Leveson enquiry puts the press on the ropes
As the Leveson inquiry reaches its second week it is clear that the fighter in the red corner, the tabloid media, is taking a decisive pummelling. There is no chance of throwing in the towel in this matchup, however; the reputation of the press will keep getting punched and battered until it can no longer stand.
This is truly a dark time for the profession of journalism, its integrity damaged to an extent never seen before. It isn’t the A-listers and celeb big-hitters that have really put the press on the ropes though. The heaviest punches are being landed by the regular, everyday people whose lives have been torn apart by the unscrupulous actions of a lazy, cheap and shameless minority of professionals.
The disturbing revelation that murdered school girl Milly Dowler’s phone was hacked is the final straw for many. The fact that innocent, grieving parents were given false hope about their daughter’s life pushes the actions of the press far beyond simple reportage into voyeurism and emotional manipulation.
Personally I applaud the bravery of Christopher Jefferies, the man wrongly arrested over the death of Joanna Yeates, in not accepting an apology as enough and fighting to clear his name and raise serious questions about the ethics of the media. Mr Jefferies has described the ‘witch hunt’ he was subject to and the campaign by certain newspapers to ‘blacken his character’.
Headlines and stories painting Mr Jefferies as a creepy, predatory loner had no basis in truth and were no better than malicious school ground rumours. In a similar vein to the treatment of the Dowler family, the press once again overstepped the mark. It is the job of journalists to report evidence and fact, not make a rash judgement about an innocent individual’s character and lead a campaign to besmirch it publicly.
Hearing the complaints of celebrities like Sienna Miller, Calum Best and Abi Titmus, all of whom have built a career around publicity and media coverage, is for many people hard to swallow. After all, how can you expect to bite the hand that feeds?
Steve Coogan makes his case at the High Court
Comedian Steve Coogan, who has described reporters going through his bins in search of headlines, claims he “never wanted to be famous, as such – fame is a by-product.” To whatever extent you believe this claim and however much you think those who make a living through the press should be at its mercy, the fact remains that there is a question of ethics here.
Moreover there is also a question of quality and taste. How can the profession of journalism have debased itself to the level of sneaking notes into JK Rowling’s children’s school bags or pursuing Charlotte Church in the hopes of an ‘upskirt’ shot? Coogan’s testimony is symbolic of the depths tabloid media has sunk to – literally digging up rubbish. Why do editors think this garbage sells papers anyway?
It’s clear that people will no longer stand for these actions and, if nothing else, the inquiry will put paid to the crude and lazy journalism that has brought shame upon the profession.
