Lobbying firm under fire over payments to journalists
A political lobbying firm co-founded by Lynton Crosby, a campaign strategist who previously worked for both David Cameron and Boris Johnson, has been accused of secretly paying journalists to write articles favourable to its clients, according to a Guardian investigation.
The report alleges that lobbyists for CT Group told an undercover reporter that they had paid journalists to place apparently independent stories in newspapers. The lobbying firm is said to have offered hundreds of pounds in cash incentives to secure coverage for a property industry client, with the promise of increased editorial control in return.
Coverage and reactions
Following the investigation, MPs, senior lobbyists and transparency campaigners have called on CT Group to reveal the full extent of the payments, some describing the practice as a "dangerous attack on democracy."
Alastair McCapra, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, said: "Lobbyists paying journalists to produce apparently independent articles is an attack on the ethics of journalism, public relations and, indeed, on democracy." He noted that CT Group is not a member of the institute, and added that while most practitioners operate ethically, such practices undermine the profession's credibility.
Jemimah Steinfeld, chief executive of Index on Censorship, described the practice as "shortsighted and frankly dangerous," and called on CT Group to launch an internal investigation.
Steve Goodrich, head of research and investigations at Transparency International UK, said: "When lobbyists secretly pay journalists to write favourable coverage for their clients, it undermines the integrity of the press." He added that the investigation raises serious questions about the transparency of lobbying activities.
Key claims
The Guardian's investigation alleges that CT Group paid journalists for favourable articles and that lobbyists offered cash incentives to place stories. The firm is reported to have a turnover of £40 million a year.
Recent clients of CT Group are said to include Philip Morris and Manchester City football club, according to one part of the report. Another section of the investigation lists Airbus Defence and Space and Philip Morris as recent clients.
The investigation also details specific conversations between CT Group employees and an undercover reporter. It describes how Gavin Stollar, head of CT's real estate division, approached a freelance journalist and offered to pay him to pitch a story to a British national newspaper about problems caused for the housebuilding industry by the Building Safety Regulator, which was set up following the Grenfell Tower fire.
According to the report, Stollar hoped the journalist would write about the human consequences of the UK's housing shortage and suggest the regulator was making the situation worse. The journalist was led to understand that they would be paid both by the newspaper and by CT Group, which has property industry clients.
Other CT Group staff are said to have proposed that the freelance journalist be paid to write stories as part of its work for Live-In Guardians, a property guardianship company. One staff member reportedly said: "You can do it either way. We don't have to pay you, and you just go off..." (the text is cut off there).
CT Group's response
In response to the allegations, CT Group said the events had been "deliberately mischaracterised" and that they did not engage the undercover journalist to do anything and did not pay him anything.
Calls have been made for an overhaul of lobbying rules and for CT Group to disclose the full extent of the practice, which was exposed after a four-month investigation by the Guardian.