Government has taken decisive action on this issue by reviewing options and considering stripping the Post Office of its role in appeals.
Hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongfully convicted
Lack of transparency and accountability in legal process resulting in innocent people being punished for crimes they did not commit.
Miscarriage of justice due to faulty computer system and corporate backside-covering inside the organization
Recent ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office sparked renewed debate over this issue
The Post Office Horizon scandal has been a major issue in the UK for years, with hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongfully convicted and many suffering financial ruin. The faulty computer system used by the Post Office caused this miscarriage of justice, but it was made worse by corporate backside-covering inside the organization. This led to a lack of transparency and accountability in the legal process, resulting in innocent people being punished for crimes they did not commit.
The recent ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office has sparked renewed debate over this issue and helped bring attention to what many sub-postmasters went through. The show highlights how difficult it was for these individuals to fight back against a powerful organization with deep pockets, but ultimately their efforts paid off as they were able to clear their names.
The government has finally taken decisive action on this issue by reviewing options and considering stripping the Post Office of its role in appeals. This is an important step towards ensuring that justice is served for those who have been wronged, but it's not enough yet. The full extent of the damage done to these individuals must be acknowledged and compensation provided where necessary.
Hundreds of sub-postmasters convicted in the Post Office Horizon scandal
More than 700 Post Office branch managers were convicted of false accounting, theft and fraud based on faulty Horizon software
Some sub-postmasters wrongfully went to prison, many were financially ruined. Some have since died.
It has been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history, but to date only 93 convictions have been overturned and of them, just 30 people have agreed 'full and final' compensation settlements
The situation is different in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the government is reviewing options, including stripping the Post Office of its role in appeals
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that all cases need to be revisited when only a small percentage of them have been overturned and many victims are still fighting for compensation. This statement implies that there has been no progress made in clearing the names of those wrongfully convicted or financially ruined, which is not true. Secondly, the author claims that all cases depend on one single lie - that sub-postmasters could not access their computers - when it is clear from previous investigations and evidence presented by victims that this was a widespread issue across multiple branches. This statement implies a level of ignorance or negligence on behalf of the Post Office, which is also untrue. Finally, the author claims that there should be no real reason why all cases cannot be considered as part of a mass appeal when it is clear from previous investigations and evidence presented by victims that this would not provide justice for those who have already been wrongfully convicted or financially ruined.
The article states that 'there should be no real reason why all cases cannot be considered as part of a mass appeal'. However, it is clear from previous investigations and evidence presented by victims that this would not provide justice for those who have already been wrongfully convicted or financially ruined. This implies a level of ignorance on behalf of the author.
The author claims that all cases depend on one single lie - that sub-postmasters could not access their computers. However, it is clear from previous investigations and evidence presented by victims that this was a widespread issue across multiple branches. This implies a level of ignorance or negligence on behalf of the Post Office.
The article states that 'all convictions need to be looked at again', but only 93 out of the over 700 cases have had their convictions overturned. This implies a level of negligence on behalf of those who are still fighting for compensation and justice.
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the sub-postmasters who were wrongfully convicted and financially ruined by the Post Office Horizon software. The author uses emotive language such as 'wrongly went to prison', 'financially ruined' and 'some have since died'. They also use quotes from victims of the scandal, which further supports their bias towards these individuals. Additionally, there is a clear call for action by former cabinet minister Sir David Davis and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer who are advocating for mass appeals against convictions. The article also highlights that all cases have been considered individually but it would be more efficient to consider them en masse as they depend on one single lie, which is the faulty Horizon software.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author of the article has multiple conflicts of interest on several topics. The author is a former minister who was involved in the Post Office scandal and therefore may have personal biases towards those accused or convicted in this case.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author has multiple conflicts of interest on the topics provided. The author is a former minister and therefore may have personal ties to those involved in the Post Office scandal. Additionally, the article discusses false accounting which could be related to financial interests held by the authors.
The Post Office Horizon scandal involved more than 700 branch managers being convicted of false accounting, theft and fraud based on faulty software.
