Quote:
Originally Posted by Damien
I would say it's a lot bigger than a 'tiny proportion' that is a 'lie'. While I would say that only a few are complete fabrications (Muslims Banning Christmas in Luton) the vast majority are stories that are technically true but have been manipulated in terms of facts and language to meet the tabloid's own agenda and their readers prejudice.
For example; The Daily Express reported on the building of a Mega-Mosque inferring it would be funded by the taxpayer and was planned by the government. This led to the largest e-partition on the Downing Street website, was used by the BNP in their Mayoral election campaign and was picked by the Mail and some other tabloids. Problem is, some key facts were wrong. The government did NOT plan it, it would NOT have been funded by the taxpayer. This was an independent Muslim group who simply discussed the idea. The Express knew this but it made a far better story to portray it as PC gone mad.
Other examples include the moving of hospital beds to face Mecca (was not a new policy, was only if requested and most Muslims don’t, and was only if the nurse had time. None of this was mentioned in the tabloid press), A school banning Christmas cards (was because parents were request a list of students in their children’s classes, tabloids said it was not to offend Muslims), The government issued a report from a independent body saying migration had a negative effect on London (the report actually said the opposite, the mail just carefully selected lines from the report to meet their view), and many others.
You say that people can differentiate between truth and lies, how can you do that without reading multiple news sources and researching each issue? Look at the content of these forums and you will find many topics started based on a non-story like one of the ones above. It’s not about the intelligence of the reader, it’s about the manipulation of the reader, something than can be done on anyone.
This is important, and we should hold them to a higher standard because the media is our filter to the rest of the world. Politics, Crime, International Affairs, the media shows the entire world outside our limited scope to us and if the media itself is corrupt then our entire world view can be based on lies and fabrications. The danger of this is obvious, a populous which is angry about an issue can bring about changes in society’s/government’s approach to that issue, an issue which may be non-existent and changes which are detrimental to a group in society (It was Jews 60 years ago). If a politician lies, the media will call him on it. If the media lies, no opposition will be heard because the media controls who gets though to the mass population.
What can be done about it? Tougher Press commission, tougher penalties. If a story is proven or is highly suspected of being fabricated or mostly fabricated to change the meaning of the story then the paper is punished severely and has to include an apology and retraction on the front page. This would only be done if the commission finds the story was fabricated/misleading to meet an agenda and not if it was simply a journalistic error, which is an understandable occurrence. Most of our TV and Broadsheet press meet those standards, why not the tabloids as well?
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Some or all of that may be true but it doesn't alter the fact that people at all levels and in all positions spin and tell lies for their own ends. Look at Bliar, Bush and Clinton if you want some of the worst examples. Who's had more global power and influence, them or the Daily Star, NOTW and their ilk? You cite the Express mosque story's lies yet how many people died as a direct result of them as compared with the number who've died and are still dying as a result of Bliar's tales of WMD?
Implying, as some here do, that the tabloids are the worst offenders when it comes to porky pies is utter nonsense and that is my point. I have no problem with the tabloid media being controlled as tightly as any other form of media. In fact, I wouldn't lose a moment's sleep if they all disappeared up BBKing's posterior tomorrow, but I don't see why they should be expected to work to higher standards and/or be subject to greater controls than our glorious leaders or anyone else for that matter.
My personal observation over the years that a lot of tabloid readers seem more interested in topless girls, sports coverage and saucy agony columns than they are concerned with politics and the state of human kind adds to my belief that even when these rags tell lies the results are usually comparitively[/B] minor, if still tragic for those affected by them.
That having been said there should be stringent penalities when lies are knowingly told and if Bliar and his cohorts had been subject to some of that medicine maybe New/Old/NearlyNew/SameOld Labour would've disappeared long ago and we wouldn't still be bogged down in two wars.