Kuenssberg's Email Blunder: What Really Happened?

Kuenssberg, the BBC journalist, managed to make one of the most talked mistakes in recent British political journalism. She was prepping for what could have been a hard hitting interview with Boris Johnson, getting ready to grill him on COVID, Brexit, and the infamous Partygate scandal. But then, she did something baffling: she accidentally sent her interview notes directly to Johnson. That's right, she sent the man she was supposed to challenge a cheat sheet of what was coming his way.

Now, Kuenssberg claims this was a genuine mistake, one that meant she had no choice but to cancel the interview. Why? Because, according to her, giving a politician the questions in advance takes away the integrity of the interview. Seems legit, right? Or is it? Let’s unpack this.

First off, I’m not buying it. And I’m sure many of you aren’t either. It’s not rocket science to change the questions. Imagine she had planned to ask Johnson about how Brexit’s been going (classic). Instead of asking if he thought Brexit was a success (where he’d obviously reel off some pre packaged nonsense), why not hit him with: "Can you name three solid benefits of Brexit?" That would’ve thrown him off for sure. Instead of scrapping the whole thing, Kuenssberg could have just altered the questions slightly to keep him on his toes.

I mean, think about it. There are a thousand ways to interrogate Boris Johnson. He’s got so many scandals under his belt, it’s like trying to pick which flavour of ice cream to get at a shop with 50 options. You just go with what works. Ask him if he regrets dodging COBRA meetings during the pandemic. Push him on the £37 billion test-and-trace debacle. Don’t want to bring up cakegate? Fine, ask him if he’ll apologise for lying to Parliament instead. But the fact Kuenssberg completely dropped the interview raises questions.

Now, I’m not saying she deliberately handed him the notes to make his life easier. But the whole situation is fishy, right? The BBC is supposed to hold power to account, not hand over a cheat sheet. It’s no wonder the right wing press had a field day with this, but it’s equally frustrating for those of us who want real, fearless journalism.

What's even weirder is that Kuenssberg, trying to laugh off the situation, started telling stories about other people who’ve made similar mistakes, as if that softens the blow. One story involves a Prime Minister’s aide sending an email to the PM calling him a "very bad word" during Prime Minister’s Questions, no less. Yeah, funny story, Laura, but does it really excuse your blunder?

The reality is this: something smells off here. Either she was put under pressure to send those questions, or she made a colossal blunder and is now scrambling to make it seem like no big deal. But the British public aren’t stupid. We see through these kinds of smoke screens. The only ones benefiting from this mess are the Tories and Johnson, who gets to dodge tough questions once again.

Let’s not forget, journalism is about accountability. If you can’t think of another way to challenge Boris Johnson on three of the biggest issues facing the UK, then what are we even doing here? It’s hard enough getting these politicians to face the music without journalists helping them out.

What's the takeaway? We need journalists who are sharper than ever, especially with a government as chaotic and scandal-ridden as this one. We don’t need embarrassing slip ups or excuses. What we need is for the media to do its job: hold the powerful to account, no matter who they are. Kuenssberg have messed up. That's unforgivable.