As the bloody war rages on in Ukraine which has displaced and destroyed the lives of millions of innocent Ukrainians it seems that British journalism no longer cares about reporting on the realities on the ground. Three months on since Russia’s illegal invasion in Ukraine, and with the war intensifying each day, British journalists tell us they have “Ukraine fatigue” from covering the war.
And yes, they mutter this from the comfort of their sheltered homes and shiny offices thousands of miles away from the bloodshed of the war zone. It seems that British journalists have got their priorities completely wrong.
Despite having the privilege of being tucked away in a safe country and not being afflicted by the dangers and horrors of war, it seems that some British Journalists have decided the Ukraine story no longer matters.
This highlights not only the callousness of how we not just view the suffering of innocent people of Ukraine but also showcases how modern journalism no longer prioritises reporting the truth and what is most important – which is a war which is happening right at our doorstep in Europe. For example, tedious articles about Boris Johnson are being prioritised in the mainstream media.
Instead of regular coverage and commentary on the crisis in Ukraine, we are bombarded with clickbait headlines such as “Partygate: pictures emerge showing Boris Johnson drinking at No 10 leaving do during lockdown – as it happened”, “Everything we know about Boris Johnson’s alleged Downing Street lockdown parties” and even “Lee Mack takes swipe at Boris Johnson in Partygate joke while hosting BBC’s Platinum Party at Palace Jubilee celebrations.”
How many times have we heard the same old story about Partygate over the last year? Innumerable times is one way of putting it. Ultimately, it is quite ironic that the British press do not seem to have any fatigue about the Partygate scandal nearly 10 months on– which is not only over-reported, but is boring and repetitious.
To make things worse such callous, dereliction of duty in journalism can divert the focus away from the ongoing distress, hardships and heartbreaks of the Ukrainian people who are never endingly being subjected to the traumas of war. Not only is a lack of reporting on Ukraine evidently disrespectful to the very unimaginable suffering of Ukrainians but it is a slap in the face to those in Ukraine who paid respect to Britain by presenting an honorary title to our PM.
Boris Johnson, who has shown solidarity to the country by providing civil and military aid and an estimated $500 million World Bank guarantee to help the crumbling economy of Ukraine, now devastated by the ongoing war.
You don’t have to look hard to understand that Ukraine is in a catastrophic crisis – the invasion of Ukraine is the largest military attack since World War Two – a kind of war Europe has not witnessed since the 20th century. Currently an estimated than 13 million Ukrainians have desperately fled their homes since Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, and a staggering eight million people have been mercilessly displaced in the country in itself according to the United Nations. And this number is only set to increase. This begs the question: why on earth does British journalism care more about trivial and mundane issues than reporting on the war in Ukraine?
Why is it that our mainstream media is mindlessly giving attention to outdated news stories such as party-gate? Especially as a lot of us no longer care about petty news stories which do not bear any real significance to our everyday life.
However, the events unfolding in the country are directly affecting our everyday lives here in the United Kingdom and Europe as a whole. We are currently living in a wartime economy due to the war in Ukraine. It’s been reported that inflation in the United Kingdom has hit the highest in forty years – food prices are driving up, oil prices are spiralling out of control and the cost of living is set to continue increasing at an alarming rate.
And guess what? This is only set to get worse as the crisis deepens over time – We are told today by numerous reports that Vladimir Putin is threatening to cut off gas supply in Europe. This could mean we could see an energy crisis unfold over the next few months, which could devastate communities and families. Do some journalists not realise the sheer seriousness of the Ukrainian crisis? Do they not realise that due to Russia’s actions we all, collectively, face an uncertain future? As Ukrainians continue to lose their lives, people in Europe outside of the warzone could die in the winter.
The reality is that the story of Ukraine bears more significance to us than any other story in the world and it is the duty of British journalism to cover, update and report on this ongoing war as much as possible — or it showcases great insensitivity. In my view the mediocrity and triviality of the current reporting of the conflict in Ukraine is not just shameful, but is inexcusable.
The war in Ukraine is not just another trendy “news topic” that we can just simply ignore because we feel “tired” of it, but it is a crisis which determines the fate of millions of innocent people and dictates critical events which are set to unfold over the next few months.
The truth is that the Ukrainian war is relevant not just to the Western world but the entire planet.
Despite knowing this, members of the British press are failing to do their duty by not prioritising the war in Ukraine.
There is no doubt that journalism is on the decline. I say this as a young journalist who’s feeling disappointed by the current tone of not just how we view Ukraine, but also how much effort we’re putting into reporting the ongoing crisis.
The least we can do is show support by shedding light on the crisis — or this signifies the death of true British journalism.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s and not necessarily those of the Kyiv Post.
