{"id":113977,"date":"2021-02-23T14:48:17","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T14:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/?p=113977"},"modified":"2021-02-23T14:48:17","modified_gmt":"2021-02-23T14:48:17","slug":"boris-johnson-claims-journalists-are-always-abusing-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/precoinnews.com\/politics\/boris-johnson-claims-journalists-are-always-abusing-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Boris Johnson claims journalists are ‘always abusing people’"},"content":{"rendered":"
Former journalist Boris Johnson has generated a splash with his career advice to schoolchildren, in which he suggested journalists are “always abusing people”.<\/p>\n
The prime minister, who took part in an online class at Sedgehill Academy in Lewisham, south London, on Tuesday, used the visit to reflect on his own past as a newspaper reporter and columnist.<\/p>\n
“When you’re a journalist it’s a great, great job, it’s a great profession,” Mr Johnson said.<\/p>\n
“But the trouble is, sometimes you find yourself always abusing people or attacking people.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“Not that you want to abuse them or attack them, but you are being critical, when maybe you feel sometimes a bit guilty about that, because you haven’t put yourself in the place of the person you’re criticising.<\/p>\n
“So I thought I’d give it a go,” he added, referring to his career change.<\/p>\n
The prime minister worked for The Times, the Daily Telegraph and The Spectator before entering politics when he was first elected as an MP at the age of 36.<\/p>\n
And Mr Johnson added his “strong advice” was “don’t do politics immediately, do lots of other things first”.<\/p>\n
Early in his career as a journalist, Mr Johnson was sacked from The Times over allegations he fabricated a quote for a front-page story.<\/p>\n
His later career as a columnist, which he continued up until becoming prime minister in 2019, also provided a number of controversies.<\/p>\n
Mr Johnson’s writing has been heavily criticised for remarks in his past newspaper columns, which have included references to “flag-waving piccaninnies”, Africans with “watermelon smiles” and “tank-topped bum boys”.<\/p>\n
Subscribe to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker<\/strong><\/p>\n Asked about the prime minister’s remarks on Tuesday, Mr Johnson’s press secretary Allegra Stratton told a regular briefing of Westminster journalists: “That is the prime minister talking about the fact that all of you, as journalists, your job is to challenge and that makes us in government better.<\/p>\n “I think that’s what he meant.”<\/p>\n Labour’s shadow media minister, Chris Matheson, called on the prime minister to “withdraw these remarks and apologise”.<\/p>\n “For Boris Johnson to say journalists are ‘always abusing people’ probably says more about his own career,” he said.<\/p>\n “It is particularly troubling coming so soon after the prime minister stood by one of his ministers who attacked a journalist who was just trying to do her job.<\/p>\n “We know from Donald Trump that these kind of assaults on the free press are dangerous and designed to stir up distrust and division.”<\/p>\n