Lobbying firm filmed offering to pay reporter for flattering coverage

journalismJul 22, 202619355

The Guardian filmed staff from CT Group offering to pay a reporter to place flattering, apparently independent articles in British newspapers on behalf of property-sector clients. CT Group co-founder Sir Lynton Crosby is named; Gavin Stollar, head of CT’s real estate division and a 2024 OBE recipient, approached a freelance journalist and proposed copy pushing the line that the Building Safety Regulator worsened housebuilding problems, citing human case studies. CT staff offered cash incentives, proposing payments of £100 per published story and £500 to chair a company roundtable, and told the reporter payment would allow CT to exercise “more control” while avoiding advertorial signposting by asking writers to “keep our client’s messaging and overall objective in mind.” The discussions included work for Live-in Guardians and framed pieces aimed at influencing national and trade press; Guardian reporting says CT staff admitted they had previously paid journalists to place favourable stories. CT Group told the Guardian the meetings were “deliberately mischaracterised” and said it did not engage or pay the undercover reporter. CT Group is described in the article as a £40m-a-year lobbying firm with about 150 staff and recent clients including Airbus Defence and Space, Philip Morris, and the owner of Manchester City.

Pete Apps

@peteapps.bsky.social

In November, a lobbying firm approached me and asked to pay me to write articles critical of the Building Safety Regulator for newspapers. Filmed undercover, their staff admitted secretly paying reporters for copy in British newspapers friendly to their clients: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

1004h ago

James Barr8

I assume this is going on very widely and helps explain why people will write for some outlets for free or very little money, because someone else is also paying them.

Quoting this

Jim Waterson26

Delightful piece about my old friends at CT Group. The problem with Bell Pottinger going bust was it opened a gap in the market. The trick is not to jump into it. And if you do jump into it, do research the people you're approaching to do your work.

Sunder Katwala (sundersays)20

"In a statement, CT Group said: “We do not comment publicly on work we do for clients and we therefore cannot respond to the specific allegations you have made". An implausible non-denial. If untrue, would surely just say "the allegations are categorically untrue" (with no damage to client confid)

I Am Incorrigible3

They got caught this time, but there is a tsunami of this sort of corrupt practice happening everyday, & succeeding in their aims. With, collectively, billions to spend if necessary, the power of money is the only real power that means anything anymore. End billionaires before billionaires end us,

Michael Warhurst 2

A cautionary tale of the scale of vested interest content in the media (See also fossil fuel industry)

Declan Gaffney2

This is disgusting of course but also just astonishing incompetence.

Chalk Girl2

i see a future in which more nerds start doing activist spy shit like this.

Chaminda Jayanetti

@cjayanetti.bsky.social

Hilarious that lobbyists tried to bribe @peteapps.bsky.social of all people to write articles criticising post-Grenfell building safety rules That would be the Peter Apps who literally wrote the book on pre-Grenfell building safety failures (and would never agree to this sort of thing anyway)

1252h ago

Chaminda Jayanetti38

next up: @jonnelledge.bsky.social on how we need to strengthen the Green Belt Owen Jones on why Keir Starmer is our greatest prime minister @iandunt.bsky.social on What About All The Good Things Brexit Did? Stephen Daisley on why you shouldn't be a total cunt

Adam Bell9

I know journalism pays nothing, but did they really believe a journo would surrender their integrity for £100?

Richard Bourke6

I'm no journalist. But I regularly read Peter Apps' weekly summaries on the Grenfell Inquiry. That's journalism, that's commitment, that's subject knowledge. Journalists do good work, if their employment situation allows it.

Jamie McKelvie5

"I don't understand, money makes morals go away. Why is it not working?"

