The British media failed in covering "The Lockdown Files"

The Lockdown Files – the Telegraph’s multipart exposé, drawing on a trove of WhatsApp messages from former health secretary Matt Hancock – have shed an unforgiving light on the government’s actions during the pandemic. The ministers and civil servants who imposed restrictions on our everyday lives for the best part of two years now have some serious questions to answer. The investigation has exposed the lack of protection given to care homes, the political concerns driving decisions on school closures, and the relish with which ministers brought in lockdown measures.

But despite the explosive nature of these revelations, much of the media have met the Lockdown Files with a huge dose of scepticism. Many journalists seem more interested in attacking Isabel Oakeshott, the journalist who obtained the messages from Hancock while she was co-writing his book about the pandemic, rather than holding the government to account. What’s driving these warped priorities on the part of the media?