TalkTV faces backlash for not disclosing reporter's Reform UK ties in Channel crossing film

TalkTV, Rupert Murdoch's online channel, faces significant criticism for failing to disclose that a journalist featured in its documentary about Channel crossings was an active member and supporter of the Reform UK party. The "world exclusive" documentary, titled "Invading Britain: The Undercover Migrant Returns," followed Christian Drogan, a former builder turned journalist, as he made the perilous journey from France to England in a small boat.

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I'm a Reform party member. I attend my branch meetings. I would like to stand at some level … that’s my official tie with Reform.

The film, released on TalkTV's YouTube channel, portrayed Drogan as the first British man to "invade his own country." Small boat crossings are a central campaigning issue for Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. Drogan's story was subsequently picked up by other media outlets, including The Times, The Telegraph, and The Sun.

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It is fair enough to go and do this activity, but he’s not being represented as what he is – which is a Reform activist. He is not being presented in his totality.

However, TalkTV omitted the fact that Drogan had publicly stated his membership in the Reform party and his aspirations to run for office. In a June podcast for Reform, Drogan confirmed, "I'm a Reform party member. I attend my branch meetings. I would like to stand at some level... that's my official tie with Reform." Media critic Mic Wright highlighted the importance of full disclosure, stating that audiences should be aware of the reporter's affiliations, especially when the reporting aligns with the party's agenda. Wright argued that presenting Drogan as an impartial journalist while he is a "Reform activist" is deceptive.

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If someone who was a member of the Labour party was on a podcast saying they were a Labour member … and then they went out and made a piece of media and an investigation that was machine-tooled to fit with the campaigning lines of the Labour party, Reform would say: ‘Well, this is ridiculous – this is Labour propaganda.’ It is deceptive to the viewers, readers and listeners of these titles and broadcasters.

Isabel Oakeshott, TalkTV's international editor and wife of Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice, strongly rejected the criticism. She described the accusations as a "desperate attempt to find something negative" about an exposé that "is very uncomfortable for all those who keep making excuses about Channel migrant crossings." Oakeshott defended the documentary's premise, stating, "There is nothing deceptive about repeatedly risking your life to establish the truth about the ongoing invasion of our country." She asserted that her own political links are public and that Drogan's "extraordinary footage" speaks for itself, adding that "How he chooses to vote is his own business."

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This is a truly desperate attempt to find something negative to say about an exposé that is very uncomfortable for all those who keep making excuses about Channel migrant crossings. There is nothing deceptive about repeatedly risking your life to establish the truth about the ongoing invasion of our country.