Journalists, don't be part of the government's 'fake news' machine

[patman post]

Loads of them. Which is why the complaints to the ASA.



The ASA has replied with this to a complainant on July the 17th so they appear to be taking it seriously:-



Just checked my e-mails from the ASA and I received this response on July 17th:

Thank you for your recent complaint about advertising in the Metro by the Department for Work and Pensions, relating to Universal Credit.

We received 43 complaints about the ads, and your complaint has been added to our file. From the points that were raised we have identified four that we feel are likely to have the biggest impact on consumers. It is these four that we will be raising with the DWP:

1. Whether the ads were obviously identifiable as marketing communications.

2. Whether the claim "MYTH Universal Credit doesn't work FACT It does. People move into work faster on Universal Credit than they did on the old system" was misleading and could be substantiated.

3. Whether the claim "MYTH You have to wait 5 weeks to get any money on Universal Credit FACT If you need money, your jobcentre will urgently pay you an advance" was misleading and could be substantiated, and omitted significant restrictions that were likely to affect a person's decision to apply for Universal Credit.

4. Whether the claim "MYTH Universal Credit makes it harder to pay your rent on time FACT Your Jobcentre can give you an advance payment and pay rent directly to landlords" was misleading and could be substantiated, and omitted significant restrictions that were likely to affect a person's decision to apply for Universal Credit.

We shall let you know what we decide in due course.

Again you're giving info via a complainer and not linking to ASA.

I still find it strange that no reports of the story actually show examples that don't carry the information that they are advertising from the DWP. Claiming all offending copies were recalled, and the editions then reprinted with the required Information that they were advertising, is obviously incorrect.

However, I note you no longer claim that ASA is investigating Metro's editorial and journalism...

[Baron von Lotsov]

Loads of them. Which is why the complaints to the ASA.



The ASA has replied with this to a complainant on July the 17th so they appear to be taking it seriously:-



Just checked my e-mails from the ASA and I received this response on July 17th:

Thank you for your recent complaint about advertising in the Metro by the Department for Work and Pensions, relating to Universal Credit.

We received 43 complaints about the ads, and your complaint has been added to our file. From the points that were raised we have identified four that we feel are likely to have the biggest impact on consumers. It is these four that we will be raising with the DWP:

1. Whether the ads were obviously identifiable as marketing communications.

2. Whether the claim "MYTH Universal Credit doesn't work FACT It does. People move into work faster on Universal Credit than they did on the old system" was misleading and could be substantiated.

3. Whether the claim "MYTH You have to wait 5 weeks to get any money on Universal Credit FACT If you need money, your jobcentre will urgently pay you an advance" was misleading and could be substantiated, and omitted significant restrictions that were likely to affect a person's decision to apply for Universal Credit.

4. Whether the claim "MYTH Universal Credit makes it harder to pay your rent on time FACT Your Jobcentre can give you an advance payment and pay rent directly to landlords" was misleading and could be substantiated, and omitted significant restrictions that were likely to affect a person's decision to apply for Universal Credit.

We shall let you know what we decide in due course.

Excellent and well done. A complaint that bites. I hope to have one on its way as well for our council.

[papasmurf]

Are there published examples of these DWP adverts masquerading as editorial...?

Loads of them. Which is why the complaints to the ASA.



The ASA has replied with this to a complainant on July the 17th so they appear to be taking it seriously:-



Just checked my e-mails from the ASA and I received this response on July 17th:

Thank you for your recent complaint about advertising in the Metro by the Department for Work and Pensions, relating to Universal Credit.

We received 43 complaints about the ads, and your complaint has been added to our file. From the points that were raised we have identified four that we feel are likely to have the biggest impact on consumers. It is these four that we will be raising with the DWP:

1. Whether the ads were obviously identifiable as marketing communications.

2. Whether the claim "MYTH Universal Credit doesn't work FACT It does. People move into work faster on Universal Credit than they did on the old system" was misleading and could be substantiated.

