Disability Rights UK lodges formal complaint about ‘appalling’ story in Daily Telegraph targeting sick and disabled people as being unworthy of state support

In addition, DRUK asks IPSO to consider if its guidance to the press in relation to disablist narratives and language is sufficiently robust

Disability Rights UK (DRUK) has lodged a formal complaint with the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) about an 'appalling' story in the Daily Telegraph that targeted sick and disabled people as being unworthy of state support.

On 1 June 2023, the Daily Telegraph published Exactly how much of your salary bankrolls the welfare state which opened –

'Millions are claiming benefits without ever having to look for work, helping to push the tax burden to hit its highest point since the Second World War.

Of the 5.2 million people claiming out-of-work benefits, roughly 3.7 million have been granted indefinite exemptions from finding a job, following a surge in claims of mental health issues and joint pain during the pandemic, it emerged last week.'

Reacting to the story – which it says was designed to 'other' sick and disabled people and to question their right to receive financial support – DRUK has lodged a formal complaint with IPSO in which it says –

'The media has a responsibility to tackle ableism and disablism and to uphold principles of equality and fairness. Instead, we have seen a spate of media rhetoric vilifying sick and Disabled people. Headlines like 'Exactly how much of your salary bankrolls the welfare state' the subtitle 'Britain isn’t working – calculate what it’s costing you,' and the disturbing 'Roughly 3.7 million have been granted indefinite exemptions from finding a job', encourage negativity towards Disabled people who need financial support to exist day to day. The thrust of the piece on those who 'do not work' is obviously directed at Disabled people. Lurid and provocative headlines like this have the potential to spark an even further rise in Disability hate crime, which has more than doubled in the last four years.'

Also asking IPSO to consider whether its guidance to the press in relation to disablist narratives and language is sufficiently robust, DRUK says-

'As representatives of the Disabled community, we have a duty to combat dangerous media rhetoric. It shouldn’t be the job of a Disabled Peoples Organisation to hold the media to account and establish the truth, that should be the job of editors and standards bodies. We ask you to make sure Disabled people are not being scapegoated and to ensure that there is balance, that the truth about life on benefits is reported factually rather than commentated on without investigation.

As a complaint’s authority, we hope that you remind the Telegraph of these and encourage them to stop trying to inflame division against those who have no voice to respond and remind them of the rules of journalism.'

For more information, see Press complaint to the Independent Press Standards Organisation by Disability Rights UK from disabilityrightsuk.org