The Disability News Service, the UK's only blog dedicated to disability campaigns and organisations, has reported how disability campaigners are joining the broad coalition of groups, including many LGBTQIA+ ones, in drawing attention to the attacks on minorities made in the British right wing newspapers, such as the Times, Telegraph and Daily Mail, to name a few.

John Pring, editor in chief at the DNS, writes: "Disabled people’s organisations across the UK have suggested a range of ways in which they and their allies could fight back against the “deeply concerning” rise in hostile media coverage that is targeting disabled people."

Disability charities have highlighted numerous examples of frankly murderous hatred aimed at the disabled community by right wingers. Sometimes, these are just ignorant and crass, such as TERF feminist Kathleen Stock's bizarre rant in the Times asking why women use walking sticks; but at other times, they are pointed and evil, such as  a column by Jeremy Clarkson in the Sunday Times, in which he compared disabled benefit claimants to dogs. Last year, broadcaster GB News insisted it had nothing to apologise for after a right-wing commentator and comedian suggested the best way to cut the number of disabled people claiming benefits was to starve or shoot them. And broadcasting watchdog Ofcom cleared Talk TV over comments made by journalist Isabel Oakeshott, who had described some young people on disability benefits as “parasites”. It is of note that the Good Law Project has also underlined the apparent unwillingness of OFCOM to protect the interests of minorities slandered on the right wing news feeds.

The Disability News Service reports "The Campaign for Disability Justice, part of Inclusion Barnet, said disabled people need to “tell our own truths”, rather than try to persuade those who have made discriminatory comments that they are wrong. Caroline Collier, Inclusion Barnet’s chief executive, said: “Often when we disagree with someone about important issues – like disabled rights – we tell them they are wrong. “But research into communications shows it never changes their mind, it can even leave people believing the incorrect thing more strongly. “Instead, we need to tell our own truths, as disabled people, and show how disabled rights and equality are about who we are as a society and country, and all the things we all believe in.”

Building disabled community media to tell the truth of our lives is something that LGBTQIA people will be familiar with. From the creation of Gay News in 1972, through many papers, magazines and underground news sheets, through to contemporary community and internet broadcasters, LGBTQIA people have organised to get our truths to the public and provide a service that enriches the whole of society.

With this in mind, disabled campaigners are building grass roots media. Current broadcasters include Able Radio from Torfaen, at https://www.able.wales/listen-to-the-radio and Access all Aerials in Exeter https://accessallaerials.yolasite.com/. Spiral Waves Radio is achieving similar in Sussex https://www.spiralsussex.org/general-3-1. A radio network for blind and partially sighted people - RNIB Connect Radio, transmits across the UK on Freeview Channel 730. Many local community radio stations carry programmes by and for disabled people, such as Soho Radio's Heart and Soul strand.

For a full discussion on how to campaign against the right wing papers and their anti-disabled, anti-LGBT, anti-benefits bias, visit the Disability News Service. https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/how-to-fight-back-against-rising-tide-of-hostile-media-coverage-targeting-disabled-people/

https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/