It's been an interesting couple of days.
It started on Sunday
when I leisurely wandered downstairs at 11am, made myself some
breakfast, sat down on the sofa and opened up Facebook on my iPad (a
very expensive birthday/Christmas present from my generous parents).
One
of the first posts I noticed was from a Facebook friend who had linked
to an article written by Julie Burchill entitled Transsexuals Should Cut
It Out. Said Facebook friend warned that it used inflammatory
language but I thought, "Come off it! It's The Guardian! How bad can it
be?!!".
Well, when I managed to pick my jaw up off the floor, I
had my answer - unbelievably bad. In fact, probably the most hate filled
thing I have ever had the displeasure to read (and that includes
competition from Richard Littlejohn, Melanie Phillips and the BNP
website!). Hell! It didn't even pretend to have journalistic standards!
I
was staggered at how this could've got past the Editor and be published
in a supposed respectable newspaper (which, I should say, turned out to
be The Observer rather than The Guardian - they share the same
webspace, hence the confusion). Surely, if nothing else, an Editor has a
duty to protect his newspaper from a criminal conviction? Whereas, this
article laid it wide open to one - for committing a hate crime!
However, up
until Sunday, I had only ever felt it necessary to contact the police
twice before - once when I found a man in the street who I believed to
be dead and the other when my friend was suffering some domestic abuse.
So I hardly regard myself as reactionary or "trigger happy".
Having
a background in the newspaper trade (once as an Editor for a local news
website - but mostly in what they call the "Production" department (aka
dogsbodies)), I'm also pretty well acquainted with how newspapers work
and how low they'll sink to sell themselves (despite what anyone else
will tell you, newspapers aren't about investigative journalism - or any
kind of journalism for that matter - but making money for which they
need to sell lots of their product that contain lots of paid for
advertisements for other people's product in them). So when I see these
articles from the aforementioned likes of Richard Littlejohn, Melanie
Phillips et al I know what the real motive is - money - and so I take
them with a pinch of salt.
However, when someone flat out breaks
the law by committing a hate crime with the evidence on display for all
to see, as Julie Burchill did with her article, it appears there is not
enough salt in all the world that will stop me from reporting said crime
to the police.
Thus Julie Burchill's article is now registered
as a Hate Incident... and I hope it will follow with a conviction for
Julie Burchill for committing said hate crime.
So should you see
some of the follow up articles that harp on about "Freedom of speech", I
hope you will have a better understanding of the circumstances.
For
this much talked about "Freedom of speech" doesn't actually exist
because, as has been illustrated, you are not free to speak (or type) as
you please.
Also, when journalists reminisce about this much
lauded "Freedom of speech" with misty eyed sentimentality, you also
ought to be aware that "Freedom of speech" has never ever existed (in
anyone's living memory at any rate)! There have always (in living
memory) been consequences to speaking unjustly about someone.
So
why would the newspapers suggest otherwise? Surely these bastions of
morality, such as The Daily Mail, would never seek to mislead their
readership?
Well, one theory could be that there has been a report into the goings on in "newspaper land"
called The Leveson Enquiry. In this report some journalists were found
to be wanting in certain qualities such as honesty and lawfulness. As a
result there was a public backlash and a politically supported clampdown on the freedom of the press (as
limited as it already was).
So, of course, the press don't like these measures - it makes their job of doing a thoroughly researched article before deadline even nearer to impossible than it already was (as can be evidenced in any daily newspaper you care to read)!
Now these deadlines aren't going to go away and nor is the pressure to make money in this atmosphere of 'new' competition (only 20 years old and going strong) from online media and the reduction in disposable income for disposable newsprint as a result of recession after recession.
So
what would any self-interested newspaper publisher do?
Perhaps they seek a way
to slither from underneath this oppressive atmosphere by changing the
rules??
Perhaps they seek to gain something they've been denied up until now?
Perhaps they seek the freedom to publish what they damn well like with impunity??
A freedom that the newspapers could snappily call, "Freedom of speech".
No need to worry about lawsuits for slander, libel, misrepresentation... or prosecution for committing a hate crime then! Not when you've got "Freedom of speech"!
But a savvy newspaper publisher would know damn well that no one's gonna give that to them! Why
on earth would the public give them the freedom to slander, libel, and incite
hatred?!!
Well, not unless they're convinced that they actually want this freedom too, that is!
So
perhaps the newspapers set about manipulating the public into thinking they do want this
freedom and print a whole sheaf of articles beseeching it??
But, think about it, when does the topic of "Freedom of speech" ever come up in our daily lives?
Do we have a row with a neighbour and accuse them of infringing upon our "Freedom of speech" when they tell us to "F off!"?
I think it far more likely we respond in kind rather than harp on about being "bullied into silence"!
Do
we think, "You know, I really should be allowed to accuse Mr Singh of
being a terrorist if I want to. He is Asian, after all!!"
No, I think it far more likely our conscience sways us towards a more honest course of action.
So
why should there be a different set of standards for our newspapers?
Especially when it's been shown conclusively in the last year that we
want our newspapers to behave honestly and responsibly!
For what a
"Freedom of speech" amounts to is a licence to act dishonestly and
irresponsibly and I see no reason why we should support
that.
So, should they ever ask us to, I think we should turn a blind eye (or ear) and instead demand that our newspapers
give us a service that benefits us, rather than one that benefits them.