TalkTV documentary sparks criticism over journalist's undisclosed Reform party ties
TalkTV is facing criticism after it did not disclose that a journalist who travelled to Britain in a small boat for a documentary was a Reform party member and activist, according to The Guardian.
The channel released the "world exclusive" documentary, Invading Britain: The Undercover Migrant Returns, on its YouTube channel, showing a year-long effort by former builder turned journalist Christian Drogan to board a small boat and cross the Channel from France into England. The documentary was promoted as the first time a British man had "invaded his own country," as reported by The Guardian.
Drogan's story was picked up by other outlets including the Times, the Telegraph and the Sun, according to The Guardian. However, TalkTV did not mention that Drogan had previously been clear that he is a Reform member who harbours ambitions of running for office for the party. Appearing on Reform's in-house podcast in June, Drogan said: "I'm a Reform party member. I attend my branch meetings. I would like to stand at some level … that's my official tie with Reform."
Media critic Mic Wright raised concerns about Drogan's political background, arguing that audiences should be given the full picture about the reporter's affiliations, given he was pursuing issues that chimed with Reform's agenda. Wright said: "It is fair enough to go and do this activity, but he's not being represented as what he is – which is a Reform activist. He is not being presented in his totality." He added: "If someone who was a member of the Labour party was on a podcast saying they were a Labour member … and then they went out and made a piece of media and an investigation that was machine-tooled to fit with the campaigning lines of the Labour party, Reform would say: 'Well, this is ridiculous – this is Labour propaganda.' It is deceptive to the viewers, readers and listeners of these titles and broadcasters."
The criticism was strongly rejected by Isabel Oakeshott, TalkTV's international editor, who is married to Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice, according to The Guardian. Oakeshott said: "There is nothing deceptive about repeatedly risking your life to establish the truth about the ongoing invasion of our country."
In the documentary, Drogan said he had been motivated by "getting to the heart of the biggest issues facing our country," as reported by The Guardian. News UK, which owns TalkTV, did not respond to requests for comment.
Context and broader coverage
The Guardian reported that in wider coverage of Drogan's channel crossing, only the Times appears to have mentioned that he was "a journalist who has campaigned for Reform UK." On TalkTV, Nigel Farage said Drogan's claim that the crossings were "a national security emergency" was the "exact phrase" he had been using. Farage said: "There are some who say: could some of them turn into a force within this country, perhaps even an army within this country? I don't think we're there yet, but the risk remains."
Oakeshott's comments on migrant journeys
In a separate TalkTV broadcast, Oakeshott and co-presenter Ian Collins discussed the documentary and showed footage of migrant boat crossings, according to the Daily Express. Oakeshott said many migrants' journeys have taken them through countries where they stayed for very long periods before choosing to come to the UK. She said migrants do not voluntarily get off boats before reaching the UK, and that traffickers arrange for them to disembark before the crossing. She also said many migrants come from horrific backgrounds and are desensitised to violence, with some glorifying it and using WhatsApp pictures of themselves with guns, as reported by the Daily Express.
Viewers were outraged by the footage and comments, with one saying on X: "Anyone who thinks the government isn't complicit is a fool," according to the Daily Express.