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In:Manufacturing Dissent: Manipulation and counter-manipulation in times of crisis
Edited by Cornelia Ilie
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 339] 2024
► pp. 186–214

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Chapter 6
How can governments be prevented from manipulating statistics about Covid-19?

An example from UK politics

 | The University of Edinburgh
 | Loughborough University
Published online: 17 January 2024
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.339.06mar
Abstract
This chapter is part of a project examining how politicians manipulate statistics and how they can be institutionally countered. We rhetorically analyse how the Chair of the United Kingdom Statistics Authority countered the Minister of Health who was manipulating the statistics for Covid-19 testing. The Chair wrote two public letters to the Minister. The first was diplomatically phrased. When this letter failed to achieve its purpose, the Chair wrote a more directly critical letter, which was effective. We analyse the letters and how they were reported in the UK national press. The diplomatic letter was virtually ignored, but the second letter was widely reported, with newspapers framing the story as a respected independent ‘watchdog’ censuring a minister for misusing statistics.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Manipulating statistics
  • 3.The exchange of letters
  • 4.Press coverage of Norgrove’s first letter
  • 5.Norgrove’s second letter
  • 6.Newspaper coverage of Norgrove’s second letter
  • 7.Norgrove recruiting the press
  • 8.Absences in presenting Norgrove and his words
  • 9.Concluding comments
  • References
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Cited by (5)

Cited by five other publications

Ilie, Cornelia
2024. Manipulating citizens’ beliefs and emotions. In Manufacturing Dissent [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 339], ► pp. 85 ff. DOI logo
Ilie, Cornelia
2024. Crisis manipulation. In Manufacturing Dissent [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 339], ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Macagno, Fabrizio & Ana Carolina Trevisan
2024. Strategic communication in the Covid-19 pandemic. In Manufacturing Dissent [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 339], ► pp. 240 ff. DOI logo
Maillat, Didier & Steve Oswald
2024. Manipulation in exceptional times. In Manufacturing Dissent [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 339], ► pp. 62 ff. DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2025. How a Manipulated Covid Target Was Exposed. In Politicians Manipulating Statistics, ► pp. 216 ff. DOI logo

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