<p>Labour Together, the think tank which helped Sir Keir Starmer become prime minister, has been accused of paying a PR firm to investigate Sunday Times journalists. The subsequent report contained personal information and false claims about Whitehall editor Gabriel Pogrund’s faith and family background, including the incorrect suggestion he was part of a Russian conspiracy to bring down Starmer. So why did a political organisation pay for a smear campaign against journalists? </p><br><p><em>This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: </em><a href="http://thetimes.com/thestory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>http://thetimes.com/thestory</em></a></p><br><p><strong>Guests:&nbsp;</strong></p><ul><li>Emanuele Midolo, investigations reporter, The Sunday Times.&nbsp;</li><li>Ben Clatworthy, Whitehall editor, The Times.&nbsp;</li></ul><p><strong>Host:</strong> Manveen Rana.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Producers: </strong>Julia Webster, Micaela Arneson.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>We want to hear from you - email:</strong> <a href="mailto:thestory@thetimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">thestory@thetimes.com</a></p><br><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/labour-activists-smear-sunday-times-journalists-kd269klb8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Labour activists paid for smear campaign against journalists</a></p><p><strong>Clips:</strong> BBC, Times Radio, Channel 4 News, ITV News, Sky News, GB News.&nbsp;</p><p><em>This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism&nbsp;subscribe&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

The Story

The Times

‘This is dark s***’: inside the political smear campaign to discredit journalists

FEB 17, 202628 MIN
The Story

‘This is dark s***’: inside the political smear campaign to discredit journalists

FEB 17, 202628 MIN

Description

<p>Labour Together, the think tank which helped Sir Keir Starmer become prime minister, has been accused of paying a PR firm to investigate Sunday Times journalists. The subsequent report contained personal information and false claims about Whitehall editor Gabriel Pogrund’s faith and family background, including the incorrect suggestion he was part of a Russian conspiracy to bring down Starmer. So why did a political organisation pay for a smear campaign against journalists? </p><br><p><em>This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: </em><a href="http://thetimes.com/thestory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>http://thetimes.com/thestory</em></a></p><br><p><strong>Guests:&nbsp;</strong></p><ul><li>Emanuele Midolo, investigations reporter, The Sunday Times.&nbsp;</li><li>Ben Clatworthy, Whitehall editor, The Times.&nbsp;</li></ul><p><strong>Host:</strong> Manveen Rana.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Producers: </strong>Julia Webster, Micaela Arneson.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>We want to hear from you - email:</strong> <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[email protected]</a></p><br><p><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/labour-activists-smear-sunday-times-journalists-kd269klb8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Labour activists paid for smear campaign against journalists</a></p><p><strong>Clips:</strong> BBC, Times Radio, Channel 4 News, ITV News, Sky News, GB News.&nbsp;</p><p><em>This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism&nbsp;subscribe&nbsp;</em><a href="https://www.thetimes.com/subscribe/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>here</em></a><em>.</em></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>