Corbynista spin factory The Canary has joined Max Mosley’s state-backed press regulator Impress. It might seem like they were made for each other, but The Canary‘s less than reality-based offerings will surely pose the acid test for Impress’s already laughable claim at impartiality. Interesting how it’s always mad lefty sites who want to sign up to this particular regulator…

Clause 9 of the Impress Standards Code on suicide might cause an issue. It states: “When reporting on suicide or self-harm, publishers must not provide excessive details of the method used or speculate on the motives.” Wonder what they’d think of the Canary‘s now infamous piece publishing lurid details and speculation about a junior doctor’s suicide to bash Jeremy Hunt. With gross disregard for Samaritans reporting advice.

Then there is Clause 1 of the Impress Code on accuracy: “Publishers must always distinguish clearly between statements of fact, conjecture and opinion. Whilst free to be partisan, publishers must not misrepresent or distort the facts.” You can take your pick of previous Canary stories which would have breached this, for example this article still up which wrongly claims a Sun journalist impersonated a Grenfell victim. Not to mention the time they published as fact a debunked pro-Assad conspiracy theory by a discredited author. Look forward to Impress properly holding them to account…