A matter of life and death

I looked at the the Times this morning and shook my head in disbelief. The front-page story was about Gordon Brown paying out £2.7 billion to end the ongoing 10p tax crisis.

That’s right, can you believe it? In the opening paragraph, the newspaper said it was the biggest financial and political U-turn of modern times.

However, reading about Gordon Brown did not send shockwaves running though my head.

After gazing at the small-print on the right-hand side of the page, I soon discovered that hundreds of children had been killed….in China.

An earthquake, the second national disaster in a matter of weeks following the Burma cyclone, had caused around 12,000 deaths in China.

Therefore, it appears that income tax and the British economy is more newsworthy than the tragic and sudden loss of around 12,000 people.

A shocking state of affairs, don’t you think? Why should money be regarded as more important than the lives of thousands of innocent people?

In response to this question, a journalist would probably utter the words ‘news values’.

In technical terms, the news value of ‘proximity’ would dictate that stories closer to home are deemed more important than stories occurring on the other side of the world. As long as something doesn’t happen in our back yard, it’s of little relevance and importance anyway.

However, there are notable exceptions to this rule. When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in August 2005, news of the disaster was splashed over the front pages of most British newspapers.

The USA is thousands of miles away, yet our newspapers believed it was necessary to give this story greater coverage.

Of course, an expert is not required to work out the reasoning behind this. Events in the USA are seen as more important for political reasons.

But in reality, this shouldn’t be the case. A life in the United States should not be worth more than a life in China, or Burma for that matter.

What’s even more disappointing is that the Times printed a massive picture of housing minister Caroline Flint, alongside a miniscule picture of a suffering Chinese child.

Taking into account news values, an earthquake in China should be deemed more important than housing policy. What angers me is that I had to strain my tired reading eyes to notice a large-scale national disaster story. And other newspapers on the stand were no different.

To their credit, at least the Times devoted a double-page spread on pages 8 and 9 to the Chinese earthquake. And a comment piece incorporating the Burma cyclone was also present.

But this is no consolation for readers who may have lost loved ones or close friends in China.

However, perhaps the media is not completely to blame. After all, newspapers are designed to inform its readers.

It’s human nature to worry about your own problems in your own country. And Gordon Brown’s U-turn was a significant political event which could drastically improve many British lives.

But the British press should be more respectful of people based all over the world. The media has a duty and responsibility to place more emphasis on devastating events like natural disasters.

Is it safe to leave your house?

There’s a fine margin between life and death. It only takes a split second for someone to be shot in Preston.

 

And it seems gun crime is getting out of hand.

 

Preston has witnessed at least ten major incidents in recent months. This begs the question: Is it safe to leave your own home?

 

In February, revellers were forced to flee the Club Arena on Tithebarn Street when two shots were fired by a masked man.

 

Meanwhile, four people have been quizzed in connection with a shooting on the Callon Estate. A 21 year-old was charged with attempted murder.

 

This prompted Preston’s new police chief superintendent, Peter White, to claim there are at least 100 people in the city known to be involved in criminal gangs.

 

According to the Lancashire Evening Post, police have seized more than 30 deadly weapons off the streets of Preston in the last 12 months.

 

Council Leader Ken Hudson also describes gun crime as a grave problem and said: “Clearly from a community service point of view it’s a concern. We need to stamp it out before there are any fatalities”.

 

But although many incidents of gun crime have been reported in recent months, is there a reason to believe these stories have been sensationalised?

 

A leading Chief Constable stressed that incidents involving firearms in Preston are “thankfully very rare”.

 

Andrew Bradbury, a press spokesman for Preston Police, believes the media should be responsible when reporting gun crime.

 

He said: “Reports in the papers are often not reflective of the true situation in the city. There is a danger some papers report gun crime as a sexy story to put on the front page.

 

“News editors have a duty to report gun crime fairly and accurately and they should be aware their coverage could have a disproportionate effect.”

 

Dr Niall Scott, a Lecturer in Bioethics at the University of Central Lancashire, agreed and said: “Something as serious and damaging as gun crime can’t ever have too much coverage.

 

“But the coverage should be more critical and less fear-mongering. There’s a close relationship between a genuine story and entertainment”.

 

Bradbury also played down public safety concerns by claiming law-abiding citizens are often not under threat by gun crime.

 

He added: “People involved in gun crime are often in gangs. In practically every single incident, one criminal or gang is targeting another.

 

“In around 99 out of 100 incidents, criminals are affected by gun crime. There is often just one occasion when an innocent person gets involved”.

 

However, Bradbury stressed this was not an excuse to compensate for the rise of gun crime. And he also touched on a strand of gun crime which has rarely come to light in the media.

 

“There’s been an incredible rise of people claiming to have a firearm by using BB guns or imitation weapons to generally intimidate people.

 

“At a legislative level these imitation weapons have often been used by criminals to rob off-licenses.

 

“Action needs to be taken because people buy these weapons to misuse them. When they’re misused, it could lead to someone being shot”.

 

Councillor Hudson also condemned the use and availability of BB guns and said they still could be used to cause serious physical harm.

 

Meanwhile, Dr Scott added: “It is disturbing that people use weapons to solve conflict. Holding a gun is an expression of power to some people. It’s a temper tantrum like a child holding their breath.

 

“We see this kind of behaviour as a rebellion against the ‘legitimate’ world. But they see our legitimacy as patronising and are simply not willing to participate in it.

 

“Levels of responsibility need to be addressed. I believe this should be given more attention in the media”.

 

So there you have it. Gun crime in Preston is a severe problem but it appears that safety fears have been exaggerated by the media.

 

Therefore, it’s safe to leave your own home but remain vigilant at all times. You never know who could be lurking around the corner.

