police Race Guide Row”. It went on to state that a new “row” had emerged following the report telling the Police to “treat black and white suspects differently”.

The journalist then went on to include multiple quotes from Conservative ministers Robert Jenrick and Chris Philp. Jenrick described the report as “disgraceful” and suggested it put the British public “at risk”. Only at the bottom of the article did they include a quote from a Labour source who explained that:

“[The report] simply argues that the police should be mindful of their history of difficult relations with black communities in our country when trying to manage those relations effectively today”

Even more inexplicably the article also included a photo of a demonstration last year in London described as a march where “Tommy Robinson supporters march[ed] through London in October last year on a 'day of patriotism'”. The relevance of this photo wasn’t expanded on, and this march and Mr Robinson weren’t even mentioned in the body of the article.

It's not exactly clear where the “row” that supposedly sparked this article actually started, but what is clear from looking at the 2,400 comments on the article is that the Daily Mail’s coverage of the piece has only served to fan the flames of racist sentiment. A few of the highest engaged with comments are included below:

“How to start a civil war…” (3.6k likes)

“As a 41 year old white man I am hated in my own land” (3.1k likes)

“My wife and I are now seriously considering moving abroad after she retires next year. We no longer feel welcome in what has been our home for hundreds of generations.” (400 likes)

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Several commenters levelled their anger at the Government, which was not responsible for the initiative:

“Starmer your [sic] a disgrace to this country” (1.6k likes)

“The worst PM ever” (905 likes)

It is often quite hard to understand the extent to which these dangerously misrepresentative articles can impact public opinion but the comments on this piece offer some insight into the danger they pose. Without an independent press regulator, The Daily Mail and others will be allowed to publish a regular stream of articles that stoke racial tension by misrepresenting simple matters.

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