3. Whether the claim "MYTH You have to wait 5 weeks to get any money on Universal Credit FACT If you need money, your jobcentre will urgently pay you an advance" was misleading and could be substantiated, and omitted significant restrictions that were likely to affect a person's decision to apply for Universal Credit.

4. Whether the claim "MYTH Universal Credit makes it harder to pay your rent on time FACT Your Jobcentre can give you an advance payment and pay rent directly to landlords" was misleading and could be substantiated, and omitted significant restrictions that were likely to affect a person's decision to apply for Universal Credit.

We shall let you know what we decide in due course.

[patman post]

The were not originally.

Are there published examples of these DWP adverts masquerading as editorial...?

[papasmurf]

You're not making sense. The DWP spent whatever on advertising. There's no way the DWP could have bought anything other than advertising space. The pages shown in your links  are clearly headed advertising. You, and others, may dislike the messages in DWP adverts, but they were clearly headed advertising and by whom.

The were not originally.

[patman post]

The spent  £25000 on "news items" that were in fact advertisements. It was a nasty subterfuge they though no one would notice.

For those who had experienced the humiliation and degradation it was very obviously bloody lies, they even used actor to portray happy claimants.

You're not making sense. The DWP spent whatever on advertising. There's no way the DWP could have bought anything other than advertising space. The pages shown in your links  are clearly headed advertising. You, and others, may dislike the messages in DWP adverts, but they were clearly headed advertising and by whom.

If Red Bull Gives You Wings doesn't get pulled up for misleading advertising, I don't see that HMG buying space to explain the benefits system can logically be censured...

[papasmurf]

I understand that you are seriously trying to tell me that the DWP spent £250,000 on advertising while hoping nobody would read the text.

If it's true DWP spent a quarter of a million with that intention then, I concede, questions do need to be asked...

The spent  £25000 on "news items" that were in fact advertisements. It was a nasty subterfuge they though no one would notice.

For those who had experienced the humiliation and degradation it was very obviously bloody lies, they even used actor to portray happy claimants.

[patman post]

It has now become obvious you just do not understand the seriousness of the deception that the DWP tried to do and failed.

Why they thought no-one would notice show how stupid they are and have wasted £250000 in taxpayers money in the process is something they need asking.

I understand that you are seriously trying to tell me that the DWP spent £250,000 on advertising while hoping nobody would read the text.

If it's true DWP spent a quarter of a million with that intention then, I concede, questions do need to be asked...

[papasmurf]

Citing a complaint from one of the complainers is hardly proof of wrongdoing by either the DWP or Metro...

It has now become obvious you just do not understand the seriousness of the deception that the DWP tried to do and failed.

Why they thought no-one would notice show how stupid they are and have wasted £250000 in taxpayers money in the process is something they need asking.

[patman post]

Citing a complaint from one of the complainers is hardly proof of wrongdoing by either the DWP or Metro...

[papasmurf]

Unlikely...

I don't think you understand how angry people got about those propaganda articles.

The Metro has some serious problems as a result.

Links at link:-



https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/3973-asa-launches-formal-investigation-into-dwp-fake-news">https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/ ... -fake-news">https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/3973-asa-launches-formal-investigation-into-dwp-fake-news

[patman post]

That had to edit that after the complaints.

Unlikely...

[papasmurf]

Look at the illustrations in your second and third links and you'll see you're mistaken...

That had to edit that after the complaints.

[patman post]

The advertisements masqueraded  as news items, none of them have an attribution  in them as is required by law.

They were and are littered with lies and propaganda.

That is why the ASA is investigating. If the DWP does it again during the election campaign and it is not declared as election spending that will be unlawful as well.

Look at the illustrations in your second and third links and you'll see you're mistaken...

[papasmurf]

Nothing seems to be against the law. Links 2 and 3 show pages clearly headed Advertising Feature from the  Department of Work and Pensions. The first link is reporting the row over the content. "Advertorial" is a legit way of getting info out and promoting goods or services...

The advertisements masqueraded  as news items, none of them have an attribution  in them as is required by law.

They were and are littered with lies and propaganda.

That is why the ASA is investigating. If the DWP does it again during the election campaign and it is not declared as election spending that will be unlawful as well.