UnHerd

[[File:Herd of cows on the sea bank - geograph.org.uk - 3665300.jpg|thumb|right|165px|A cow herd]]
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{{cquote|It's the site for awful people which pretends it's 'rational'.|||Mic Wright<ref name=wright/>}}
'''UnHerd''' is a [[UK|British]] [[right-wing]] current affairs website launched in 2017. Its symbol, at least initially a cow, apparently an animal, which according to its founding editor Tim Montgomerie, "like our target readers, tends to avoid herds and behave in unmissable ways as a result".<ref name=ns2017/> This led to speculation that its editors had never encountered any cattle.<ref name=ns2017/> The post was deleted shortly afterward, apparently because Montgomerie wasn't sure which herd he belonged to, which was [[Margaret Thatcher|Thatcherite]].<ref>[https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-unherd-and-the-whining-of-the-perfectly-well-represented/ The UnHerd and the Whining of the Perfectly-Well-Represented] by Simon Childs (July 25, 2017, 6:22am) ''Vice''.</ref>

Its mission statement is to stand back from the regular news cycle and political tittle-tattle and give voice to more thought-out alternatives.<ref name=i2020>[https://inews.co.uk/opinion/news-websites-record-online-traffic-public-trust-journalists-428798 News websites are seeing record online traffic – the public clearly trust journalists more than they think], Ian Burrell, ''i'', 18 May 2020</ref><ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/aug/06/is-it-time-media-stop-traking-politics-seriously-trump-brexit-tim-montgomerie Is it time for the media to stop taking politics seriously?], Peter Preston, The Guardian, 6 AUg 2017</ref> Its first editor said it was for "people and things not given a fair hearing, or even listened to at all".<ref name=vice2017/>

But as is so often the case with people shouting about unheard voices being cancelled, it is staffed by tiresomely overpublished media professionals: ''Vice'' judged "its contributors are a parade of people who already have big media profiles, or are [[Think tank|think-tank]] directors with books out".<ref name=vice2017>[https://www.vice.com/en/article/a3d95p/the-unherd-and-the-whining-of-the-perfectly-well-represented The UnHerd and the Whining of the Perfectly-Well-Represented], Vice, 25 July 2017</ref> Mic Wright called UnHerd "part of a right-wing ecosystem of people, think-tanks, and publications that cosplay as outsiders while having access to the people at the heart of power and often having had access to the levers of power themselves at some point".<ref name=wright/>

Much of it is given over to moaning about "[[Alt-right glossary#Woke|wokeness]]", defending [[transphobia]] and other prejudices, and promoting [[racialist]] pseudoscience. The ''[[Morning Star]]'' suggested it was less right-wing than some competitors like ''[[The Critic]]'', despite sharing a certain [[Islamophobia|anti-Muslim]] approach that sought to stir up [[racist]] sentiment in what UnHerd calls the "white working class".<ref>[https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/standpoint-the-critic-and-unherd-whos-their-daddies Standpoint, the Critic and UnHerd: who’s their daddies?], ''Morning Star'', accessed 30 Aug 2022</ref>

But despite its mission statement, a lot is devoted to the minutiae forming the mainstream news cycle, just like every other current affairs website. It's unclear how an article about podcast bro [[Joe Rogan]] endorsing a [[Republican Party|Republican]] candidate can be considered a deep and thoughtful look behind the news<ref>[https://unherd.com/thepost/joe-rogan-tells-americans-to-vote-republican/ Joe Rogan tells Americans to vote Republican], UnHerd, 29 Aug 2022</ref> (cow tells cows to vote for yet another cow). But if you need clicks for revenue, that's how you get them.

Columnists include [[TERF|Julie Bindel]], [[Giles Fraser]], {{wpl|Tanya Gold||,}} {{wpl|Matthew Goodwin}} (of Kent University and the [[Legatum Institute]]), and the [[philosopher]] {{wpl|John Gray (philosopher)|John Gray|.}}<ref name=wright/> UnHerd has also breathed new life into that old blowhard neo-monarchist [[Curtis Yarvin]].<ref>[https://unherd.com/author/curtis-yarvinunherd-com/ Curtis Yarvin] ''UnHerd''.</ref> In 2024, UnHerd called ''[[Daily Telegraph|Telegraph]]'' columnist<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/n/nf-nj/nina-power/ "Nina Power"]. ''The Telegraph''.</ref> Nina Power "the vanguard of a complex question: do artists have the responsibility to engage with dangerous ideas?".<ref name="FStrial"/> UnHerd said she was "[[cancel culture|cancelled]]", and referenced what they called her "[[free speech]] trial",<ref name="FStrial">(July 26, 2024). [https://unherd.com/watch-listen/bankrupted-by-the-culture-war/ "The free speech trial of our age"]. ''UnHerd''.</ref> in fact partly a failed libel case filed because she was called [[antisemitic]].<ref>[https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=a9fc2ae0-4e8d-41ce-9e7c-0022b77c065a "Luke Turner successfully defends libel action in key freedom of expression case"]. ''Mishcon de Reya LLP'' (Lexology).</ref><ref>(November 9, 2023). [https://www.5rb.com/news/claims-dismissed-in-libel-and-harassment-actions-in-miller-power-v-turner/ "Claims dismissed in libel and harassment actions in Miller & Power v Turner"]. ''5RB''.</ref> In said case, texts from her appearing to display a range of strange beliefs were exhibited as evidence, including a "tongue-in-cheek" one stating: "the social disapproval for 'racism' is a [[psyop]] to stop people realising that there *are* [[alien]] and [[fairy]] races".<ref>[https://luketurner.com/Nina_Power/ "Nina Power"]. Luke Turner's website.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20240731112638/https://im1776.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Day-1-Miller031023-1.pdf "Day 1 / Miller & Power v Turner / 3 October 2023"]. Epiq Europe Ltd, via IM—1776 (site affiliated with Daniel Miller) and the Wayback Machine.</ref>{{rp|35 (137–140)}}

