The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said in a statement on Thursday that it backed the United Kingdom's National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in support of BBC Newsnight host, Emily Maitlis, who was briefly replaced after the management scolded her for making remarks about Dominic Cummings, a senior adviser of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had violated the COVID-19 lockdown
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th May, 2020) The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said in a statement on Thursday that it backed the United Kingdom's National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in support of BBC Newsnight host, Emily Maitlis, who was briefly replaced after the management scolded her for making remarks about Dominic Cummings, a senior adviser of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had violated the COVID-19 lockdown.
Media reported that on Easter Sunday in April, the prime minister's top aide made a 50-mile trip with his family to Barnard Castle to check whether he was able to drive after having coronavirus-related eyesight problems.
"The IFJ stands in solidarity with Emily Maitlis and all BBC workers. We believe that public service journalism that holds power into account is now more needed than ever. Replacing a journalist for doing so is unacceptable," IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said as quoted by the statement.
Maitlis, in turn, commented on her replacement earlier in the day, saying she did not host Wednesday's episode because she had asked for a night off and not because she had violated the BBC's standards of impartiality.
"At a time of national crisis, frank and fearless journalism that scrutinises and holds this government to account is more necessary than ever. Emily Maitlis exemplifies those qualities ... It is as clear as day that Dominic Cummings breached government lockdown guidelines - just because government ministers are prepared to demean themselves by asserting otherwise, to protect a seemingly untouchable Number 10 advisor, does not make it true. Journalists should be congratulated for holding policymakers to account for actions that risk a monumental breach of trust during a public health crisis," the NUJ general secretary, Michelle Stanistreet, was quoted as saying by the IFJ statement.
Last week, The Guardian newspaper reported that Cummings, his wife and their child traveled 260 miles from London to Durham in late March to stay with his parents after his wife started displaying COVID-19 symptoms. Cummings's trip went against government guidance banning anyone with symptoms of the disease from leaving their house for any reason. Though the report triggered a public outcry, the aide said that he was not considering resignation, stressing that he and his wife were guided by the desire to guarantee that the child would be safe even if they both fell ill. Johnson and leading cabinet ministers have supported Cummings, saying that he acted responsibly.
The investigation into the incident with Cummings established that the senior official committed a "minor breach" of the regulations by traveling to the castle, noting "there was no apparent breach of social distancing." As for Cummings' another trip made earlier, the police said it did not consider that the official violated the stay-at-home order when he isolated himself in the northeastern city of Durham in late March. Therefore, the police would not take any further action against the official, the newspaper added.
