Tabloid Watch has an excellent article here about Cumbrian MP, Jamie Reed, and his reaction to the media coverage of the murders committed by Derrick Bird. It is a moving speech, one that deserves to have a wider audience, particularly because he really doesn’t pull any punches in his condemnation of the behaviour of certain members of the national press. Of course, we know that they have a considerable amount of form in this area:
To give a parallel – I know that this is a difficult issue – certain national newspapers have elicited feelings in my community similar to those that were elicited in Liverpool by the way that the Hillsborough tragedy was reported
It is a fair comment, as I don’t think I was the only one horrified by the lengths that the papers felt it was necessary to go in order to ‘get the story’ and their lack of sensitivity towards those caught up in the tragic circumstances.
I would like to wish him good luck with his campaign to encourage newspaper editors and journalists in the ways of decency especially as, if recent PCC rulings are anything to go by, he will be needing it…
J. C. Greenway
johnmaguirewords
Charlie Brooker did a good piece on the TV equivalent of this in Newswipe a couple of years ago. The relevant bit is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PezlFNTGWv4
I’m not sure the media compulsion to run ridiculously extensive coverage of mass killings is going anywhere, sadly.
Mawkish is a great word.
Nick, I don’t doubt they’re going to report it. Do they have to be such gleeful, ambulance-chasing scumbags about the whole business though? They make lawyers look good!
Mawkish is a great word, my etymology dictionary tells me it comes from the word ‘mawke’, used for a maggot. Points go to the first person who drops that into conversation today…
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