If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
The government spies on us: cue horror and massive public outrage. But is all of this really that surprising? After all, we expect our government to spy on foreigners who plot ill-will towards the nation, so why shouldn't we bear the same burdens as the rest of the world?
The fact is that quality, independent, varied media, in which a wide range of voices and public views can be heard, are essential for our democracy. Given our current problems with democracy, with sinking election turnouts and widespread disillusionment, this is an issue that cannot be ignored.
Journalism is an industry that relies on a depth of variation to ensure engaging and informative content. Journalism needs writers from all walks of life, all upbringings and from every part of the UK, not just the ones lucky enough to stay with an uncle in Richmond.
Suicide is a permissive act. It serves as a demonstration of a possible solution or even a method of communication and, consciously or not, vulnerable people respond to it. The contagiousness of suicide is just one of the many reasons journalists have a responsibility to cover it responsibly.
What do we want from creativity? That's the million dollar question on stage today at the 60th Cannes International Festival of Creativity on the Cote D'Azur.
We are all living through history; that much is certain. There are, however, specific times or incidents when it is possible to imagine the school lessons in decades to come, when pupils will be studying with rabid intensity the very events unfolding around us right now. The saga of Prism, or the saga of Edward Snowden as Hollywood will surely repackage it, has to be one such event. With a script to rival a new Bourne movie, the 'spy story of the age' as the Guardian prefix it, has all the hallmarks of a milestone in global history.
Fox's breakfast programme, the one on which the EDL leader was assured that his back would be watched, is a kind of "wake-up-to-how-horrible-it-all-is" fiesta. To get Fox viewers ready for the day ahead. But it is the evening, East Coast time, (1am and beyond here) slots where Fox News comes into its own...
Hassan Rowhani, one of the candidates in Iran's presidential elections set for Friday 14 June, is not the first politician of recent times to have his academic credentials questioned. According to an article in the Daily Telegraph, despite Mr Rowhani revising his official biography there are still queries over the timing of his studies, especially in the light of his political career.
Information is power - this is well-known. The publication of government information gives us the means to hold the government to account for the way it spends tax-payers' money. Likewise, the disclosure of corporate information allows the public and investors a choice as to how they interact with companies that violate human rights or degrade the environment. This recognition of the power of information is why I support the Government's efforts for transparency to be at the heart of the G8 discussions in Northern Ireland this week.
From the reporting, you might have thought this was just a group of public-spirited barristers taking a break from their highly paid jobs to protect the justice system. Maybe they were. But I can't help noticing that legal aid pays the fees of lawyers. Thus, any cuts to the budget come directly from their capacious wallets.
The public do not care about your petty triumphs and little successes, they only become interested in your dull little life if something graphically horrible happens in it, preferably with pictures. That is what we are lead to believe by those that are dishing this stuff up.
This morning, the leader of the English Defence League, Tommy Robinson, appeared and was interviewed by Sarah Montague. Was the Today programme right to have Tommy on? On balance, yes. But I would have liked some tougher questioning.
When feminists decry the objectification of women, most people immediately think of the images that saturate our magazines, movies, adverts and the Internet. Yet, while sexual objectification is a huge problem, it is, sadly, only a fraction of the objectification of women that permeates our world, from the moment we enter it.
So, now and then, it seems The Sun takes itself seriously, it grows up and cleans up its act as a show of 'respect' for a particular tragedy and, in doing so, its editorial team reveal two important things.
There are between 65,000 and 300,000 transgender people in the UK, and everyone, including politicians, need to challenge the unthinking attitudes that often pervade about transgender people, and that begins by at least talking about them. In a small way, this could move the debate forward, put it on the political landscape and reframe the debate into something more positive.
Sometimes I am worried for the papers. No, I mean I am worried BY the papers. The Telegraph is a great read. That is the one that I would buy if I was...
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