It has emerged that an article posted on the personal blog of Matthew Gordon-Banks, a former British MP, appears to have been plagiarised from Russian state-owned news agency TASS.
A match of such magnitude raises questions of journalistic and ethical integrity. When substantial portions of an article mirror another source, it raises concerns about originality and the content’s authenticity.
When someone has served as an MP, they are not only subjected to the rigorous standards of public service, but they also (for the most part, at least) carry a legacy that commands respect and trust. The words and actions of a former MP continue to reverberate even after their official tenure, as they still hold sway over sections of the public and their peers.
Borrowing content, especially from a state-owned agency with potential biases, doesn’t merely raise eyebrows over journalistic ethics; it calls into question the broader responsibility that former public servants hold in maintaining public trust. There are also other articles published by Gordon-Banks featuring large sections of text lifted from Sputnik and other Russian state sources, but we’ll explore those at a later date.
With that established, let’s look at the striking resemblance between the article published by Gordon-Banks, and the article published by TASS.
The Comparison
A closer examination of the two articles reveals that while the initial section of Gordon-Banks’ piece appears to be reworded, the remainder is nearly identical to the TASS publication. Additionally, the TASS article’s use of American English is also mirrored in Gordon-Banks’ work, further fueling the allegations.
A 77.4% match suggests that a significant portion of the content is identical between what Gordon-Banks has published and what TASS has published. While it’s possible for two different articles on the same topic to have some overlap in phrasing or facts, such a high degree of similarity demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is the same article.
According to Lisa, an expert in media and communications that I spoke to, “It’s highly unethical for anyone to plagiarize work, especially from a Russian state-owned news agency, and present it as their own. Such actions can lead many to perceive it as promoting Russian propaganda.”
Lisa also commented, “It’s ironic that while Mr. Gordon-Banks asserts he doesn’t typically quote Russian diplomats or figures, there seem to be instances where Russian state positions are replicated verbatim in his work.”
Why Do I Believe It’s Russian Propaganda?
It’s vital to discern potential biases or propagandist tendencies when examining an article online. As I looked at the article from TASS which was republished by Gordon-Banks, several characteristics seemed indicative of typical propaganda.
Here’s my reasoning:
- Emotionally-Charged Language: Propaganda frequently employs emotionally-laden language to guide readers towards a particular viewpoint. In this piece, phrases like “Ukraine is fated either to capitulate on Moscow’s terms or cease to exist as a state” are evidently crafted to provoke strong reactions, indicating a lack of impartiality.
- One-Sided Perspective: Balanced journalism strives to present various sides of a story. In stark contrast, the TASS article primarily paints a negative image of Ukraine, the U.S., and European nations, without affording any counter-arguments or alternative views. This singular approach often aims to reinforce a specific narrative.
- Grandiose and Unsupported Claims: Propaganda often hinges on bold statements that may not be underpinned by solid evidence. Assertions in the article, such as “Ukraine has lost 53.7% of its population since 2014” or drawing direct links between Ukraine’s actions and European financial woes, are dramatic and require thorough verification.
- Absence of Source Verification: Trustworthy journalism is rooted in verifiable sources. As such, the statistics and quotes in the article should be corroborated with other reputable news agencies. In the absence of such cross-checking, readers risk being swayed by potentially skewed information.
- Agency’s Reputation and Ownership: Recognising the origins of news is paramount. TASS is a state-affiliated Russian news agency. Like many such agencies around the world, its content might bear influences or align with governmental stances. While not every article they produce is propaganda, it’s wise to approach their pieces with a degree of caution, always seeking secondary verification from neutral outlets.
Taking these factors into account, there’s a convincing argument that the TASS article exhibits propagandist tendencies.
The Track Record
As of publication, there hasn’t been an official statement or clarification from Matthew Gordon-Banks regarding these allegations, but last time we asked for comment we received abuse. You can read more on that here.
Update – When challenged, well, this happened. Gordon-Banks added an attribution and pretended it was there all along.
Matthew, this is false. We archived the original version of this article before we contacted you. It did not include what you have only now added at the bottom, it made no mention of or reference to TASS. You added this and are now pretending it was there all along. Here is a… pic.twitter.com/wolZuCQ8WK
— UK Defence Journal (@UKDefJournal) October 2, 2023
Detection of plagiarism is a useful application of AI perhaps.
Reading Mr Gordon Bank’s bio on Wiki I would say he is not a well man. I prescribe an extended spell of gardening leave.
Judging by the fact he seems incapable of putting an intelligible sentence together rather supports that, which perhaps equally accounts for the fact that whenever possible he goes for the copy and paste technique.
Agree. The piece is not the result of an ordered mind. Quoting from others is ok but you must attribute the quote to its author. He seems to have a history of impetuousness; chopping and changing careers and politics etc. He needs to slow his mind down, spend a few weeks with the monks 🙂
Chat GPT strikes again, every time an AI reads the internet it turns in to a right wing nazi troll 😀
Good spot. Joseph Goebbels; “ If you repeat a lie often enough people will believe it and you will even come to believe it yourself.”
