Wednesday 10 March 2010

The chief enemy of British freedom at present is the British press.

Simon Jenkins says it a lot more effectively than I :-


"Straw has left justice to the tender mercies of the press.

Under the banner of transparency, ministers have allowed a frenzy of blame to develop around the Jon Venables case."

It is clear from the comments left on this blog (which have not been published) that there are a substantial number of people who could be persuaded to be unthinkingly cruel to others if the media hyped up their emotions so that they stopped thinking rationally.

This is not new in other societies but it was not my concept of what Ulverston people are like. In fact, I suspect, they form a small be vocal minority and I'm thankful that my friends aren't like this.

This however is a warning that we should not take for granted that we have a town where people are considerate of each other. We could put even more effort into bringing people together so that we all see each other as human beings and not caricatures painted by the press.

The media has a lot to answer for in the way it repeatedly reports on people's emotions rather than emphasising rational information.

.

5 comments:

Gladys Hobson said...

If a man gets killed or injured because he (falsely) comes under suspicion of a crime he did not commit the press has much to answer for. They have been whipping up suspicion and hatred, instead of letting the law take its course.
They have whipped up hatred, or at least, apathy over MPs too over the expenses scandal.
The truth is that we feel guilty of what happens within society (because we are, to some extent guilty) and we prefer to project it on to others. To have a scapegoat for our ills, for society's ills, for the nation's ills.
Greed took hold of this nation's citizens years ago. Casting responsibility onto others - for health, happiness, security, and so on - does not strengthen but rather weakens who and what we are. Time to reflect and ask ourselves what WE can do for ourselves, rather than to seek what the government can do for us. Diversions drummed up by the press only diminish us - individually and as a society.

Geoff Dellow said...

The trouble with all the media hype is that many people are scouring the country for a match with Venables.

How many lives are/will be ruined by unfounded accusations from superficial speculation? It's already happened.

Moreover this speculation was quoted as 'fact' by a recent anonymous commenter.

We need to act with constraint over what we think and say.

As Will Self pointed out; if there's money to be had for a story then something will come up.

Much of the news in this and other cases has ceased to inform us but rather has become a form of entertainment. Simple stories are hyped up to make them sensational.

Even the BBC is at it. Some suggest this because ratings have become all important.

I find time spent with the sane workers on the allotment far more informative about what is really important in life:

Do we use "Rocket" or "Arran Pilot" -
-
for our seed potatoes?

And is horse manure with woodchips in it, desirable?

Geoff Dellow said...

If there are others who are concerned about BBC News coverage , we can register our views here.

The more of us that are active in this area the more we can influence trends in coverage.

Voicing one's concerns really works!

A R said...

It is not the media who hype up people's emotions it is the ( lack of ) justice system which time and again protects the criminal at the expense of the victim. You and your like-minded friends must live in a sheltered environment. Criminals of all types laugh at the police,the courts and decent people.They believe themselves to be untouchable ,their sentences are usually minimal with tIme off for good behaviour.The families of murdered loved ones or those who have been robbed or raped receive a life sentence while the criminals are protected and cosseted by the system so they can reoffend anonymously. This is what people get angry about ,nobody wants to start a lynch mob ,they just want the police and courts to protect decent people.

Geoff Dellow said...

What leads to this A.R.?

"You and your like-minded friends must live in a sheltered environment. "
I have always thought that we have some weird ideas about how to treat wrong doers.

With experience of potential criminals in a 'tough' school I learnt not to give an inch and be very firm, descending on naughty kids like a ton of bricks.

I find that many people haven't the guts to disagree with others and take weak positions about issues that demand firm action.

My point is that the Justice System is far more dependable that a mob stirred up by the press.

Now, if anyone wants to try to change the police and the courts, please give me some encouragement.

There is something I could do - and so could you.

It's bloody hard finding the motivation to do things you want to do when most people (here) just want to knock you down.

It's easy to say to myself "Why, ******, bother.