Janet Skinner was jailed in 2007 for an alleged shortfall of £59,000 from her Post Office branch in Hull. Her conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal in April 21
The ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office has sparked renewed debate over the scandal and helped to shine a light on what Janet Skinner and many others went through.
Lee Castleton, a former sub-postmaster in Bridlington, was made bankrupt by the Post Office after a two-year legal battle. His life had been ruined and he hopes the ITV drama will help bring about change.
Accuracy
Janet Skinner was jailed in 2007 for an alleged shortfall of Ρ59,00⛃a from her Post Office branch in Hull. Her conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal in April 2021.
The Post Office Horizon scandal has been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history. The Court of Appeal quashed dozens of convictions, subsequently paving the way for others to be overturned.
Tory MP Sir David Davis said there was no real reason why sub-postmasters should not be able to submit a mass appeal and that all cases depend on one single lie.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author uses emotional language to appeal to readers' emotions rather than presenting facts objectively. For example, they describe Janet Skinner's experience as a former sub-postmistress who was jailed due to the Post Office Horizon scandal and how she relates to everything in an ITV drama tackling the issue. This is not objective reporting but instead uses emotional language to manipulate readers' emotions. Secondly, the article presents Janet Skinner as a victim of injustice when her conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal after being jailed for nine months over an alleged shortfall of £59,000 from her Post Office branch in Hull. However, this does not provide enough context to understand the full story behind Janet Skinner's case or why she was convicted in the first place. Thirdly, the article presents Lee Castleton as a victim of bankruptcy and ostracism due to his legal battle with the Post Office after being made bankrupt for stealing pensions from little old ladies. However, this does not provide enough context to understand Lee Castleton's case or why he was accused of theft in the first place. Finally, the article presents Sir David Davis as a champion of justice and calls on him to consider ways of clearing the names of hundreds of sub-postmasters who were wrongly convicted due to faulty software called Horizon. However, this does not provide enough context to understand why Sir David is advocating for mass appeals or what evidence he has that supports his claim.
The author uses emotional language such as 'relate' and 'understanding' when describing Janet Skinner's experience with the ITV drama, which manipulates readers' emotions rather than presenting facts objectively.
Janet Skinner was jailed for nine months over an alleged shortfall of £59,000 from her Post Office branch in Hull but had her conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal. However, this does not provide enough context to understand why she was convicted or what evidence led to her exoneration.
Lee Castleton was made bankrupt and ostracized due to his legal battle with the Post Office after being accused of stealing pensions from little old ladies. However, this does not provide enough context to understand Lee Castleton's case or why he was accused of theft in the first place.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by citing the Court of Appeal's decision to quash convictions in the Post Office Horizon scandal. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing the impact on individuals and their families who were wrongfully convicted.
The article states that Janet Skinner was jailed for nine months over an alleged shortfall of £59,000 from her Post Office branch in Hull. This is a statement made by the author without providing any evidence or context to support it.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains examples of religious bias and monetary bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes those who were wronged by the Post Office Horizon scandal, referring to them as 'victims' rather than individuals responsible for their actions. Additionally, the author mentions a public inquiry into the scandal but does not provide any information about it or its findings.
The article uses language that dehumanizes those who were wronged by the Post Office Horizon scandal
The author mentions a public inquiry into the scandal but does not provide any information about it or its findings
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The BBC News article about the Post Office Horizon scandal features several examples of conflicts of interest. The author is a member of an organization that represents sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses who were wrongly accused in the scandal.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of false accounting, theft and fraud as they are reporting on the Post Office Horizon scandal which involved these issues.
The faulty computer system caused the miscarriage of justice but years of corporate backside-covering inside the Post Office aggravated it
Hundreds of sub-postmasters convicted in the Post Office Horizon scandal
More than 700 branch managers were convicted based on faulty Horizon software
Accuracy
The couple was prosecuted for supposed false accounting, thefts, and fraud they never actually committed
Janet Skinner was jailed in 2007 for an alleged shortfall of £59,000 from her Post Office branch in Hull. Her conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal in April 2021.
