Grenfell Mediawatch Report: a Split Borough February 2018 Grenfell Media Watch Report – February 2018

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Grenfell Mediawatch Report: a Split Borough February 2018 Grenfell Media Watch Report – February 2018 Ligali Organisation Grenfell MediaWatch Report: A Split Borough February 2018 Grenfell Media Watch Report – February 2018 In remembrance of the Grenfell community including victims, survivors, family and friends Fair Use Notice: This is a not-for-profit publication for educational use only and may include images that have not always been specifically authorised by the copyright owner. 1 Grenfell Media Watch Report – February 2018 Conte nts Introduction ...................................................................................................... 4 Media Trends ................................................................................................... 7 The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: A split borough ............. 8 Sixteen of the worst… .................................................................................. 17 Freedom of Information Request: Operation Northleigh .......................... 29 Public Inquiry: Notes from Procedural Hearing ........................................ 31 Recommendations ........................................................................................ 33 Produced by the Grenfell MediaWatch Team: Amma, Angie, Anu, Dawn, Illana, Isis, Jay, Oleander, Sophia, Toyin Please contact us if you would like to provide feedback or collaborate. February 2018 Edition, Rev 1 2 Grenfell Media Watch Report – February 2018 “Yo Theresa May, where’s the money for Grenfell?" “What, you thought we just forgot about Grenfell? You criminals, and you’ve got the cheek to call us savages, you should do some jail time, you should pay some damages, you should burn your house down and see if you can manage this.” Stormzy (Michael Omari), February 2018 3 Grenfell Media Watch Report – February 2018 Introduction Greetings, less than eight months have passed since that tragic day at Grenfell. Yet, with each passing month we have watched as the history which was held in our collective memories has slowly been changed into a new narrative. On one side we have a raw reminder of the cost to life and suffering of those living in unsecure, social homes resulting from decades of profit before people policy. On the other side we have amoral tale of the lazy undeserving poor, illegal immigrants all jealous of the successes of others, a group that irrationally characterises acts of political charity as expressions of fake condolences and empty promises. Today we live in a world where the widespread availability of calculators and computers means our focus on numeracy has fallen. Despite this, there remains much emphasis on us having good literacy. For many reasons, the need to read and write words still feels important. However, with the rise of social media and the spreading of terms like ‘fake news’ there is one personal skill that we need to develop more than ever - our media literacy. The gradual demise of email by the rise of instant messaging, news channels and newspaper by online blogs has been revolutionary. The democratisation of access to information caused by sites like YouTube now means anyone can learn about anything. However, this media freedom has also brought about a new frontier with little checks and balances. Whereas the web was a space to research conspiracy theories, it has now become a tool to actively promote them. In the context of Grenfell, we are in an era where populist tabloids like the Mail or Telegraph can use their brand to claim authenticity, whilst publishing outrageous stories online knowing they will be shared and altered with claims unverified. Today the history of Grenfell is being carefully manipulated by politicians and media bodies hell-bent on denying justice for the Grenfell community. By slowly and continuously dripping venomous articles into the public domain, they seek to poison the goodwill shared by so many when the massacre first occurred. Over the past few months the phrase ‘social murder’ has become ‘corporate manslaughter’, and more recently it is giving way to softer terms like ‘a tragic accident’ or ‘devastating fire’. 