==History==
Its original editor was {{wpl|Tim Montgomerie||,}} who is also known for his work on the website ConservativeHome, which as its name suggests is a politics website for fans of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]. After leaving ConservativeHome in 2013, he worked for the ''Times'' for a year. Before ConservativeHome, he wrote speeches for Conservative politicians William Hague and Iain Duncan Smith.<ref name=vice2017/>

Sally Chatterton later took over as editor.<ref name=wright>[https://brokenbottleboy.substack.com/p/the-weird-history-of-the-cow-site The weird history of the cow site: Why Unherd shouldn't be seen as 'respectable'.], Mic Wright. ''Conquest of the Useless'', 28 July 2020</ref>

It was originally funded by {{wpl|Paul Marshall (investor)|Paul Marshall|,}} who made a fortune in hedge funds and has also provided funding to [[GB News]].<ref>Josh Self (November 4, 2023). [https://www.politics.co.uk/week-in-review/2023/11/04/week-in-review-new-right-wing-movement-backed-by-kemi-badenoch-spells-doom-for-rishi-sunak/ "Week-in-Review: New right-wing movement, backed by Kemi Badenoch, spells doom for Rishi Sunak"]. ''Politics.co.uk''. Quote: "Paul Marshall, who is worth £680 million according to the Sunday Times Rich List, and a GB News and UnHerd investor, sits on ARC’s Advisory Board."</ref> He was formerly a donor to the [[Liberal Democrats]], pushing them to adopt more right-wing, business-friendly policies; he then switched to the [[Tories]] and supported the [[Brexit]] campaign. He provided funding for ''UnHerd'' to operate without a subscription for its first 3 years.<ref name=i2020/> However it now tries to prevent non-subscribers from viewing it, on the basis that nobody would be sufficiently interested to circumvent its protection measures.

It also appears to have friends in high places: at the time of its launch, former Tory chancellor turned newspaper editor [[George Osborne]] let Montgomerie write a column for the ''Evening Standard'' about the deficiencies of modern [[journalism]] (i.e. that modern journalism should be more like UnHerd), and Montgomerie followed up with an article on UnHerd defending Osborne's editorship of the ''Evening Standard''.<ref name=ns2017>[https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2017/07/unherds-rejection-new-isnt-groundbreaking-it-seems-think UnHerd’s rejection of the new isn’t as groundbreaking as it seems to think], New Statesman, July 2017</ref>

==Content==
===Science===
Its [[science]] editor for 4 years was Tom Chivers, who is sometimes praised (e.g. by Ian Burrell of the ''i'') for his [[equivocation]] and refusal to come down on one side or the other of an issue when the [[evidence]] is uncertain. This manifested over the [[COVID-19]] lockdown where he didn't really commit to either side.<ref name=i2020/> Mic Wright described Chivers as the person on the staff who "does the 'eminently reasonable analysis of a current event from a tediously rationalist perspective' pieces, providing ideological air cover for the real headbangers and bringing in the FBPE{{efn|FBPE is "Full Brexit Prompt Exit".}} crowd."<ref name=wright/> Chivers left the paper for a job at the ''i'' in 2022.<ref>[https://tomchivers.com/about/ About], tomchivers.com, accessed 29 Aug 2022</ref>

UnHerd's other coverage of the COVID pandemic tended towards the [[Pseudoskepticism|skeptical]]. An article entitled "How [[Facebook]] censored the lab leak theory" functioned as a defence of misinformation; almost every expert reckons the lab leak theory is unproven at best.<ref>[https://unherd.com/2021/05/how-facebook-censored-the-lab-leak-theory/ How Facebook censored the lab leak theory], Freddie Sayers, UnHerd, 31 May 2021</ref><ref>[https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01529-3 The COVID lab-leak hypothesis: what scientists do and don’t know], Nature, 8 June 2021</ref> UnHerd also celebrated the headteacher and founder of "a school based on scientific principles" who wasn't going to make anyone wear [[Face masks|masks]].<ref>[https://unherd.com/thepost/headmaster-i-refuse-to-make-pupils-wear-masks-in-class/ Headmaster: I refuse to make pupils wear masks in class], UnHerd, 28 Feb 2021</ref>

===Eugenics===
{{main|Eugenics}}
UnHerd appears to have an interest in eugenics, despite publishing a lot of articles about how awful eugenics is.<ref>[https://unherd.com/tag/eugenics/ Tag: Eugenics], Unherd</ref> Likewise topics around innate [[IQ]] differences between races come up a lot.