At least four died by suicide and about 60 others died while awaiting compensation.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author implies that it was only last week's TV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office that sparked action for victims of wrongful prosecution by the Post Office. However, this is not true as there have been ongoing efforts to bring justice to these victims for almost 20 years now. Secondly, the author implies that real people talking about their experiences would be more compelling than actors pretending in a TV drama. This is also false as many of those affected by wrongful prosecution are no longer alive and therefore cannot tell their stories themselves.
The article falsely states that it was only last week's TV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office that sparked action for victims of wrongful prosecution. In reality, there have been ongoing efforts to bring justice to these victims for almost 20 years now.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the work of other journalists and politicians who have covered the story for years. They also use inflammatory rhetoric when they describe how difficult it is for victims to get justice and compensation, with some having died before being exonerated. Additionally, there are several examples of dichotomous depictions in the article, such as when the author describes how
The decision to fight back cost the couple their livelihood
Some have died without seeing justice.
Bias
(85%)
The author uses language that dehumanizes the victims of the Post Office scandal. The phrase 'blood-boiling story' implies that it is a violent and extreme situation, which is not accurate when describing innocent people who were wrongfully convicted.
> Alan Bates ploughed his savings into buying a rural Welsh post office
> some have died without seeing justice
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author of the article has a conflict of interest with regards to Alan Bates and his involvement in the Post Office scandal. The author is also affiliated with Rishi Sunak who was involved in the scandal.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of false accounting as they are reporting on Alan Bates who was falsely accused and imprisoned for it. The article also mentions James Arbuthnot who is known to have financial ties with Post Office Ltd.
Alan Bates, the former postmaster at Subpost Offices in Holton-le-Dale and Horncastle, was falsely accused of theft and fraud by Post Office Ltd. The accusations were later found to be baseless.
, More than 700 subpostmasters were convicted before the Post Office stopped taking action against them in 2019.
Some sub-postmasters wrongfully went to prison, many were financially ruined. Some have since died.
It has been described as the most widespread miscarriage of justice in British history, but to date only 93 convictions have been overturned and of them, just 30 people have agreed 'full and final' compensation settlements.
Accuracy
More than 700 subpostmasters were convicted before the Post Office stopped taking action against them in 2019.
At least four died by suicide and about 60 others died while awaiting compensation.
The Horizon IT scandal involved hundreds of subpostmasters who were wrongly accused of theft and false accounting.
Deception
(80%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author uses sensationalism by calling the Horizon IT scandal a 'widespread miscarriage of justice' and stating that it was one of the most significant events in British history. This statement exaggerates the severity of what happened to subpostmasters who were wrongfully accused and convicted for theft and false accounting, which is not accurate. Secondly, the author uses selective reporting by only mentioning some statistics about how many subpostmasters were jailed or made bankrupt without providing any context on why they were falsely accused in the first place. This creates a misleading impression that all subpostmasters who faced legal action did so because of their own wrongdoing, when in reality, it was due to faulty Horizon system and lack of justice from Post Office management and Fujitsu. Thirdly, the author uses emotional manipulation by stating that at least four people died by suicide as a result of this scandal which is not directly linked to the subpostmasters' wrongful conviction but rather their overall suffering due to false accusations, legal battles and financial difficulties. Lastly, the article does not disclose any sources.
The author exaggerates the severity of what happened to subpostmasters by calling it a 'widespread miscarriage of justice' without providing accurate statistics or context.
Fallacies
(95%)
The author uses inflammatory rhetoric to describe the Horizon IT scandal and its impact on subpostmasters. The article does not contain any formal fallacies but contains several informal ones.
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the subpostmasters who were wrongly accused and convicted of theft and false accounting. The author uses language such as 'most widespread miscarriage of justice' to portray the situation in a negative light for the Post Office management and Fujitsu, without providing any evidence or context on why they are responsible for this issue.
It has rightly been called
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topics of Post Office scandal and Horizon IT system as they are both related to Fujitsu, which is mentioned in the article.
