The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg and several other high profile broadcast journalist have been heavily criticised for their reporting of an incident outside of Leeds General Infirmary on Monday evening.
After Boris Johnson refused to look at an image of Jack Williment-Barr, a child with suspected pneumonia, lying on a pile of coats due to the lack of beds in said hospital, health secretary Matt Hancock made an unplanned visit to the facility.
Upon exiting the building Hancock was confronted by a small group of irate Labour activists who yelled at the Tory and his aides before he was whisked off in a car.
In the aftermath, one man continued to shout at one of Hancock's aides who had remained behind and began gesticulating and pointing at Hancock's car which was now in the distance.
While, his back was turned the Tory aide, without looking, accidentally walked into the hand of the protestor. Neither man appeared to sustain any injuries from the very brief encounter, nor was there any further aggression between the two.
However, initial reports from the incident claimed that the Tory aide had been 'punched' by the activist and was later 'arrested'. Those reporting the chain of events including Kuennsberg, plus ITV's Robert Peston and Paul Brand.
This is really bad. https://t.co/yxY8HaeEIg— Mark Di Stefano (@Mark Di Stefano) 1575913579
When footage of what had transpired came to light, the likes of Kuenssberg and Peston did reiterate their stories, clarifying that the protestor didn't punch Hancock's aide and apologised for their earlier tweets.
Have video from Hancock leaving Leeds General just come through so you can see for yourself - doesn’t look like pun… https://t.co/4cgjPZ2iD5— Laura Kuenssberg (@Laura Kuenssberg) 1575912785
It is completely clear from video footage that @MattHancock's adviser was not whacked by a protestor, as I was told… https://t.co/xXva7GyLLQ— Robert Peston (@Robert Peston) 1575914799
Kuenssberg then later added that she had received the information from two different sources but didn't disclose who they were.
Happy to apologiSe for earlier confusion about the punch that wasn’t a punch outside Leeds General - 2 sources sugg… https://t.co/E4mSzc6CCP— Laura Kuenssberg (@Laura Kuenssberg) 1575917287
This entire situation and the reporting on the story from the journalist has created widespread anger, leading to the hashtag #punchgate trending on Twitter.
Many , including other journalists and politicians, have lashed out at Kuennsberg, in particular, for her tweets, accusing the BBC of concocting a 'fake news story' in order to shame the Labour activists.
If a load of certain high profile journalists uncritically spreading false claims given to them by the Conservative… https://t.co/JGgn2fyqLo— Owen Jones 🌹 (@Owen Jones 🌹) 1575913642
I don't understand. How can two esteemed journalist just print stuff that's not true? isn't it part of their job to… https://t.co/2vFvP4gDGN— Dawn Butler MP✊🏾💙 (@Dawn Butler MP✊🏾💙) 1575928927
The ‘Tory sources’ who briefed political editors about a ‘punch’ outside Leeds hospital must assume current senior… https://t.co/uSpA7f7VTv— steve richards (@steve richards) 1575924415
"It’s as though the act of journalism is limited to getting the quote and distributing it, and does not extend to v… https://t.co/kITX3U5Cx5— Gary Younge (@Gary Younge) 1575931123
Some people are now using the aforementioned hashtag to remind others of what the original story was about, i.e. Boris Johnson refusing to look at a picture of a sick child lying on the floor of a hospital because there were no beds available.
Incase you've been distracted by fake #punchgate here's the video the Tories wanted to to forget. https://t.co/MLhbipCaYy— Jeff Goulding (@Jeff Goulding) 1575920500
so #punchgate never happened? But THIS did. And if the UK refuses to #VoteTacticallyNotTribally , it will happen… https://t.co/kENUsV2hFX— 🐟💻carol hedges (@🐟💻carol hedges) 1575967944
#PunchGate didn't happen... BUT Boris Johnson: > DID walk past a homeless person completely ignoring him. > DID r… https://t.co/pgaM3ujOQz— StrongerStabler (@StrongerStabler) 1575969126
Kuenssberg hasn't tweeted about the story since and it should be pointed out that due to her prominent position in the media, she is often on the receiving end of more criticism than most, despite simply reporting on the stories and information that she receives.
Earlier this year she changed her Twitter bio to read:
I know it's fashionable, but even in 2019 there is nothing big or clever about shooting the messenger - tweets or retweets here aren't necessarily my view.
HT The National