The Media Are All As Bad As Each Other
Shane Stone gives an Australian perspective to the media scandal that is engulfing the British establishment.
18 Jul 2011, 12:03
Newspapers: All the same?
The suggestion that all mainstream media outlets are beyond reproach has me rolling around the floor. A long engagement in public life has taught me through bitter experience that some journalists and their editors will do anything for a story and they don’t discriminate depending on who they work for. The Guardian in its Editorial July 13 (News International scandal: The sky falls in) apart from a corny by line sought to occupy the high moral ground – “we told you so” was the gist of their account of warning David Cameron about Andy Coulson. Having been in the political arena for some time I never cease to be surprised by people who claimed that because they shared certain information with a ‘staffer’ they in effect told me as though there was a form of osmosis in play aided by some telepathic communication. Bollocks.
It’s as bad as claims that everything that happens in Government is orchestrated from the top down or that it is possible for Governments to hatch a conspiracy. If the toss up is between a Government conspiracy or stuff up go for the stuff up every time. David Cameron was right to ask the question why if The Guardian was so concerned the Editor in two meetings didn’t raise the matter or more to the point why he personally didn’t make the approach in the first place rather than leave it to an intermediary. That’s not evasion by David Cameron; it’s a bloody good question.
Have we forgotten the lessons of ‘Yes Minister’ the fictionalised account of Whitehall inspired by the Richard Crossman’s Diaries of a Cabinet Minister in the Wilson Government? Dealing in riddles and intermediaries is guaranteed to obfuscate and mislead on every occasion. I, like many, empathize with Gordon Brown and his wife (it is always the wives and partners who are the greatest casualities in these sordid events and tears can’t wash away the anger and hurt). I watched Brown’s performance described in the Editorial “Gordon delivered a powerful speech whose justified moral outrage was only equalled by its divisive consequences in the Chamber”.
That said, Gordon, like all who play in the sand pit of Parliamentary politics, know that media intrusion comes with the territory; a reason many shy away from public life. The Editorial was right to observe ‘The Brown Government was far from pure in its dealings with the press’. Whether or not Ed Miliband’s pronouncements during the week was a defining moment in leadership will be measured over time by what comes next including whether he comes clean on Tom Baldwin and applies the same standard to his office as he demands of David Cameron.
It was a bit rich for the Editorial to claim that ‘Mr. Cameron is trapped by his past’; if anything Ed Milliband might well be defined by his inaction and failure to confront the Tom Baldwin legacy. The problem is that having set the bar that high when it comes your turn you get stuck on your own rhetoric. Meanwhile the unrestrained attack on News International continues and begs the question: who’s next? If not careful the UK will end up with a neutered press and journalists intimidated into avoiding the hard questions that at times need to be asked of all Governments regardless of political cover.
We all agree the hacking of phones of the innocent is reprehensible and must be punished. We should keep matters in perspective however and neither constrain or damage the 4th estate to the point where they are no longer stakeholders in the dialogue of civil society. Ed Miliband runs the risk of being seen as selectively targeting those media outlets he does not approve of whilst at the same time studiously avoiding the Tom Baldwin conundrum in his office. As suggested we should keep matters in perspective and no better commentary than that offered by Jim Hacker:
Hacker: Don't tell me about the press. I know exactly who reads the papers: the Daily Mirror is read by people who think they run the country; The Guardian is read by people who think they ought to run the country; The Times is read by people who actually do run the country; the Daily Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country; the Financial Times is read by people who own the country; The Morning Star is read by people who think the country ought to be run by another country; and The Daily Telegraph is read by people who think it is.
Sir Humphrey: Prime Minister, what about the people who read The Sun?
Bernard: Sun readers don't care who runs the country, as long as she’s got big tits.
An essential ingredient of all Liberal democracies is a free media so don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
Comments (6)
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The down to earth Australian intervention always delivers a dose of realism to whats happening.
18/07/2011 13:41The issue of Tom Baldwin is going to haunt Ed Miliband whether he likes it or not. Either he was involved with other journalists and a private detective in getting into other peoples bank accounts and tax records or he wasnt. Ed should agree that the Inquiry is wide enough to look at the allegations; after all what has he got to lose? If Baldwin is squeaky clean as Ed claims then that will make Ed look even better than he does at present.
18/07/2011 14:10Ed will never give up Tom Baldwin willingly. Typical double standards proving Labour have learned nothing. Watch this space as Ed is dragged screaming to the realisation that in this day and age once the public decides there's a whiff about something it is unstoppable. Bad call Ed and just as you were looking good; hope
18/07/2011 14:37Ed will never give up Tom Baldwin willingly. Typical double standards proving Labour have learned nothing. Watch this space as Ed is dragged screaming to the realisation that in this day and age once the public decides there's a whiff about something it is unstoppable. Bad call Ed and just as you were looking good; hope
18/07/2011 14:37Does any body remember the Ben Elton joke about Dantes Infero and the 7 levels of hell (I remember 9). At the bottom level was Judas locked in ice for betraying Jesus (actually the devil was lower for betraying God - but let's give Ben poetic licence) .. Having spoilt Ben's joke the punch line was that below Judas was the editor of the Sun looking up Judas's ar&e to see if he was gay. So despite Ben's illiteracy the joke was cynical enough to turn out to be reasonably accurate.
18/07/2011 22:30KEEPING matters in perspective is a noble thought, but the perspective has to be a very broad one given the background of ulterior motives, cynical manipulation and self-interest trading on the name of poor Milly Dowler and her family. viz:
20/07/2011 22:12-- The Labour-supporting Guardian wants to screw Murdoch for political reasons, with the added incentive that the furore will damage Camerson and the Conservatives.
-- The New York Times wants to screw Murdoch for political and commercial reasons because of his ownership of the rival Wall Street Journal and detested right-wing Fox News.
--- The BBC wants to screw Murdoch for political and commercial reasons, scuppering any BSkyB deal which would threaten the Corporation's broadcast dominance of news and current affairs in the UK. As with the sister Guardian, the icing on the cake is the opportunity to take down Cameron and the Tories.
---The Labour Party wants to use the Coulson connection to damage Cameron by classic Labour weapons of smear and innuendo. Its dirty tricks team, led by Watson, McBride et al, with the blessing of Brown, tried unsuccessfully to get this kite to fly in 2009 in the hope of damaging the Conservatives in the run-up the general election.
---Bruised MPs thirst revenge for their mauling by the media over expenses and the rest.
--- News International's rivals in the Press scent juicy pickings if Murdoch's empire goes down in flames -- especially if the whole circus is slanted to deflect attention from their own crimes and misdemeanours.
WHAT do the "outraged", "disgusted", "sickened" folk out in the big wide world really feel? Many will say a heartfelt hooray at the prospect of the excesses of an increasingly irresponsible press and media being reined in, and the feral tabloids in particular brought to heel. But that means ALL the media, not just those elements that happen to suit the agendas of people and organisations with hidden motives; not just the Murdoch-run elements..
Alas, the chances of this happening, with the BBC acting as ringmaster of the circus seem remote. Honest broker is one thing the most powerful broadcaster in the land ain't. Its sights are trained remorselessly on Murdoch and Cameron. Its interviewers have focused narrowly on the Murdoch dimension and the Coulson connection. Attempts to broaden the debate are ruthlessly chopped.
The outraged public, would indeed be delighted to see a feral media brought to heel and returned to the path of decency, but not if the narrative by which this is achieved is constructed by parties whose motives are as devious, dishonest and unprincipled as those of the people they anathematise.
Poor Milly Dowler.