Latest press reports on UC

An update from DWP seems to suggest that this article resulted from DWP working with the Money Saving Expert website: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/what-benefits-am-i-better-off/

I’m not sure what form this work took and I can’t see anything on the web page which suggests there’s a link so not sure if I’ve got this right…

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-05-24/8090

Interesting research on ‘local news deserts’ ... findings include that:

Local news providers are seen as repeating institutional lines by publishing press releases uncritically instead of reporting independently

https://cjproject.org/research-projects
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/jun/15/local-papers-lose-out-to-facebook-as-uk-towns-become-news-deserts

From Disability New Service:

Questions have emerged over the role played by local news websites across the country in increasing the number of disabled people applying for disability benefits, casting fresh doubts on the government’s key argument for spending cuts ....

... after being alerted by a disabled campaigner, Disability News Service is now asking if the publication of countless news stories on local media websites over the last couple of years could also be playing a significant role in the increasing number of disabled people applying for PIP ...

These “clickbait” news stories follow a familiar pattern, with headlines telling readers “DWP to pay extra £362 a month for one of these 23 conditions”, “DWP says it’ll pay £691 to people with any of 87 common conditions” or “87 common muscle and joint conditions that qualify you for £737 from DWP”.

The headlines are written in a way that is likely to encourage people with those health conditions to visit the news website to investigate if there is financial support that they could qualify for, particularly in a cost-of-living crisi ....

More: Could clickbait news articles help explain why PIP claims are rising so fast?