4 Grenfell Media Watch Report – February 2018 Allegedly, we are a couple of months away from the government inquiries interim report but even if that isn’t delayed to help more people forget, how do we secure justice if we allow words that imply ‘no one is to blame’ to start dominating the discourse? How do we secure justice if it is true that key witnesses continue to face the risk of deportation as the Prime Minister rejects a request to appoint a diverse panel to sit alongside the Inquiry chair Martin Moore-Bick to enrich and fortify the quest for Truth? How do we secure justice when groups like the Equality and Human Rights commission and Grenfell MediaWatch are denied core participant status? People power is still alive Thankfully the very same tools that are being used by state agents to manipulate public opinion can also be used to empower. The recent intervention of grime artist Stormzy, saw him expose government failings over Grenfell at the Brits. His celebrity status and powerful performance gave the issue national prominence. Even better, his subsequent tweet calling for wider support of the Grenfell petition saw his fan base help smash its 100,000- signature target overnight. As a result, Parliament ‘may’ consider debating the request for calling on Prime Minister Theresa May “to exercise her powers under the Inquiries Act 2005 to appoint additional panel members with decision making power to sit alongside Chair in Grenfell Tower Inquiry”. So, perhaps we all have to remember words and numbers, like “RS5000” the code for the insulation product used in the cladding, and “BS 8414:2 the British standards code for a test that should have revealed it to be flammable. To ensure we never forget the human costs of this injustice, this month’s report includes interviews with some of the residents currently living through the aftermath of Grenfell. For many it has become too easy to forget the split character of Kensington and Chelsea which offers a vibrant life of opportunity and security for some and unwarranted risk and disadvantage for others. It is important to always remember that there are real people at the centre of this complex story of political negligence, greed and corruption. 5 Grenfell Media Watch Report – February 2018 In this report we also share the response from the Metropolitan Police to our freedom of information request into the £38 million they have requested for ‘Operation Northleigh’ and a digestible breakdown of the public inquests first procedural hearing. Finally, we also list of some of the media stories showcasing the worst of humanity in some of the media coverage from over the past few months. We hope you find it useful, thank you for reading. Peace, Love and Justice Grenfell MediaWatch Team Government Investigations Social Community Media Response & Justice Response Agendas Reports (Requiring Public (Including Non-MSM) Support) Public Inquiry Met Police Criminal Reparation (local) Projects Hostile Martin Moore Bick Investigation Community Initiatives Daily Mail Contributors (Operation Reparation (national) Community Groups LBC Core Participants Northleigh): Community Voices The Sunday Express Family support Kids on the Green The Daily Telegraph Corporate & Permanent housing The Sun individual Distribution of The Times manslaughter donations BBC* Politicians charges Protect mental health Community Ensure fire safety Champions Reflective/Alternative Cost Focused MPs 383 companies Protect community Channel 4 197 officers assets Justice4Grenfell The Guardian People Focused MPs Air quality checks Grenfell United Independent Equality & Human Grenfell Speaks Huffington Post Rights Commission RT (Following Grenfell) Community Spaces The Canary The Village (Acklam) Double Down News Elizabeth Prochaska The City TeleSur - Director Legal The College (Wornington) Building Regulations: Dame Judith Hackett Legal Review of Housing Law: Bristol & Kent university Panel Experts Coroner’s Report: Local Businesses Assessors Dr Fiona Wilxox Lawyers 6 Grenfell Media Watch Report – February 2018 Media Trends GRENFELL RELATED TRENDS AND THEMES WE HAVE NOTICED IN THE MEDIA OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS. 1. Widespread use of the ‘71’ death toll figure 2. The division of surviving Grenfell Community into bereaved, families and neighbours 3. No front-page coverage given to Grenfell related stories 4. Minimal focus on ‘Operation Northleigh’ (police criminal investigation). 5. Poor media scrutiny of RBKC ineffectiveness at assisting Grenfell survivors 6. Repeated assertion that activists don’t represent ‘mainstream’ Kensington residents 7. Accusation that survivors continue to refuse suitable offers of accommodation 8. Government failing to provide local councils with funds to secure potentially unsafe tower blocks in the UK 9. Increase in reports about post traumatic trauma of Grenfell rescuers/helpers 10. A decrease in coverage of stories highlighting self-help efforts by residents 11. A failure to investigate competence of forensic approach of police/coroner 12. The continuing failure to address concerns about unnamed deceased 13. Better coverage of other tower block residents facing similar fire risks 14. Media attacks on activists and supporters of the Grenfell community. 15. No sustained media focus on the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s “Following Grenfell” investigation. 7 Grenfell Media Watch Report – February 2018 The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: A split borough If you talk to the residents of Lancaster
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