Elon Musk has been tweeting incessantly for days about the grooming gang scandal that is shaping Britain’s political landscape, but the scandal first came to the attention of the world’s richest man 10 years ago. It can be traced back to
Charlie Peters, a student studying for a master’s degree in philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, pored over a 159-page report into child exploitation in the northern English town of Rotherham. He recalls being surprised by Professor Alexis Jay’s 2014 research which concluded that at least 1,400 children had been raped, trafficked and assaulted by men, mainly of Pakistani descent, in communities in Yorkshire. .
“I put myself in the shoes of the people I was reading about and wondered what I would do in that situation. I realized there was nothing I could do. And I felt that sense of hopelessness was so crushing. ” Peters told Deadline. “There has never been a bigger national scandal in my lifetime.”
The lightning strike ignited Peters, who channeled his anger over Jay’s findings into a career in journalism. By 2020, he had pursued a new area of research into gang grooming, speaking to survivors and local authorities and tracing it to various communities across the UK. He called for a national inquiry in a Daily Mail op-ed in 2021, and later bought a documentary showcasing his findings in some of Britain’s biggest media outlets. Just one: GB News.
In February 2023, the Conservative-leaning news channel aired ‘Grooming Gangs: Britain’s Shame’ and offered Peters a permanent job. Since then, he has continued to pursue the cause, saying he is often the only reporter in local courtrooms when abusers are brought to justice.
charlie peters
All the while, Peters’ reporting has been amplified by colleagues who pepper GB News reporting with angry monologues. Presenters such as Patrick Christies have consistently leaned into the racial side of the story, accusing the government of failing to act amid fears of harming the “Muslim community”. And it worked, and the press got a lot of attention. “Every time this story relates to British Pakistanis, viewership and traffic go up,” said a source familiar with GB News’ internal audience data.
On the last day of 2024, Musk came across an X/Twitter post from Sam Bidwell, director of the Adam Smith Institute think tank and regular GB News contributor. He “lists 20 communities in Britain that have been harmed by immigrant sex” and abuses gangsters. ” Tesla’s CEO responded with two exclamation points, and Mr. Bidwell quickly turned his attention to Peters’ report.
Mr. Musk will soon pursue this issue further. On New Year’s Day, Mr Peters’ Christmas holiday was interrupted by a letter from the British government’s security minister, Jess Phillips, saying Labor had rejected calls for a national inquiry into gang raids. Ta. When Peters scribbled a scoop about X, updates exploded, generating more than 3 million views.
Musk posted about the scandal for nine consecutive days. In the process, he called for Phillips to be jailed as a “rapist-genocide advocate.” He also branded British Prime Minister Keir Starmer “mentally insane” and “despicable” for defending Mr Phillips and for failing to pursue the suspect in Rochdale when he was Britain’s most senior prosecutor. he accused.
Mr Musk has engaged with or amplified posts by GB News and its hosts at least 37 times during this period, and this destructive network has been linked to how Donald Trump’s powerful allies consume articles. This means that it has a huge impact on the way things are done. Mr Musk’s contributions have ranged from supporting GB News commentator Alex Armstrong’s call for Mr Starmer to be removed from public office (which is impossible under the UK constitution) to commenting on Peters’ work. “What a travesty,” Musk said, sharing a thread (currently viewed 24 million times) in which Peters explained years of reporting.
Peters said Musk’s inclusion in the debate was both a blessing and a curse. He thanked the owner of Company X for shining a light on the issue, but said commentators were “laughing about the battle between Mr Musk and Mr Starmer” spilling over into talk of the Westminster bubble. I am concerned about this. Mr Peters wants to focus on victims of abuse, which is why GB News is spotlighting stories from different survivors for six consecutive days.
Elon Musk
Peters said he is serious about why Musk is interested in grooming gangs and believes he is not just stirring up hatred. The billionaire posted on Tuesday about how his grandmother Cora Amelia Robinson, from Liverpool, may have been a victim of abuse. “We looked at gang raids in Merseyside and it’s natural for him to be concerned about that,” Peters said. But GB News journalists don’t think Jess Phillips is a “rape-genocide apologist”.
Mr Musk’s interest in GB News is another sign that the rebel network is firmly established in the UK since it was launched in 2021. GB News last year shrugged off the threat of an Ofcom fine and expanded its audience reach in an environment where its main competitors were gaining viewers. BBC News and Sky News are dealing with declines. The company made a loss of 42.4 million pounds ($53 million) in 2023, but its backers, including hedge fund Brexiteer Sir Paul Marshall, said it would help fund agenda-setting efforts. It seems that he is making an effort to
Stewart Purvis, a former ITN and Ofcom executive, has criticized GB News for repeatedly breaching UK impartiality rules, but acknowledged the channel’s journalism on gang raids. “GB News has always existed for Paul Marshall to have political influence, but now he has proven that he has political influence. That’s what he thinks is a success. If that’s the case, then it’s a success,” Purvis added.
GB News star Patrick Christis invited Musk on his show to discuss rape gang stories and raise money for survivors. Mr. Musk has not yet accepted the invitation, but as Mr. Peters puts it, the tweeter’s involvement in the channel’s output is proof enough that “GB News matters.”