It has published pieces by [[Douglas Murray]], including an article against opponents derided as [[cancel culture]], appearing under the absurd headline "Why is the woke mob so scared?".<ref>[https://unherd.com/2021/02/why-is-the-woke-mob-so-scared/ Why is the woke mob so scared?], Douglas Murray, UnHerd, 26 Feb 2021</ref>

Chivers asked in 2018 "Should we edit genes to boost IQ?" He concluded it was inevitable and we should accept it and try to control it.<ref>[https://unherd.com/2018/10/wed-fools-not-embrace-gene-editing/ Should we edit genes to boost IQ?], UnHerd, 16 Oct 2018</ref>

===Transphobia===
It has recruited a number of [[TERF]]s, including Julie Bindel. Bindel has written several pieces including an interview with fellow TERF [[Kathleen Stock]], a transphobic academic who quit her job after her [[trade union]], the UCU, chose to show solidarity with trans students rather than support Stock; Bindel portrays Stock as "a mild-mannered, liberal academic" whose distrust of trans people is shared by "[[PIDOOMA|nearly 99% of the planet]]".<ref>[https://unherd.com/2021/11/kathleen-stock-i-wont-be-silenced/ Kathleen Stock: I won’t be silenced], Julie Bindel, UnHerd, 4 November 2021</ref> It's unclear how many other views held by 99% of the planet the [[Political lesbianism#Separatist feminism|lesbian separatist]] Bindel would endorse. Stock quit her job after a letter from 600 academics criticised her "harmful [[rhetoric]]" for the way it "reinforces the [[patriarchal]] status quo"; the philosophers condemned the "tendency to mistake transphobic [[fearmongering]] for valuable scholarship, and attacks on already marginalised people for courageous exercises of [[free speech]]", which could equally be a description of UnHerd.<ref>[https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/01/06/kathleen-stock-obe-transphobia-open-letter/ Outraged academics condemn government for handing anti-trans professor Kathleen Stock an OBE], Pink News, 6 Jan 2021</ref>

==Invasion of ''The Washington Post''==
There used to be a rare opinion piece by an UnHerd writer in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' (none in 2017, 3 in 2018, 1 in 2018, and none from 2020-October 2023<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20241127031623/https://www.washingtonpost.com/search/?query=%22at+UnHerd%22 8 results related to ""at UnHerd""] ''The Washington Post'' (archived from November 27, 2024).</ref>). That has seemingly changed with the appointment of William Lewis, previously worked at three [[Rupert Murdoch|Murdoch]]-owned publications, as publisher by owner Jeff Bezos on November 5, 2023 and beginning the job on January 2, 2024.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2023/11/04/william-lewis-publisher-ceo-washington-post/ William Lewis named publisher and CEO of The Washington Post] by Elahe Izadi & Jeremy Barr (November 4, 2023 at 8:20 p.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> As an omen, two days after his appointment, Kat Rosenfield, an UnHerd writer, published an opinion in The Post titled "You shouldn’t be fired for being a jerk".<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/11/06/free-speech-being-jerk-social-media-dismissals/ You shouldn’t be fired for being a jerk] by Kat Rosenfield (November 6, 2023 at 6:30 a.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Later in 2024, The Post republished two Unherd articles, "Facing chaos in Britain, Starmer must channel Thatcher’s strength",<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/08/09/britain-riots-starmer-labour/ Facing chaos in Britain, Starmer must channel Thatcher’s strength] by Tom McTague (August 9, 2024 at 1:39 p.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>[https://unherd.com/2024/08/starmer-needs-the-strength-of-thatcher/ Starmer needs the strength of Thatcher] by Tom McTague (August 7, 2024) ''UnHerd''.</ref>  and "Welcome to thought-police Britain".<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/11/22/kafka-thought-police-bureaucracy/ Welcome to thought-police Britain: When a social media post can bring officers to the door, the nation is in trouble.] by Mary Harrington (November 22, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EST) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>[https://unherd.com/2024/11/welcome-to-thought-police-britain/ Welcome to Thought-Police Britain] by Mary Harrington (November 19, 2024) ''UnHerd''.</ref> The Post also published in 2024, an opinion piece by UnHerd editor-in-chief Freddie Sayers ("How 'fighting disinformation' turns into political censorship") based on one of his articles in UnHerd from several months prior.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/05/08/disinformation-political-censorship-unherd-gdi/ How ‘fighting disinformation’ turns into political censorship] by Freddie Sayers (May 8, 2024 at 5:45 a.m. EDT) ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref>[https://unherd.com/2024/04/inside-the-disinformation-industry/ Inside the disinformation industry] by Freddie Sayers (April 17, 2024) ''UnHerd''.</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2|90%}}

[[Category:British media]]
[[Category:British politics]]
[[Category:British right wing]]
[[Category:Racism]]
[[Category:Racialism]]
[[Category:Transphobia]]

Categories: British media, British politics, British right wing, Racism, Racialism, Transphobia