If there are an additional 200+ people missing, who are they?
That's the question. If people are CONVINCED the number of dead is being supressed then someone knows something about these people. Yes there may well be people whose whole families died, but at the same time these people must have someone who knows who they are somewhere.
Alastair Reid*@ajreid* (BBC reporter)
So here's a quick thread about the conspiracy theories of media "suppressing" the #GrenfellTower death toll. It keeps getting brought up.
On Wednesday morning, while the fire still burned, we started a shared doc of any and all names of people reported missing.
This was built mainly from posters at the scene, eyewitness interviews and appeals on social media. The hard evidence we could gather.
By Wednesday evening we had 40+ names. By Thursday it was 70. Multiple journalists worked on this, in the newsroom and on the scene.
We only reported names we had double/triple sourced, to be as sure as possible that our reporting was accurate. We stayed silent on many.
By Friday, we had reported 54 names of those missing. The official police statement that day was 30, and "likely to rise".
Today, police said the number of dead or presumed dead is 79. Still likely to rise. No news outlets have reported that many names.
So now the media is playing catch up. And some outlets have got a few names wrong. This often happens in big, breaking news.
But journalists cannot just throw out figures of a death toll without verifying them. To do so would be highly irresponsible.
Everyone expects the figure, currently at 79, to rise. That is not in doubt. But this is not a "cover up".
This is ethical, responsible journalism. Journalism based on the evidence available. Anything more would just be guessing.
And good journalists don't guess. They report. Contrary to popular opinion, the vast majority of journalists care about the facts.
And the horrifying facts of what happened at #GrenfellTower are being reported, but only as and when they have been properly verified. /ENDS
The police have asked for people to come forward and report anyone missing if they have not done so, so far for any reason. They have asked people to declare themselves safe if they have not already done so and have tried to make it clear they are not interested in stuff like sub-lets / immigration status. In the absence of bodies and when they do find them, the absence of a formal identification, the police can't just say someone is dead / missing without some other form of evidence / information.
What the police will be doing is trying to make a list of who was living in each flat and then trace their whereabouts. Not do this stupid vague 'do the maths' thing. They will be doing it properly. They may well be privy to information the community / the press are not aware of. Because, well they are the police.
The media have tried to be responsible and not just wildly claim there are hundreds dead in the absence of names or other corroborating from more than one person that an individual lived in that building to avoid reporting potential lies which sadly we all know happens around events of this nature. If they did report things that were untrue they would lose their reputation and trust over other stories. Plus they risk stirring up even more anger and unrest from doing so.
So I'm going to ask the question the other way around to all the people screaming conspiracy:
WHAT EXACTLY would you have the media / police / fire do differently at this point? Bearing in mind they have a responsibility to the public to not say something that's complete bunkem. Getting to the truth, involves precisely this. You undermine it, by cutting corners and this tragedy is build on the very point that corners look like they might have been cut. Sadly getting to the truth in circumstances like this is a slow process. Would you like it rushed, which could jeopardise any potential criminal case that is pursued?
I'd really like to know what responsible action they have open to them?
People are aware that people are saying the death toll is higher. The media have reported anger that the community is not being told more and that they are unhappy with the police figures. That's not being suppressed is it?
This is very early days in an inquiry of this nature. Its too early on to say anything different. Many people pushing the theory are doing so with a certain tone that almost suggests they want the death toll to be higher.
There are lots of reasons worthy of discussion about why its so hard to establish who was in the tower which really do make you stop and think and very much supports the problems that those affected face. You don't need an even bigger number which is unverified and lacks evidence to do that.
Please do tell me what magical thing these agencies could do differently? I'd like to know, because its important to the debate. Pushing conspiracy theories helps NO ONE. Least of all victims.