03/05/2020
So The Sun has an exclusive interview in today's edition with Boris Johnson, focused entirely on the PM's own battle with coronavirus. Not a single question about our country's response to the pandemic, despite clear evidence that we appear to be heading for the worst mortality figures in Europe.
The article is accompanied by this "Sun Says" piece, which really highlights how much of a state propaganda tool the paper has become during this pandemic. A couple of points - it's incorrect to say that "Boris Johnson's brush with death could hardly have been closer". Although he was undoubtedly seriously ill for a bit, he didn't actually come close to dying and never needed ventilator treatment. Of course doctors and political aides would have made preparations for the worst case scenario as soon as he was taken into hospital, but that doesn't mean he was actually at death's door.
Secondly, it's insulting to say that his ill health was "undoubtedly one of this nation's darkest hours during this crisis". Over 28,000 people have died from Covid-19-related causes, with the final figure likely to be much higher. The fact that the PM spent a few days in hospital pales into near insignificance when looking at the wider picture.
This Sun piece isn't journalism. It's an attempt to deflect attention away from the government's handling of the crisis and try and make the whole thing about Boris Johnson's personal journey, framing his experiences as some sort of building block for personal growth which somehow makes him the only person who can lead us through a crisis which is, in part, of his administration's own making. If the paper becomes any more sycophantic, it will start addressing the guy as Dear Leader.
