How the press keep getting it wrong about the echr

By Thomas Kinsella

Researchers at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at the University of Oxford have published a report examining public debate around the role of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). They found that discussion of the ECHR has been widespread in recent years, and particularly in relation to how it applies to immigration control.

According to their analysis of a wide range of newspaper websites, there have been 379 articles discussing the ECHR, with 75% of these relating to immigration. This is perhaps unsurprising, given that YouGov polling shows immigration has ranked among the population’s top three issues since 2021, and by June 2025 had become the single most important issue to Britons.

However, while public attention regarding immigration and human rights has grown, the report highlights widespread failings by the press to accurately portray the role of the ECHR in the UK’s complex immigration system. For such a complex and salient issue, we must demand better.

How the Press Gets It Wrong

The report identifies three main ways newspapers fail to accurately cover the ECHR’s role in immigration tribunal cases.

Read the full blog post here… https://www.hackedoff.org/blog-posts/how-the-press-keeps-getting-it-wrong-about-the-echr