#ItWasAScam: Corbyn, Gaza, and The Jewish Chronicle

The Jewish Chronicle Fueled a War of Words and Lies

Who would have thought that the world’s oldest Jewish newspaper would turn out to be little more than a propaganda pamphlet for the Israeli government? Well, anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear, I suppose. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, let’s lay down some facts.

The newspaper has been peddling fabricated stories about Gaza. Stories that not only have been used to influence public opinion but also the direction of the Israeli military strategy. This is not merely a journalistic scandal. It is a grave indictment of a publication that has seemingly abandoned its duty to inform in favour of serving as a mouthpiece for Israeli government propaganda.

The removal of a series of sensational articles by the so-called “freelance journalist” Elon Perry is not just a matter of poor fact-checking. It represents a deliberate attempt to shape public opinion on a conflict that has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths and untold suffering. These fabricated stories, which purported to provide detailed accounts of Israeli operations and intelligence, were clearly designed to bolster support for actions that may well constitute war crimes.

Let us be clear: propaganda that seeks to justify or minimize the impact of military actions against civilians is not just unethical journalism – it is complicity in those very actions. The Israeli government is under investigation for war crimes in Gaza, and pieces like those published by the Jewish Chronicle serve to manufacture consent for such atrocities.

The resignation of four of its prominent columnists – David Baddiel, Jonathan Freedland, David Aaronovitch, and Hadley Freeman – speaks volumes about the depth of this ethical breach. Freedland’s accusation that the paper has become a “partisan, ideological instrument” is particularly damning. When a publication prioritizes political agendas over journalistic integrity, it ceases to be a newspaper and becomes something far more insidious.

Of course, Freedland and the Jewish Chronicle weren’t too concerned about their so-called ethics when it came to attacking the left, particularly former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Perhaps the looming threat of a war crimes tribunal has had some influence on their newfound sense of conviction…

This scandal casts a long shadow over the Jewish Chronicle’s past coverage, particularly its relentless attacks on Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters. It was a relentless calculated smear campaign against a politician who dared to advocate for Palestinian rights. Those who recognised these attacks for what they were – a concerted effort to destroy Corbyn’s movement – were dismissed as conspiracy theorists. Yet here we are, with the conspiracy laid bare.

The Jewish Chronicle’s recent scandal unveils a troubling pattern of journalistic malpractice that goes beyond mere error. It lays bare the paper’s descent from respected institution to propaganda outlet, serving not its readers but shadowy interests.

The JC’s history of retractions, corrections, and legal settlements paints a picture of a publication with a casual relationship to the truth. From libel cases to numerous breaches of the Editors’ Code of Practice, the paper has demonstrated a pattern of behaviour that goes beyond mere carelessness. It suggests a wilful disregard for accuracy in service of a political agenda.

The accusations against Lee Harpin, a key figure in the anti-Corbyn campaign, of involvement in phone hacking and subsequent blackmail, add another layer of ethical rot to this already unsavoury picture. It raises serious questions about the methods used to gather information for the paper’s political hit pieces.

As for the Chronicle’s tepid apology and vague promises of “review” ring hollow. This is not an isolated incident but the latest in a string of ethical breaches. From libel payouts to IPSO rulings, the paper’s record is a litany of falsehoods and retractions. Each instance chips away at the trust readers place in the world’s oldest Jewish newspaper.

Consider the case of Marc Wadsworth, a political activist and journalist. The Jewish Chronicle was forced to print an apology and pay substantial damages for falsely claiming that Wadsworth was involved in a “conspiracy to intimidate, threaten or harass Jewish activists into silence.” This wasn’t a minor error – it was a complete fabrication. Wadsworth had not even attended the meeting where these alleged actions took place. The presiding judge called this “a serious mistake for the Jewish Chronicle to have made.” Indeed, it was more than a mistake – it was a damaging libel that could have severely impacted Wadsworth’s reputation and career.

But the Chronicle’s questionable practices don’t stop there. The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) found the paper guilty on four counts of publishing untrue statements about Audrey White, a Corbyn supporter on Merseyside. These “significantly misleading claims” included accusations of bullying an MP and lying about her age to rejoin the Labour Party. The IPSO committee expressed “significant concerns” about the newspaper’s handling of the complaint, describing the publication’s conduct during the investigation as “unacceptable.”

The journalist responsible for many of these misleading articles, Lee Harpin, has been at the centre of numerous controversies. His reporting has consistently fallen below professional and ethical standards, particularly in terms of accuracy and fact-checking – the very foundations of responsible journalism.

Even more troubling is the case of Councillor Jo Bird. The Jewish Chronicle was found guilty of significant inaccuracy for falsely reporting that Bird had been suspended for a third time. But perhaps more insidiously, the paper consistently erased Bird’s own Jewishness in articles about anti-Jewish racism. This selective recognition of Jewish identity in reporting on antisemitism is not just misleading – it’s a form of erasure that distorts the narrative and removes crucial context.

