Saturday, June 20, 2020

PRESS FREEDOM The Good, the Bad, and the VERY Ugly in Journalism

New chapter from PeterMac's e-book: 'What really happened to Madeleine McCann?'

PRESS FREEDOM
The Good, the Bad, and the VERY Ugly in Journalism

A free press is one of the foundations on which modern ‘liberal’ democracy rests.
“ Freedom of speech ” has long been recognized as important “If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” George Washington
We have become used to reading and hearing, and more recently actually seeing, proceedings in Parliament. Our Parliament. It was not always so.
Hansard, which publishes a verbatim but edited record of proceedings in the House, was founded only in 1771. Before that date only decisions had been reported, not the content of the debate, and to attempt to do so was punishable by both Houses. A commentary at the time refers to "the difficulties faced by independent newspapermen who . . . in varying degrees, attempted to educate the populace to the shortcomings of their rulers.” Hansard we know today began only in 1909.          
[1]
We have also become accustomed to access to a range of newspapers. We accept that each will have its own political agenda reflected in the leader article or evidenced by the general tone of the editorial and commentary.
There was a time when journalism was a respected profession. It was referred to as the 4th Estate, with a mission to hold the Establishment to account by reporting the truth and by fearlessly exposing corruption and deceit.
Thomas Carlyle attributed the origin of the term to Edmund Burke, who used it in a parliamentary debate in 1787 on the opening up of press reporting of the House of Commons of Great Britain
     "Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters' Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all”

[2]
Relatively quickly however, that importance and power began to corrupt. As Lord Acton observed in 1887 “Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely”
Oscar Wilde wrote in his 1891 pamphlet The Soul of Man under Socialism:
     "In old days men had the rack. Now they have the Press. That is an improvement certainly. But still it is very bad, and wrong, and demoralising. Somebody — was it Burke? — called journalism the fourth estate. That was true at the time no doubt. But at the present moment it is the only estate. It has eaten up the other three. The Lords Temporal say nothing, the Lords Spiritual have nothing to say, and the House of Commons has nothing to say and says it. We are dominated by Journalism."

Though he was also scathing about its purpose: “There is much to be said in favour of modern journalism. By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, it keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community.“ 
[3]
What are the gradations, the categories of truth and of truth telling?
Is truth indivisible? Can it have context or nuance?
Can you have your personal “version of the truth”?
Can it be placed onto a scale according to some level or quantum of truth or mendacity, or by assessing the spectrum of damage caused to individuals and to the freedom of us all?
And when that truth is reported, what then?
I have tried to fit it into a scale here.
(I use the word Truth to mean objective and provable fact, and I use Mendacity to mean deliberate, calculated falsehood, as opposed to error, mistake, misunderstanding, or misinterpretation.)
You may observe that I include a category not normally associated with Journalism, but I believe intimately concerned with Truth and Mendacity and able to influence freedom of speech. Libel Lawyers.

Let me try to develop this

Monday, June 1, 2020

Casualties of the McCann's War


Have I missed anything out?

Missing:

Madeleine McCann
Madeleine McCann's voice from any video
Any actual searching by Team McCann for Madeleine
Timeline 3rd May
One buggy
One fridge
Gerry's blog about missing fridge
Blue sports bag
Hair samples from FSS
Madeleine's medical records
Police reconstruction
Answers to 48 police questions
McCanns from Portugal
Watches, mobile phones, credit cards
Gerry's Friends Reunited entry - "anyone fancy babysitting?"
Mobile phone records
Advertising of reward money
Reverend Haynes Hubbard's computer
Wallet
Thief who returned wallet
One heart attack victim (plane)
Pool people on 3rd May
The lady by the pool
The consciences of the Tapas 9
The identity of the 10th Tapas
Transparency of the Fund
Monthly updates in Hello magazine about McC's Amber Alert campaign
The continuing support of Sir Richard Branson, JK Rowling, Sir Philip Green, David Beckham etc
Any evidence that Grandma Healey had said that Madeleine had trouble sleeping and used to be sedated - whooshed
The reason/name of person being protected by the government
Missing for 6 months the Gaspar statements
All the stories one would normally expect to read about past behaviour of the Tapas7/9/10, for which newpapers pay enormous sums
Etc...

Dead:
Madeleine McCann
Amaral's dog
Eddie and Keela
Ray Wyre
Clement Freud
Raymond Hewlett
Euclides Monteiro
Chief Constable Michael Todd
Colin Sahlke
Ricardo Cunha
Brenda Leyland
Kevin Halligen
Michael Linnett
Truth
Justice
Freedom of speech
Tourism in Praia da Luz
Investigative journalism
Journalistic integrity
6 corpses that contaminated Cuddlecat and Kate's holiday trousers

Removed/moved on:
Cuddlecat
Bead from Madeleine's hair
Blue bag
Pink blanket
Goncalo Amaral
Alipio Ribeiro resigned, Head of PJ (he told in an interview that naming the McCann arguidos was "hasty")
British ambassador
Martin Grime and Eddie & Keela
Priest in PdL
Alex Woolfall
Sheree Dodd
Justine McGuinness
David Hughes
The link to the Find Madeleine website from the Vatican website
All references to the McCanns from Esther McVey's Blog
Online Daily Express articles - whooshed
All criticism of the McParents from UK press
The Nanny
Alistair Clark
Unnamed Police Officer from LP (allegedly) taken off case when in PdL
Yvonne the social worker
The Mirror Forum on Madeleine
The 3 Arguidos forum
Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa
Celia Edwards
Sir Christopher Meyer
Control Risks Group
Etc...

Staged/forged:
Abduction scene
The Last Photo
Visit to Pope
Walks along the beach
Wistful photo sitting on rocks
The run up the hill in 19 minutes
Sergei Malinka's burnt out car
Cuddlecat photos
Jogging
TV pleas for help
Sightings of Madeleine
Etc...

Resigned/Sacked:
John Buck
Bill Henderson
Olegario Sousa
Sheree Dodd
Justine McGuinness
Esther McVey
Staff at Ocean Club
Max Clifford
Metodo3
Controls Risk Group
Etc...

Ruined lives:
Gonçalo Amaral and his family
The Priest in PdL
Robert Murat
Sergey Malinka
Brenda Leyland and her family
Etc...

Lost credibility:
The Tapas nine
Clarence Mitchell
Rebekah Brooks
Gordon Brown
Tony Blair
Various Gov officials
Leics police
Jim Gamble
Antonella Lazzeri
Tracey Kandohla
Jon Clarke
Olive Press
Netflix
The Sun
The Daily Mail
Richard Branson
Phillip Green
Stephen Winyard
Jez Wilkins
Bridgette O’Donnel
Summers and Swan
David Edgar
Arthur Crowley
Lorraine Kelly
Piers Morgan
Oprah Winfrey
Mark Williams Thomas
Andy Redwood
The Metropolitan Police

Wild Goose Chase/Fraud?
The millions of euros spent by the PJ to look for Maddie's abductor
The Fund
The millions of taxpayers money spent by Operation Grange's remit to investigate the abduction as though it happened in the UK.

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