Its a copy and paste …. I think you are clueless about what AI is …the I requires it to be intelligent in that the program teaches itself without code changing
makes you wonder what is rattling around in serving MP,s heads, if this is the standard of an ex MP…
Considering how many ex Ministers find their way onto GBNews I rather think we can make pretty accurate guesses and that’s just the perceived right wingers, the equally suspect left wingers or those that don’t simply flip flop as seems to be the modern trend, are no doubt finding their own warped avenues for self expression despite Starmer’s attempts to clamp down. Really concerned about where we are headed as Malicious and manipulative output from extremists generally is often effective amongst elements of susceptible public opinion who have traditionally felt powerless but are now being used by self serving powerful… Read more »
Well said.
Not only that but even more worrying is the current Governments sinister tracking and banning of anyone that has been critical of current Government policy from speaking at Government supported events even if those people are experts in their field… They are effectively suppressing dissent. These are not necessarily people that have gone on TV to rip the Government apart it can be people that have at some point posted a social media post that suggests disagreement with policy etc. All sorts of people are being tracked and have dossiers of 70 odd pages of emails, social media posts etc… Read more »
“When someone has served as an MP…they also (for the most part, at least) carry a legacy that commands respect and trust.” I don’t know anybody who would agree with that statement. Gordon-Banks is just the latest exemplar of why that is.
Few MPs have, or indeed deserve any such gravitas but of course it is in Parliament’s interest to generate the opposite perception. Unfortunately this is the result, idiots and often ill motivated figures are given a power and stays to express their deluded views. Parliament and our Democracy generally needs a substantial overhaul.
It’s more a statement of the failings of our society, people in parliament are the symptom but all the MP’s I know are good people but they are all centrist labour.
To be honest, most MP’s that hold moderate more centrist views are often the more sane and reasonable individuals. There are a number of Conservative MPs that are more than reasonable, However they have been pushed to the fringes or pushed totally out. Labour were in grave danger of that happening under Corbyn but thankfully he fell from grace before he could complete his purge. Hopefully the current Conservative Government can also fall way before it has totally moved too far to the right while and while there are still Conservative MPs who occupy the more centre right ground… Extremes… Read more »
I think it used to be true, the Profumo Scandal was a big deal back in the day, but so many affairs and scandals later, a modern day Christine Keeler wouldn’t rate more than a couple of column inches. The expenses scandal was probably the final nail in the coffin for many. When it came out that the Commons had voted to make MPs exempt from the Freedom of Information Bill and only the House of Lords’ refusal had allowed MPs expenses to come to light, it showed that it wasn’t just the odd rotten apple. It was the odd… Read more »
Much of the issue is that so few people are in political party’s to pick MP’s. If people are not prepared to put in the effort they should not complain about the results. The average labour MP gets selected on less than 100 votes. I’m guessing the average Tory is picked by less than 20.
Wikipedia suggests he was a liberal until 2016 having swopped parties, so your average might be even lower!
I’ve never heard of a back bencher not being a joke.
I think their are many good MP’s who genuinely want to do good and serve the public. They just don’t all make it to the top job’s.
There is a difference between a personal blog and journalism, admittedly those lines are bluring. If this was published by one of the major media companies then it would be concerning, like the daily mail blindly publishing lies made by the home Secretary without fact checking them, even though it seems they knew they looked wrong. Media regulation is required at this point, as multiple media companies blindly publish statements by PMs or other vested interest parties as facts without checking or challenging them (which is clearly has an impact on democracy), but media regulation is a very complex topic… Read more »
It is common cause, that the main qualification for being an MP, is that of being the village idiot. What is of greater concern, is the level of intelligence of those whose job it is to select these persons: which also seems to be microscopic.
MP’s are selected by the members of political parties in their constituency. Are you a member of a political party?
Just because an MP is selected by their party does not mean you need to vote for them in an election… So part of the blame is on the party for picking them in the first place – I know friend of mine who are members of the conservative party and have effectively been pushed out by the sheer number of more extreme members. I also know a member of the labour party who was shouted at and threatened by the other local members when bringing up problems with a pro Corbyn candidate (this was back when Corbyn was the… Read more »
Local Conservative associations also have potential candidates fostered on them, as well being informed that it might not be a good idea to select candidate A or B. The rot for both main political parties is that it is the Party HQ’s that are riddled with “group think”, and if a potential candidate does not align with the “correct” views they are unlikely to be certified as a suitable candidate to represent said party. The major concern for all of us is that often “mediocre/ poor” candidates are selected to stand for “non winnable” seats, and then a couple of… Read more »
He since appears to have attributed TASS at the bottom – although not exactly front and centre!
Thank heavens he’s a long-discredited has-been. I can’t imagine many people would find that.
The first thing I noticed on his website was the Comic Sans-esque font at the header 😀
I bet it was the fact they both use chat GPT to write the article…
Respect and trust? MP? Used in the same sentence? W T actual F?
Is this the fat geezer who travelled up to Scotland in which to toss the caber , with a load of younger men and then after getting exposed for his love for man fat did his best “See you jimmy” impression towards those who exposed what a pregnant fish he is.
Don’t leave him alone with anything sharp! or for that matter don’t leave him alone with anybody.
Another one of the west is evil and it’s all their fault brigade. Never offer any solutions.
Might as well give up and start learning Russian and Chinese for when they take over the world. 😂😂😂
Send him to a front line trench and he can report back in a month how much of a failure Ukraine is making. If he makes it back alive.
This guy Gordon “throbber” Banks remains a throbber! He has a very suspect history both in politics and in hotels with teenage males!!!!!
I think it is a mistake to even comment on this man’s article . His record is dreadful – thrown out of the Lib Dems for very nasty anti semitic comments and jailed for an appalling driving offence