What are facts?
When I was growing up, facts were evidence-based things that were proven to be true.
Then, more recently, we got “alternative facts”.
These are facts that are not based on evidence, or reality, but more a desire for something to be true to fit a predetermined narrative.
Sometimes these alternative facts can be very similar to lies.
Alternative facts were the brainchild of Kellyanne Conway, former-press secretary to fact-hating, file-hoarding, Donald Trump.
Trump himself had a novel way of dealing with facts – which was to call the ones he didn’t like “fake news”.
An early vocal supporter of Donald Trump was, of course, Piers Morgan.
And now I wonder if Piers has taken up the mantle of fake news made famous by his former friend.
He and I got into a bit of a Twitter disagreement this week.
For when the glorified shock-jockey is not storming off his own TV show or blaming Meghan Markle for almost everything in life, he is broadcasting to his 7.9million followers on the social media platform.
That’s a lot of followers.
I assume Piers is very proud of that number and smiles about it in his free time when Meghan allows him to.
But with that number of followers there also comes responsibility, especially when the person claims to be a journalist.
Sadly, this week, Piers let himself down on that front.
Piers Morgan Tweet only told half the story
On Tuesday he tweeted: “Jailed for not wanting to call a singular person ‘they’ – what a ridiculous farce. How can anyone believe this is right in a supposedly free, democratic society?”
He linked it to a Daily Mail article about the case of Enoch Burke – an Irish teacher jailed for breaching a court order to stay away from his school while suspended.
The suspension arose after Burke refused to call a pupil by their preferred pronoun.
However there are widespread allegations that other factors also played a part in his suspension.
I read the story. The catalyst for his incarceration was his refusal to call a transgender student ‘they’. I don’t agree with some of these teacher’s views but for him to be jailed is… outrageous. https://t.co/D3SFpmc4pX
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 6, 2022
Regardless of all of that though, there are two facts.
1. Enoch Burke was jailed for breaching a court order to stay away from his school while suspended.
2. Enoch Burke was not jailed for refusing to call a pupil “they”.
The judge even made it clear in their summation that the jail term was for contempt and the reason for suspension played zero part in the outcome.
When truth is a casualty of the war on woke
The transgender debate is a volatile enough subject. It does not need further incorrect sensationalism poured upon it.
And Piers was corrected on his mistake by me and many more.
But instead of accepting his error and deleting the inflammatory tweet, he doubled-down, moving the goalposts to try to better suit his own, alternative, narrative.
Because who cares about the truth when you can incite some anti-woke-war?
And so the fact remains.
Enoch Burke was not jailed for refusing to call a pupil “they.”
He was jailed for breaching a court order to not attend school while suspended.
And if you don’t believe me – believe Reuters Fact Check.
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