A rant!!

OK So I work in media (even though i hate the industry!) and i’m looking at the beeb (that’s the BBC for those of you who don’t know) and I find out that they’re focusing on freedom of speech to celebrate 75 years of BBC World Service (what a celebration that will be!!).                                                                                                                                                                     It got me thinking…We all know that newspapers love to sensationalise and sometimes mislead their consumers…how do they get away with it??? Is this the unfortunate cost of press freedom?? What are the arguments FOR  press freedom??                                                                                                                                                                              In terms of arguments for, a lot of media savvy’s (snotty b*****ds i like to call them) think that press freedom equates to the right of self expression…great!! fantastic!! If we never had that right, I would not be able to air my views like I am now. However…as far as I’m concerned, you cannot apply this theory to that of powerful insitutions like Rupert Murdoch’s       News Corp (sorry Rupert, I know you own this site, but you know I’m right ). If you’re going to apply something like that to insitutions, then consider this…as individuals, we are powerless and we can do harm if we are careless about our accuracy. We don’t allow major companies like Sainsbury’s or British Airways to be inaccurate about their productsHowever there are even laws for us against slander, inciting hatred and libel. Now if  insitutions like the media were casual about accuracy, it can cause a great load of damage to the reputation of individuals and to that of large insitutions and communities. If the powerful conglomerates of the media today had unconditional freedom of speech, they would easily be able to be inaccurate, causing great damage to others and therefore underminig democracy…so all that rubbish about press freedom being like freedom of speech is frankly UNREAL…i don’t care how fashionable it is!                                                                                                                                                                                                  Speaking of democracy..again the media savvy’s think that press freedom appeals to the needs of democracy…again…and to be honest i ..think about it…democracy would needs a press that can inform it’s citizens ACCURTAELY! And of course if  requirements for accuracy were too tightly drawn then frankly i think the press would be intimidated. And no one can be sure of getting everything correct even with the zealous “Fact-checking”…                                                                                                                                                                                                  Frankly I think that the whole press freedom thing is unjustified! The government have a HUGE influence over the media (which i hope we all know)…and personally, I think that the press is there, to help the government influence the way in which society develops…as the views and morals of the government and the press changes so will the minds of some individuals (i.e those who rely on nothing but the press for their facts!). However I would like to think that society is  developed enough to be able to have their own views, opinions and morals in life! Why should we have to live life the way soceity expects us to!?! We are afterall INDIVIDUALS!! Slightly of track there, but hey..I’M RANDOM!! 😀

~ by ricardosinclair on January 11, 2009.