If you live in the UK you will long ago have lost any respect for the media. I have not watched TV for years apart from the occasional drama (fiction).
The newspapers are full of content-free attacks on the government of the day (whichever party is in power), as well as anyone and everyone, from the personal to the institutional. Most of these stories are written, as Stothart says, because of some spin, or becuase someone is about to give a speech or an organisation about to make an announcement. It is all orchestrated by press release, spin and leaks. Some of it is serious, and should be exposed (eg this Tessa Jowell/David Mills situation currently going on) but a lot of it is overinflated rubbish.
It is very hard for the "normal person" (ie the non-newspaper journalist) to distinguish any truth in all of this. What happened to the campaigning journalism that used to go on, in which genuine corruption issues were exposed? I think it is all on the internet now (probably, have not read An Army of Davids yet ;-) )
Bottom line, British mainstream media is not serious. They don't check their facts and they don't produce properly presented arguments, just skimpy innuendo a lot of the time. (The Financial Times is a respected newspaper still, but I don't read it as a bit stodgy for me, and I am not one of those business types so a lot of it passes me by.)
Well, Maxine, when it comes to politics, the same is largely true over here. It is hard to imagine why anyone would want to run for office in either country. Last year, I introduced William Hague at a Library appearance here. He was a very engaging and bright man, and said he had no interest in returning to a leadership position in his party. I can well understand why.
In the British vernacular..."Bully for Tony Blair!"
ReplyDeleteIf you live in the UK you will long ago have lost any respect for the media. I have not watched TV for years apart from the occasional drama (fiction).
ReplyDeleteThe newspapers are full of content-free attacks on the government of the day (whichever party is in power), as well as anyone and everyone, from the personal to the institutional. Most of these stories are written, as Stothart says, because of some spin, or becuase someone is about to give a speech or an organisation about to make an announcement. It is all orchestrated by press release, spin and leaks. Some of it is serious, and should be exposed (eg this Tessa Jowell/David Mills situation currently going on) but a lot of it is overinflated rubbish.
It is very hard for the "normal person" (ie the non-newspaper journalist) to distinguish any truth in all of this.
What happened to the campaigning journalism that used to go on, in which genuine corruption issues were exposed? I think it is all on the internet now (probably, have not read An Army of Davids yet ;-) )
Bottom line, British mainstream media is not serious. They don't check their facts and they don't produce properly presented arguments, just skimpy innuendo a lot of the time.
(The Financial Times is a respected newspaper still, but I don't read it as a bit stodgy for me, and I am not one of those business types so a lot of it passes me by.)
Well, Maxine, when it comes to politics, the same is largely true over here. It is hard to imagine why anyone would want to run for office in either country. Last year, I introduced William Hague at a Library appearance here. He was a very engaging and bright man, and said he had no interest in returning to a leadership position in his party. I can well understand why.
ReplyDelete