Blimey. So now Rebekah Brooks has been arrested and the Metropolitan Chief of Police has resigned. No major surprises there I suppose, but I have to say that I am somewhat confused about the whole phone hacking scandal and why it has blown up now. Presumably it has been timed to bring down Rupert Murdoch and his massive empire just before he was about to take over the control of BSkyB and the world as we know it.
Of course the whole sordid business is unacceptable, but haven’t we all known about the way journalists uncover stories for years and that people, including the police are paid for their stories? It used to be called phone tapping (sounds a lot less instrusive) – it’s how we all heard the squidgygate tapes and the tampon conversation between Charles and Camilla. Of course the shocking part has been discovering that vulnerable people were targeted, especially after hearing Millie Dowler’s parents talking about their treatment.
But another reason, I suspect is the recent rise of “People Power”. The public are enjoying being heard and being active contributors in what we consider to be newsworthy and I suspect we have all had enough of the old school Fleet Street style of reporting and the power the media moguls yield. There is an entirely different landscape emerging in the media world today and the new way of reporting news is arguably less likely to require insidious means of getting a “scoop” because there is always someone who knows someone who knows something and is prepared to put it on Twitter, as Ryan Giggs discovered to his detriment.
So what next, I wonder for the future of news? Newspapers are suffering as a result of the growing popularity of grass root reporters – those of us who blog, tweet and interact online in some form or other. But how do we monitor the way we receive news in our brave new world? It needs to be carefully regulated and controlled. There already seems to be a total lack of control via the existing laws owing to people power and a new more modern approach needs to be looked at urgently.
At any level news has to be self regulated and the owner reporting the news needs to take responsibility for that, therefore presumably a new independent governing body has to be set up to monitor the behaviour of all forms of media and ensure that the media is not influencing politicians, that politicians are not influencing the police, that the police are not influencing the media and so on. It is time to break down those sleazy “I’ll grease your hand if you grease mine” connections. It’s a sorry state of affairs, but in a way quite exciting for the future of news. I can smell a dramatic change on the horizon.
What do you think?
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July 18, 2011It is indeed a very interesting time. You have hit on a point that I have been thinking about – and that is the timing. I’m really interested in all of this and have consequently devoured many articles in various Newspapers over the past 10 days, but nobody, as yet has suggested that the revelations came out to scupper the sky/bskyb or whatever it is, deal, and I cannot help but think that other interested parties had a hand in this.
That the Brooks woman held on to her ‘job’ for so long is perfectly extraordinary…and I cheered when I heard yesterday she had been arrested….there, I believe, is one evil individual. And,as others have already said – she is either a liar, or fantastically stupid!. But, many others will follow her footsteps into Police stations – and I predict that Politicians will also fall/resign as the whole story unravels.
But, you are right – it is this “People Power” thing that is fuelling much/all of this – and the use of the internet and twitter – and blogs! which allow us all to communicate with each other in a very easy, cheap and effective format. Twitter exposed the Ryan Giggs affair/(s)!, which up until then was masked by expensive Court Orders. On a grander scale the whole Arab Spring thing is partly as a result of the availability of an easy mass communications platform rallying people to the cause, and this, I think, is just the start of it. However, whenever there is ‘good’ such as this – it could also, if left unchecked, cause huge domestic and global problems for governments – (and us as citizens) – around the world….and would not we be wise to sit. And think. Just for a moment, where and how, this all might end…..? do you recall the story of Pandora’ box?
x
Family Affairs
July 18, 2011Exactly. It all needs to be managed very carefully. Thats why I am suggesting an independent body to manage the whole thing before it all gets out of hand. Lx
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July 18, 2011Indeed but will even that be truly Independent?….those that pay the piper, call the tune etc. Maybe papers just need to report facts about Business, Economics, Entertainment, Politics, Sport….in a factual no-nonsense way. None of us ‘need’ to know who slept with who and when or why…..It is almost as if we have to redefine the whole concept of ‘news’.
As we learn that another senior Police Officer has resigned, we are reminded that no amount of committees or bodies will ever eliminate bribery or corruption at all levels of ‘Authority’…this one will run and run.
Family Affairs
July 18, 2011I’m not sure. I think you can keep a committee “at arms length” and hope they remain reasonably independent for a period of time…..
OF COURSE we want to know who slept with who and when and why. Thats the best bit!
Lx