our popular tribunes

The Leveson revelation reminded me, in passing, of this tragedy from a week or so back:

Other residents in the local area were reluctant to speak to the media about the tragedy, which was reported to have happened while Harry and his mother were at her parents' home.

One neighbour, who declined to give her name, told reporters: "It's very, very sad. Losing a baby must be heart-breaking however it happens, and they need to be left to grieve."

My emphases. Maybe people would be actually more willing to co-operate with journalists if they thought that they weren’t descending on local communities as a hostile force. If public support for statutory regulation is an actual threat to free speech rather than, say,  a cynical and self-serving helping of bollocks, then whose fault is that?

But what’s the point. What we’re actually in here is democracy failure.

Comments

[A Different Alex]

The report is a whitewash. Nothing on ownership or control of the press, but only a proposal to possibly have a regulatory body set up (despite phone hacking already being illegal).

Meanwhile the police get let off scot free:

Lord Justice Leveson said: "I am satisfied that I have seen no basis for challenging at any stage the integrity of the police, or that of the senior police officers concerned. What is, however, equally clear is that a series of poor decisions, poorly executed, all came together to contribute to the perception that [the police were too close to News International].

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20549162

[Igor Belanov]

We have had a categorical statement from the government that they stand for freedom for powerful and irresponsible media organisations as against the freedom of ordinary people to go about their lives without unwarranted intrusions. This is an open target to any decent people to argue for massive restructuring of the press restricting ownership and control and enshrining rights of privacy.

Oh, and if freedom of press and 'independent self-regulation' are so vital to democracy, then I'm sure the government will be scrapping the anti-trade union laws as a restriction of freedom of association and allowing the TUC to regulate the union movement.

[Neil]

Ah, but they're just giving us what we want otherwise we wouldn't buy it. Therefore, we must be absolutely fine with their intrusion...

So the excuse goes. Of course they'd never be cross-subsidising their Political Power and Spiteful Shit departments with profits from the Celeb Upskirt and Football departments, would they?

No, let's just pretend they never do that kind of thing, even though it's obvious they do.

[john b]

The fact that the comments above are as above, whilst the comments in Toryland are as if the sky had fallen and the Commissar of Correctness were now in charge of all speaking, makes me think that Brian pretty much got things right.

[Cian]

So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal.