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The decline of newspapers – nothing to do with journalism
Declining newspaper readership has nothing to do with journalism. Should I say that again for the hard of hearing? Amongst those not listening, the normally wise and perceptive Howard Owens: If our readers so easily recognize that what we do isn’t trustworthy for its accuracy both in fact and spirit, then how can we expect…
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Repackaging the evening news – lessons from America
My old dead tree version of the Atlantic finally arrived, and with it a lovely, insightful piece on Katie Couric and the CBS Evening News by Caitlin Flanagan. As the new Kaplinsky Five News prepares to take to the air, and the revived News at Ten struggles, here is Flanagan’s conclusion on Couric: That Katie…
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Arguing against Nick Davies 2
At the RSA today to argue with Nick Davies in person about (follow the link to buy a copy) Flat Earth News. One of Nick’s claims – not central to his book, but articulated in his stump speech – is that the British media gullibly accepted the Blair government’s case for war in Iraq, based…
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Off topic: defending democracy
The British foreign minister has just made a speech about defending democracy. You can read it all here. Except that it rings a bit hollow, because democracy is barely practised in British society. Britain runs instead on a kind of mediated patronage that would be familiar to Wolsey, Walpole or Wellington. Crown authority is delegated…