Rupert Murdoch’s online channel TalkTV is facing criticism after it did not disclose that a journalist who travelled to Britain in a small boat for a documentary was a Reform party member and activist. The channel revealed the “world exclusive” this week, stating that the treacherous journey had made the former builder turned journalist Christian Drogan the first British man “to invade his own country”. The documentary, Invading Britain: The Undercover Migrant Returns, was released on TalkTV’s YouTube channel.
It showed a year-long effort to board a small boat and cross the Channel from France into England. Small boat crossings are the most prominent campaigning topic for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Drogan’s story was picked up by other outlets including the Times, the Telegraph and the Sun.
However, TalkTV did not mention that Drogan had previously been clear that he is a Reform member who harbours ambitions of running for office for the party. Appearing on Reform’s in-house podcast in June, Drogan said: “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.” Mic Wright, the media critic who raised concerns about Drogan’s political background, said audiences should be given the full picture about the reporter’s affiliations, given he was pursuing issues that chimed with Reform’s agenda. Wright said: “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.
My political links could hardly be more public. The extraordinary footage obtained by my colleague Christian Drogan speaks for itself. How he chooses to vote is his own business.” Drogan said he had been motivated by “getting to the heart of the biggest issues facing our country”.
Video footage and audio recordings used to evidence an investigation are about as pure as you can get when it comes to trying to find and document issues that others would prefer to hide and deny.” Murdoch’s company News UK, which owns TalkTV, did not respond to requests for comment. Drogan is part of a “citizen journalism” website called Watchman. He also posts material on social media and has previously appeared on TalkTV as a reporter who was on the ground during a riot in Belfast earlier this year.
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