Bashing The Press
I am frequently infuriated by the press. It is often irresponsible, unprofessional, sloppy, inaccurate, and follows a herd-like mentality.
But there is a fundamental difference between being annoyed when the press gets it wrong and trying to censor the ability of the press to write things I don't like.
The only thing worse that an occasionally irresponsible free press would be a press which could only write what government or self-appointed censors allow it to write.
That's why even when I don't much like the newspaper concerned I am very concerned at attempts to organise boycotts of newspapers by advertisers or customers.
As David Aaronovitch argued in yesterday's Times, this starts us down a slippery slope.
Similarly I strongly disagree with the House of Lords outrageous hijacking of the Data Protection Bill to instruct the government to re-start the Leveson Inquiry.
However well-intentioned some of those involved may be, as Guido Fawkes explains here, this is basially an attempt to muzzle the press.
I hope the government succeeds in reversing this egregious action by the unelected Lords in the elected chamber.
But there is a fundamental difference between being annoyed when the press gets it wrong and trying to censor the ability of the press to write things I don't like.
The only thing worse that an occasionally irresponsible free press would be a press which could only write what government or self-appointed censors allow it to write.
That's why even when I don't much like the newspaper concerned I am very concerned at attempts to organise boycotts of newspapers by advertisers or customers.
As David Aaronovitch argued in yesterday's Times, this starts us down a slippery slope.
Similarly I strongly disagree with the House of Lords outrageous hijacking of the Data Protection Bill to instruct the government to re-start the Leveson Inquiry.
However well-intentioned some of those involved may be, as Guido Fawkes explains here, this is basially an attempt to muzzle the press.
I hope the government succeeds in reversing this egregious action by the unelected Lords in the elected chamber.
Comments
If you don't like a car magazine, don't buy it.
if you don't like a pornographic magazine, don't buy it.
If you value freedom, then you go about buying the things you do like, and leaving the rest to those who like them. Now sure some things are illegal like the "how to make a bomb" magazine, which certainly should not be on newsagents shelves, but, as long as no laws are broken, leave alone.
its that simple, at least I always thought it was.