A media which is free to say what it wants is one of the cornerstones of democracy. But with it comes responsibility. The free media can only be trusted so long as it is truthful, and working within the law, whilst respecting the rights of society and its private individuals. Just as it expects society to respect its rights to work unfettered. In Britain, we now find, that has broken down....
Media News
Should the media ever be allowed to break the law in pursuit of a story? Their defence would be that it is in the public interest. But the public interest is less clearly defined than the law – and allowing this defence would lead to confusion.
It’s highlighted because of allegations that newspapers in Britain routinely hacked the voicemail of mobile phone users. They...
33 weeks 5 days ago
With images shown around the world of Spanish farmers throwing fresh produce away, one has to ask whether the impact of the European E.coli outbreak would be so far reaching if it wasn’t for our ‘mega’ media giving minute by minute updates on a far from clear situation. The desire for a dramatic story overtakes reality.
Early reports said that Spanish cucumbers...
36 weeks 4 days ago
Much is made of the role of the media in creating and supporting democracy. A key part of this is the ability of anyone to turn to the media, and on merit, have their story or point of view reported. Sometimes ordinary people create the content itself – ‘citizen journalism’ is a modern and powerful phenomenon. Recent protests sweeping North Africa and the Middle East prove...
50 weeks 3 days ago
Few subjects divide opinion more than the actions of Wikileaks and its publication of ‘confidential’ material. But its founder knows that if he’s to have a chance to win hearts and minds to his cause, the media is the battleground. So, within minutes of being released from prison on bail, Julian Assange was talking to reporters.
In any successful communication...
1 year 8 weeks ago
The media is driven by deadlines and competition. And both cause the sort of excitement which lead to reporters' mistakes. When the BBC published breaking news that thousands of confidential documents had been released on Wikileaks, it sent out a text to subscribers of its mobile news service. But the first story contained one vital error – the reporter had got their 'Wikileaks...
1 year 11 weeks ago
Peer Of The Year and two days later he'd resigned as a Government adviser. Lord Young, in The Daily Telegraph, said that most Britons had "never had it so good" despite the "so-called recession".
The Prime Minister's enterprise adviser surely never expected his remarks could have such consequences.
While the views expressed in his...
1 year 12 weeks ago
Complaining about the media is a pastime in many places - they're too powerful, dishonest, biased or sensational. All probably true.
But it's a reality that we get the media we deserve. For example, each day millions of people, millions of 'us', buy newspapers. This earns them revenue both through sales and advertising. And that endorses the product. If we're really unhappy, why do we...
1 year 19 weeks ago
1989 the East German government struggles to resist reform. The politburo decided on a complex and restricting new policy for limited travel to the West.
The man given the job of announcing the new policy was politburo member Guenter Schabowski. When his fellow Communist leaders decided on the new regulations he was out of the room. He skimmed the policy and headed off...
1 year 22 weeks ago
2.4 million people in the UK underpaid tax due to errors in the PAYE tax system. The cause; computer software problems and failures by tax officials. The news that 1.4 million of those people owed an average of £1,428 became an instant story.
At 9am the civil servant in charge of tax, Dave Hartnett told BBC radio: "I'm not sure I see a need to apologise...
1 year 23 weeks ago
