# Farage and Polanski use same media bias tactic

> Laura Kuenssberg warns that politicians across the spectrum now dismiss scrutiny by attacking the media rather than answering questions.
- Title: Farage and Polanski use same media bias tactic | Shortify
- Summary: Laura Kuenssberg warns that politicians across the spectrum now dismiss scrutiny by attacking the media rather than answering questions.
- Keywords: laura kuenssberg, nigel farage, zack polanski, donald trump, media bias, political scrutiny, bbc, jeremy corbyn, The Independent
- Source: The Independent — https://independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/laura-kuenssberg-interview-farage-polanski-burnham-b3079730.html
- Published: 2026-11-06T09:35:22+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: laura kuenssberg, nigel farage, zack polanski, donald trump, media bias, political scrutiny, bbc, jeremy corbyn, politics, news
## The tactic spreads across politics
Politicians from Nigel Farage to Zack Polanski increasingly accuse the media of bias to evade difficult questions, BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg has warned.
## Trump invented the playbook
The crooked media tactic was popularised by US president Donald Trump and has become part of the script for politicians seeking to discredit scrutiny.

> Donald Trump invented the phrase fake news. It's a part of his core script, as it's part of Nigel Farage's script to say, 'The media isn't fair to us, so here's my anti-establishment TV channel.'
## Polanski rejected the premise
In an interview about Green Party controversy over Zionism, leader Zack Polanski said it was not controversial, dismissing the question rather than answering it.

> We did an interview with him about the controversy in the Green Party over Zionism, and he sat in the chair and said: 'It's not controversial.'
## Corbyn accused ITV of obsession
During Jeremy Corbyn's Labour leadership, he accused ITV News of being utterly obsessed with questions about whether he would resign.

> It's your responsibility to make sure the opposition voice is heard as well as the government's voice. It's your failings.
## A shift from playful evasion
David Cameron and Boris Johnson used humour to deflect scrutiny. Today's politicians instead undermine the conversation itself rather than merely sidestep awkward questions.
## Traditional media still commands audiences
Kuenssberg pushed back against suggestions that established broadcasters lost their ability to hold politicians to account, noting traditional outlets still reach far larger audiences.

> The biggest outlets and the biggest places people go for information are still, by a country mile, the traditional outlets.
## Prime ministers still grant interviews
Andy Burnham gave his first interview as Prime Minister to Kuenssberg on primetime television and has since done another half-hour about his first one hundred days on ITV.
## Key takeaway

BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg says politicians from Nigel Farage to Zack Polanski increasingly accuse media of bias to evade difficult questions, a tactic popularised by Donald Trump.