These are not isolated incidents. IPSO has found nine breaches by the Jewish Chronicle in just three years. In the same period, the paper has paid out in at least four libel actions. This track record points to deep-rooted, unaddressed problems at the publication.

The implications of this pattern of behaviour are profound. These weren’t just errors – they were part of a concerted effort to shape public opinion, particularly in relation to Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters. By publishing false and misleading information, the Jewish Chronicle has contributed to a distorted public discourse on crucial issues of antisemitism, Labour Party politics, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

This goes beyond poor journalism. It’s about the weaponization of antisemitism accusations for political ends. It’s about smearing individuals and movements that dare to criticize Israeli government policies or advocate for Palestinian rights. And it’s about erasing or delegitimising Jewish voices that don’t conform to a particular political narrative.

The Witchhunt became an Inquisition.

More alarming still is the murky question of ownership. A newspaper answerable to unknown paymasters is a dangerous beast indeed. It becomes a mouthpiece for hidden agendas, not a guardian of truth. This lack of transparency poisons the well of public discourse.

The Jewish Chronicle’s actions have not only harmed individuals like Wadsworth, White, and Bird. They’ve poisoned public debate, made it harder to address real instances of antisemitism, and undermined trust in journalism at a time when factual, ethical reporting is more crucial than ever.

The casualty extended from good socialists sitting MPs like Jeremy Corbyn and Chris Williamson, to activists like Ken Loach, Jackie Walker, Peter Willsman, Marc Wadsworth and many thousands of good Left Wing supporters.

Yet let us not forget: when it came to smearing Corbyn and the left, the Chronicle was but one voice in a deafening chorus. From the Guardian to the Telegraph, from the gutter-dwelling Sun to the pinstriped Financial Times, they all came to feast on the carcass of truth. It was the Fourth Estate at its worst – a wholesale betrayal of journalistic principles.

During the Corbyn years, we observed nothing short of an outright smear campaign, meticulously designed and ruthlessly executed. Its purpose? To ensure that the people of the United Kingdom would never see true representation of their interests in the halls of power. The establishment, feeling threatened by a genuine left-wing movement, enlisted its media foot soldiers to wage a war of words and lies.

They painted Corbyn – a lifelong anti-racist and peace campaigner – as a threat to national security and a harbinger of antisemitism. They portrayed his supporters as dangerous radicals, twisting their words and actions to fit a pre-written narrative of extremism and intolerance.

This coordinated assault on truth and democracy wasn’t just bad journalism – it was a betrayal of the very principles upon which a free press is supposed to operate. Instead of speaking truth to power, these publications chose to amplify power’s lies. Instead of informing the public, they chose to mislead and manipulate.

And in doing so, they succeeded in their grim task. They made the establishment safe from the threat of genuine change. They helped ensure that the voices of the many would continue to be drowned out by the interests of the few.

It underscores the urgent need for media reform, for genuinely independent journalism, and for a populace equipped with the critical thinking skills to see through such blatant propaganda. Instead, Starmer confirms he has no plans to revive the second stage of the Leveson inquiry leaving Press regulation campaigners to accuse the prime minister of lacking the courage to stand up to newspaper owners. yet there are whispers he will be censoring social media and independent journalists, after all, his nature is control.

The left has long warned of media capture by vested interests. The Chronicle’s fall stands as a stark reminder of this threat. It’s high time for a radical overhaul of press regulation and ownership rules. Only then can we hope to reclaim journalism as a force for truth and accountability.

The Jewish community deserves better. It deserves a paper that informs, not inflames; that questions power, not kowtows to it. The Chronicle’s current path leads only to irrelevance and disgrace.

As George Orwell wisely noted, “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” The Jewish Chronicle has not only failed in its duty to tell the truth – it has actively participated in a campaign of deceit with real-world consequences.

We must ask: who benefits from this disinformation? Cui bono? The answer, I fear, lies in the murky nexus of media, politics, and capital that seeks to crush dissent and maintain the status quo. The question of the ownership of the Jewish Chronicle is yet to be resolved…

The Chronicle’s downfall is a microcosm of our wider media crisis. Trust in journalism erodes as outlets prioritize agenda over accuracy. This serves only the powerful, leaving the public adrift in a sea of spin and falsehood.

We deserve better. We need a press that speaks truth to power, not one that cowers before it. Until then, we must approach all media – even so-called respectable outlets – with a critical eye and a healthy dose of scepticism.

Paul Knaggs

Editor, founder, Labour Heartlands, Citizen journalist. LeFT wing political refugee. Fighting a constant struggle with dyslexia that’s overcome with a burning desire to speak out against the corrupt political system and the social injustices it creates. Advocate for Free speech and open, accountable, democracy. #GTTO