The Matrix Project is an effort to document personal factors that undermine powerful journalists’ claims of objectivity and impartiality. Are factors such as an elite education, establishment connections, personal wealth and interests in rival fields compatible with journalistic integrity? 

This page looks at GB News political correspondent Thomas Hedley Fairfax Harwood. For more information on the database click here.

Education

Learn about the significance of a private/Oxbridge education here

Tom Harwood attended The Perse School, an independent public school. He then went on to study at a non-Oxbridge university. (source)

Revolving Door

Learn about the significance of the Revolving Door here.

Harwood chaired Students For Britain, an official affiliate of the pro-Brexit Vote Leave campaign. (Source)

Harwood is a former employee of Students For Liberty, a right-wing libertarian organisation based in the US. (Source)

In 2018, Harwood stood as a Conservative candidate in the Cambridge City Council local elections. (source)

Harwood was (briefly) a prominent supporter of right-wing student group Turning Point UK (Source). Turning Point is an “astroturf” organisation, funded, according to The Guardian, by commercial interests and opaque libertarian think-tanks, whose controversial initiatives include “Professor Watchlist”, a website encouraging students to “name and shame” left-leaning academics.

“Establishment” Connections

Learn about the significance of Establishment Connections here

Primary

None.

Secondary

None.

Salary/Indications of Wealth

Learn about the significance of journalists with an unusual level of wealth here

Neither Tom Harwood nor GB News disclose how much he earns. It is likely to be significantly more than the UK average.

As a point of reference, the Office for National Statistics list the average UK salary for 2021 as £26,193.

Summary

Tom Harwood is a privately-educated broadcaster with extensive involvement in Conservative political networks. He has associations with a controversial right-wing group that encourages students to report on their lecturers and is likely to earn significantly more than the UK national average.

Impartial? Independent? Holding the powerful to account?

Learn more about the Matrix Project here.

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