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Blame Me.

sensoriasensoria Posts: 4,682
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I am sorry to start another thread; I did want to make a point that wasn’t clouded in other subjects.

I think there is a guilty party that is escaping this whole dirty scandal and that is us the public.

The political capital made from Murdoch’s support was great when it was going the way we liked it. People thought, arrogantly, it was a great bit of politics when Blair got Murdoch onside, and then when he abandoned Brown there was a smug satisfaction that he had finally seen the light. When the Times or any other paper were destroying a politician we didn’t like it was great stuff. We didn’t care where the news came from we just wanted to make the most out of it.

Go back through this website alone and look at the links and connections to dubious stories we have all been happy to use and think about them now? It doesn’t feel so good now; certainly not for me.

The slide away from what a politician stood for towards what he stood in was our own fault. We gave the press the power to control our politicians by lapping it up.

I think the lesson that must be learnt is that behind all of these stories in the past wasn’t an agenda to give us what we needed to know but to give us what they wanted us to know and we allowed ourselves to be sucked into it all.

I can’t explain quite how I feel about it all. I am deeply sickened by Blair’s courtship and Browns desperation to continue it. The Tories well they have to ask themselves how they feel about Cameron, that is not for me to say.

I just think when we blame them, the Blair’s, Browns and Cameron’s we have to accept that it is only our relationship with the media that made them believe the skewed relationship they formed with Murdoch and many other newspapers was what we wanted.

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    tysonstormtysonstorm Posts: 24,609
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    I blame Thatcher, I dunno why but it's the way I was programmed at school. :p




    In all seriousness I agree with you. We have allowed this to happen. Not just the hacking but the corruption, the lies, the deceit, the hypocrisy, everything. We are to blame because we allowed it to happen. Even now after a short while and the dust has settled everything will go back to "normal".
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    occyoccy Posts: 65,147
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    Alistair Campbell said lessons should have been learnt.
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    Jellied EelJellied Eel Posts: 33,091
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    sensoria wrote: »
    I just think when we blame them, the Blair’s, Browns and Cameron’s we have to accept that it is only our relationship with the media that made them believe the skewed relationship they formed with Murdoch and many other newspapers was what we wanted.

    But bread and circuses are old school politics. The media just serves the market. If the market wants celeb gossip, media companies will supply it. Newsagents shelve's demonstrate the demand.
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    jmclaughjmclaugh Posts: 63,997
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    I don't have a relationship with the media, I don't buy a newspaper, I never asked newspapers to hack people's phones, I never asked the police to take bribes, I never asked politicians to cosy up to the press and the media. So I don't see any reason why I should feel to blame for any of it.
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    sensoriasensoria Posts: 4,682
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    jmclaugh wrote: »
    I don't have a relationship with the media, I don't buy a newspaper, I never asked newspapers to hack people's phones, I never asked the police to take bribes, I never asked politicians to cosy up to the press and the media. So I don't see any reason why I should feel to blame for any of it.

    Well you do. You quote a newspaper here.

    http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showpost.php?p=43290544&postcount=1
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,458
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    But people naturally have the desire to be informed and it is impossible to have personal experience and close knowledge of every given subject. So sometimes you have to look at the media for the information, and sometimes you just trust them to have done a good job and provided accurate information obtained legally.

    And if the information that is available fits in well with your overall system of beliefs, you will be even more willing to accept it without questioning it much....but, again, this is natural; not very intelligent perhaps, but blameworthy?

    So should we really be beating ourselves up over this? Should I really feel responsible for how well or badly other people do their jobs? I trust professionals to do their job well just as I try to do my job well. What more can I do?
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    jmclaughjmclaugh Posts: 63,997
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    sensoria wrote: »

    Why? Is the information incorrect, did the Telegraph hack phones to get it, were police bribed to provide it?
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    sensoriasensoria Posts: 4,682
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    jmclaugh wrote: »
    Why? Is the information incorrect, did the Telegraph hack phones to get it, were police bribed to provide it?

    I am just clarifying your comment.
    I don't have a relationship with the media, I don't buy a newspaper

    You may not buy one but you do use them.
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    jmclaughjmclaugh Posts: 63,997
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    sensoria wrote: »
    I am just clarifying your comment.

    You may not buy one but you do use them.

    So how does that make me in any way to blame for the actions of any newspaper?
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    Anne CAnne C Posts: 939
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    I'm not taking responsibility - I don't pay for any of their dross and I have despised Murdoch since I learned to read.
    Maybe I'll take some of the blame when a story about the BBC breaks, otherwise I'll let the buck rest elsewhere thanks.
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    gummy mummygummy mummy Posts: 26,600
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    sensoria wrote: »
    I am just clarifying your comment.

    You may not buy one but you do use them.

    I can be accused of doing exactly the same.

    I have said in numerous posts that I don't buy newspapers and that I don't believe what newspapers report yet I have also made posts with links to Newspapers The reason being that like most FM's I like to include the newspaper links with my posts so I can show where I have got my information from it doesn't mean I believe what the report says.

    IMO it's common curtesy and if nothing else it saves me from being accused of making things up.

    It's all done in the name of debate ;)
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    Jellied EelJellied Eel Posts: 33,091
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    Anne C wrote: »
    Maybe I'll take some of the blame when a story about the BBC breaks,

    I still blame society.

    Top 5 BBC 'News' stories at the moment include Jamie Oliver ending ad deal with Sainsburys, YouTube Marine to go on a date with some film star and the BBC spending less on star salaries. Too bad those displaced previous breaking news that some footballer's missus dropped a sprog.

    Are those really 'news'. or just the kind of titillation people want. media businesses (and PR hacks) happy to feed us and dubious press practitioners happy to supply.
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    psionicpsionic Posts: 20,188
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    I blame people who subscribe to Sky (seeing as not enough people are buying newspapers anymore!) :D
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    tysonstormtysonstorm Posts: 24,609
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    psionic wrote: »
    I blame people who subscribe to Sky (seeing as not enough people are buying newspapers anymore!) :D

    I blame people who watch The Simpsons, Glee, Family Guy and House to name but a small few given they were produced by Fox, not to mention any people who goes to see a film in the cinema or owns a DVD produced by 20th Century Fox.

    All of this contributes to the Murdoch Empire of which I am guilty of contributing too. :p

    You may take my freedom but you won't take my Family Guy. :D

    I wonder how many shows the Beeb show under licence from Fox? Family Guy is one how many others? how much is the BBC contributing to the Murdoch Machine? oh dear. :p
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    The Exiled DubThe Exiled Dub Posts: 8,358
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    Well, I have to disagree, buying a newspaper and reading it is not breaking the law, hacking phones, etc. is. Put the blame where it truly lies, with the people who broke the law.
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    MiddleotroadMiddleotroad Posts: 1,283
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    The Exiled DubThe Exiled Dub Posts: 8,358
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    She can think what she wants. The fact is the public did not break the law, employees of NI did.
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    Judge MentalJudge Mental Posts: 18,593
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    I think we have simply failed to make a distinction between things that people are interested in (ie curious about) and those things that the public has a legitimate interest in reading about.

    Whilst I may be pruriently curious about the sex lives of footballers (I'm not but let's just pretend for a moment) that doesn't mean that there is any justification for digging around in their private lives to satisfy my curiousity.

    There needs to be a much stronger test for printing stuff about people's private lives - there has to be a public interest being served and not just satisfying the curtain twitchers.

    It's this curiosity and our willingness to pay to read about this rubbish that have led newspapers to stoop to ever more depraved means to obtain the stories.
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