Sky News’s choice for ‘civility’ champion on ‘Positive Twitter Day’ is absolutely hilarious

Sky News host


Support us and go ad-free

Sky News celebrated Positive Twitter Day on 30 August. As it explained in a tweet on the subject, it’s a day about “civility” on social media. So who did the broadcaster invite on to discuss “civility and trust in social media”? None other than Guido Fawkes, aka Paul Staines. You know, the guy who tweeted a picture of himself lying in bed next to a cardboard cut-out of Diane Abbott. The same Staines who doubled down on the personal attack on the UK’s first Black female MP by tweeting:

 

 

Related articles

Read on...

Support us and go ad-free

What an utterly bizarre way to celebrate Positive Twitter Day, as many people tried to make clear to Sky News.

Kinda like

Sky News announced its Positive Twitter Day interviewee on the platform:

Clearly, the news was not music to many people’s ears:

Some tried to point out to Sky News the incivility they’ve come across on Guido Fawkes‘s platform:

And many tried to come up with a sufficient comparison so that Sky News could understand the error of its ways:

Echo chamber

During the interview itself, Staines did concede that he has “in the past been pretty belligerent” on social media and is trying to be “better”. The Sky News host also suggested that people existing in ‘echo chambers’ – i.e. surrounding themselves with views they agree with – on social media platforms is also a problem.

Well, the establishment’s echo chamber was certainly a problem here. Because if Sky News had stepped outside of it for a second, it would have realised – given Staines’s track record – how badly its choice for ‘civility’ champion would go down with the British public.

Featured image via Sky News/YouTube

Support us and go ad-free

We need your help to keep speaking the truth

Every story that you have come to us with; each injustice you have asked us to investigate; every campaign we have fought; each of your unheard voices we amplified; we do this for you. We are making a difference on your behalf.

Our fight is your fight. You’ve supported our collective struggle every time you gave us a like; and every time you shared our work across social media. Now we need you to support us with a monthly donation.

We have published nearly 2,000 articles and over 50 films in 2021. And we want to do this and more in 2022 but we don’t have enough money to go on at this pace. So, if you value our work and want us to continue then please join us and be part of The Canary family.

In return, you get:

* Advert free reading experience
* Quarterly group video call with the Editor-in-Chief
* Behind the scenes monthly e-newsletter
* 20% discount in our shop

Almost all of our spending goes to the people who make The Canary’s content. So your contribution directly supports our writers and enables us to continue to do what we do: speaking truth, powered by you. We have weathered many attempts to shut us down and silence our vital opposition to an increasingly fascist government and right-wing mainstream media.

With your help we can continue:

* Holding political and state power to account
* Advocating for the people the system marginalises
* Being a media outlet that upholds the highest standards
* Campaigning on the issues others won’t
* Putting your lives central to everything we do

We are a drop of truth in an ocean of deceit. But we can’t do this without your support. So please, can you help us continue the fight?

The Canary Support us

Related articles