News flash: Can we trust TV?

The reputation of British broadcasting has been dragged through the mud in the last year. And it would be fair to say that the situation is spiralling out of control.

Viewers across the nation have been conned out of money for entering competitions which they could not have won in a month of Sundays.

Last year ITV morning programme GMTV was fined £2 million for duping viewers of a staggering £40 million over four years.

Meanwhile, the BBC is set to receive a hefty fine for ripping viewers off on shows including Comic Relief, Sport Relief, Children in Need and Blue Peter.

The BBC have been accused of pledging £100,000 to charity and keeping the money to itself.

So you think that’s bad enough. Think again. When you thought it just couldn’t get any worse, a new scam has come to light.

In 2005, Geordie duo Ant and Dec were handed a prestgious award at the British Comedy Awards. However, their show, Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, did not actually win the viewers’ vote. In fact, the vote was won by the Catherine Tate Show.

In a separate investigation, ITV has been also been fined for ripping off viewers on shows including Ant and Dec’s Saturday Takeaway, Gameshow Marathon and Soapstar Superstar.

So it appears viewers have been duped yet again.

Apparently pop star Robbie Williams would only appear on screen if he handed the award to his chums Ant and Dec.

So a desperate ITV, obviously thinking about ratings and nothing else, decided to give in to Robbie’s demands at the expense of their viewers.

It’s a crying shame that broadcasters today believe filling their pockets is more important than giving paying customers value for money.

What’s equally disappointing is that broadcasters are placing the cult of celebrity above integrity.

However, at least regulator Ofcom has shown a willingness to clamp down on such idiocy. ITV were handed a hefty fine of £5.7 million – and rightly so.

Stiff penalties must be imposed to prevent broadcasters from even thinking about ripping viewers off.

Furthermore, according to a report released by the Daily Mail today, there is a possibility that the fraud police will step in to investigate the matter.

Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards warned that it “certainly isn’t the end of the matter”. Perhaps further disciplinary action could be taken against ITV.

This remains unclear but politcians from opposing parties have voiced their discontent.

Conservative MP John Whittingdale, chairman of the culture, media and sport select committee, said: “It is extraordinary that they ever thought this type of behaviour was acceptable.”

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat Culture spokesman Don Foster said: “To hear that a major awards show has been potentially fiddled comes as the final straw with the public’s confidence in broadcasting.”

The final straw indeed. So this brings me to on the ultimate question arising from this ongoing farce: Can we trust TV?

At the present moment in time, the answer is no. The evidence against broadcasters has been piling up.

But as ITV and the BBC attempt to recover from their battered reputations, they arguably have little choice but to put viewers first in the near future.

If the fines being dished out become heavier, there may be no escape route for British broadcasters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fergie up to his old tricks

There was hardly a cloud in the sky on Sunday, it was probably the hottest day of the year.

But football fans acoss the nation opted to watch a different type of Sky. Temperatures on and off the pitch soared as the Premier League reached a gripping climax.

A priceless goal from Ryan Giggs steered Manchester United to yet another Premier League title, while nearest-rivals Chelsea failed to beat lowly Bolton.

United needed to beat Wigan and did just that, while Avram Grant’s Cheslea could only manage a 1-1 draw to ensure the title was not decided by goal difference.

So who do you think was United’s star performer this season? On the pitch it was undoubtedly Cristiano Ronaldo but the brains behind the operation was typically manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Remarkably, Fergie has guided United to no fewer than ten Premier League titles and is hoping to add more to his collection. But what makes him such a successful manager, and sets him apart from the rest?

There are numerous answers to this question, but just consider the phrase ‘mind-games’. I’ll leave you to ponder that for a second.

What Fergie has done brilliantly over the years is manipulating the press to gain an advantage. Rather than seeing the constant media gaze as a hindrance, Fergie cunningly uses the press to help his team’s cause.

In the build-up to Sunday’s fixtures, Chelsea would have claimed the title with victory over Bolton if United slipped up at Wigan.

However, just a few days before kick-off on Sunday, Fergie claimed that Bolton had been out celebrating all week after surviving relegation – rather than preparing for their visit to Chelsea.

I discovered the story on the BBC wesbite but it was probably splashed over the back pages of every national newspaper.

Whether Fergie’s comments were true is irrelevant. By claiming Bolton had been out partying all week, Fergie was looking for an angry reaction from Bolton players.

He got exactly what he was looking for.

Bolton raised their game and made life uncompromisingly diffcult for Chelsea. They deservedly snatched a point with a last-gasp equaliser, even though it was of little consequence anyway.

That is just one example of many, I am sure.

Notably, if you cast your mind back to the title race of 1996, Fergie got the better of Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan who almost broke down on television and uttered the famous words: “I wud luv it if we beat them”.

In recent years, the only man to match Fergie at manipulating the press was the “Special One”, ex-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

But since the Portugese was sent packing by billionaire owner Roman Ambraovich in October, it is Fergie who rules the roost.

So expect more mind-games as United prepare to take on Chelsea in the upcoming Champions League final in Moscow. The match may be seven days away but the media will continue to indulge in pointless hype until a ball is finally kicked.

Fergie will say one thing, Avram Grant will probably say the opposite. And then players from each side will get stuck in. And before you know it, the groundsman will give his opinion.

Sadly, it seems this ‘media circus’ is here to stay. Like Fergie, more and more managers will undoubtedly use the media as a sounding board to help their team and deter others.

The beach weather will soon disappear but mind-games from Fergie and others will continue to be delivered hot off the press.

Welcome to my new blog

Hey everyone,

Welcome to my blog. Watch this space for news, views, opinion and reaction on current affairs. Enjoy.

 Dave Menon

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