Alastair Campbell on our 24-hour news culture: Much like Paxman’s underpants, journalism might be bigger today, but it isn’t any better.
There has been a shift to what may be defined as a culture of negativity which goes well beyond coverage of politics. Of course, the idea of news as something that someone, somewhere would rather not see published is a good one. But it is partial. When a prevailing wisdom takes hold that news is only news when it is bad for someone, and especially someone in power, then it narrows and distorts the view of the world.
This from a man who made his name ‘spinning’ the media for Tony Blair, and with mostly negative items about the Tories.
Bob, you mean there were some positive news items about the Tories once upon a time!?!
Have you been drinking again!?!
I agree with some of what Campbell says but his argument gets completely discredited when he applies it to the Iraq War. He didn’t mention Iraq in this article but he has done so previously in relation to this. I’m afraid when he views media reports about the shoddiness of intelligence, the deceitfulness the government, the opposition from most of the rest of the world and the catastrophe that resulted from the invasion as just media negativity, I can’t really take him seriously.
I use to know a reporter who won’t write a ‘negative’ story. He banged out ‘positive’ stories that were spun so tight and so detached from reality the readers rumbled and the paper started to lose its credability.
The real danger to journalism is the sacking of thousand of reporters and the creation of the newsroom ‘call centres’ where journalists never leave their desks and quantity is prized more highly than good, balanced stories.
Snafu – No, I meant he wrote negative Tory stories rather than relying on positive Labour ones. The answer to your second question, though, is yes!
hacked off, I have been in London today and funnily enough a couple of people said that about the standard and Livingstone. They didn’t necessarily like Ken, but they loathed the Standard and their articles were garnering sympathy support for Ken.
BobGom – spot on.