Back to Scotland, where it appears hapless Humza Yousaf is still trying to stay relevant by going after, er, GB News. The failed former first minister of Scotland is said to be considering his options against the channel after a new report into GB News suggested Yousaf would have a ‘very strong case’ if he reported the broadcaster to media watchdog Ofcom over its treatment of the ex-FM. Good heavens…
The document, released by the Muslim Council of Britain’s Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM), has slammed the channel over an ‘excessive’ focus on Muslims bordering on an ‘obsession [that] regularly demonises their beliefs’ – noting that almost 50 per cent of mentions on GB News related to Islam and the Muslim community. The report’s foreword, written by former Channel 4 News editor Stewart Purvis, even mentioned Yousaf by name, referring to a programme in which one presenter accused the former SNP leader of ‘race-baiting’. Purvis wrote:
I’m not sure [the presenter] is in a position to accuse anybody of ‘race-baiting’…Mr Yousaf’s office has told me that neither he or the SNP was offered the chance to take part or a right to reply. If [Yousaf] were to complain under Ofcom regulation ‘Section 7 (Fairness)’ I believe he should have a very strong case.
Crikey. The Nats have gone even further with their rather scathing comment about the broadcaster – slamming GB News as ‘an Islamophobic and racist media outlet designed to target Muslims, and other minorities’. Er, right. GB News told Mr S today:
This inaccurate and defamatory report is nothing more than a cynical, self-serving attempt to silence free speech. It proves exactly why a news organisation like GB News needs to exist and why it is succeeding. We are concerned that at no point did this project of the Muslim Council of Britain contact GB News or its presenters to allow them to respond to these highly defamatory allegations.
Strong stuff.
It wouldn’t be the first time hapless Humza has got himself into a scrap. Just last month the former FM took aim at Twitter CEO Elon Musk, with Yousaf rather pompously claiming the tech billionaire ‘scoured’ his messages and was part of a campaign to ‘besmirch’ his reputation. It followed a Twitter spat between the duo during the summer riots – in which the Nat slammed Musk as a ‘race baiter’ and ‘one of the most dangerous men on the planet’. The Tesla boss was quick to hit back – blasting the Scottish politician as a ‘scumbag’ before claiming that Yousaf is ‘obviously super racist against white people’. Shots fired!
Will Yousaf’s next move be to declare war on GB News? Stay tuned…
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