Ianrobo3

at some point we need far far more regulation of lobby groups

Napoleon1

When i was in the startup, we pitched to these fuckers for cash from their network. They were not interested in a litigation funder going after corrupt people. Now we know why

Quoting this

Jonn Elledge57

I don't want to worry anyone, but no one's ever even *tried* to bribe me, these are my actual, honest to god, unfiltered opinions you're getting here

vpcampbell.bsky.social2

A rare peek behind the curtain of PR-media relations. #MS2001

The Scales ⚖️

@shakethescales.bsky.social

Andy Burnham's chief of staff is James Purnell, former chair of Labour Friends of Israel &, until days before his appointment, chief executive of Flint Global, a lobbying firm whose clients include arms manufacturers making components for the F-35 jets causing untold death & destruction in Gaza...

27Yesterday

Digital Warrior - Combat Disinfo

@digitalwarrior.bsky.social

4/ Three weeks before Uthmeier filed a legal brief defending Tesla, his campaign took a $25,000 donation from a group tied to the Southern Group, Tesla’s own lobbying firm in Tallahassee working on self driving liability, the exact issue in this case. www.tampabay.com/news/florida...

30Yesterday

Cornish Skipper #FBPE #RejoinEU 🇪🇺 〓〓 🔶🌹💚💙

@cornishskipper.bsky.social

“A political lobbying firm founded by electoral strategist for Johnson secretly pays journalists to write pieces favourable to their clients…lobbyists told an undercover reporter that they had paid journalists to place apparently independent stories in newspapers” www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

125h ago

Stop Funding Hate

@stopfundinghate.bsky.social

Intriguing story just out about CT Group, a company which has an interesting history... 🤔https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/22/david-cameron-firm-adviser-pays-journalists-favourable-pieces-boris-johnson

135h ago

Runa Sandvik

@runasand.bsky.social

The WSJ has the backstory on the U.S.-UAE agreement on AI, w/spycraft, diplomacy and lobbying. AI giant G24 is there too, run by former DarkMatter staff -- the firm created to help the UAE spy on rivals, activists, and journalists with former NSA hackers. www.wsj.com/world/middle...

12Yesterday

Alexander Clarkson

@aphclarkson.bsky.social

Interesting Guardian investigative report on how Lynton Crosby's lobby firm is paying backhanders to journalists in a YIMBYism for hire influence op: "Lobbying giant filmed offering reporter payment for flattering client coverage in national press" www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

183h ago

Ian Fraser

@ianfraser.bsky.social

Lobbyists CT Group – co-founded by Aussie political strategist Sir Lynton Crosby – has been filmed offering a reporter payment for flattering client coverage in the national press. h/t @cashquestions.bsky.social

53h ago

Helen Barrett

@helenbarrett.bsky.social

This headline is confusing (I initially read it as something about a very tall lobbyist). But the story is great. Implies some national newspaper stories are riddled with planted case studies and written by writers who have been bribed to push a line. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

73h ago

Ian Moody

@ianmoody.bsky.social

Lobbying giant filmed offering reporter payment for flattering client coverage in national press. Guardian investigation of CT Group uncovers practice that appears to seek hidden influence over public opinion. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

14h ago

Pratab Ali

@prataba.bsky.social

"political lobbying firm founded by the former electoral strategist for David Cameron and Boris Johnson secretly pays journalists, " Those two f*ckers! 🤨🤬

22h ago

Kenny Stewart

@kennystew.art

As a public affairs and comms person who actually does the work, it is infuriating to read shit like this.

23h ago

Annie Shaw

@cashquestions.bsky.social

@ianfraser.bsky.social you've got to wonder if this wasn't happening with that Harry, Barry, Ali and Sally school fees story in the Tel (different PRs, obvs) www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

13h ago

Adam

@mulliganstew.bsky.social

Pretty extraordinary story because of the brazenness and the video evidence. That said, we are awash in evidence that monied and political interests are influencing news coverage in covert and overt ways both sides of the Atlantic...its just rarely caught on camera.

2h ago

1 source

theguardian.comLobbying giant filmed offering reporter payment for flattering client coverage in national press

Lobbying firm filmed offering to pay reporter for flattering coveragejournalism

Lobbying firm filmed offering to pay reporter for flattering coverage

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