Indy-gate : Issue is About Journalistic Ethics, Not the EU
The Indy's editor-in-chief Simon Kelner, attempting to defend the reprinting of an FCO press briefing as original journalism, claimed that "The Eurosceptics, who have monopolised this debate for so long, appear to be shooting the messenger because they don't like the message... I am completely unapologetic about our attempt to explode the myths that have been allowed to develop in what has been an extremely one-sided debate...".
This is an attempt to distract from the substantive issue - which is a question of journalistic ethics. No one can accuse the Indy of being one-sided on the issue, they have laughably flipped and flopped on the referendum issue:18 June – a leader calling for a referendum, “The question is whether or not a package of fairly weighty changes that will undoubtedly affect Europe's shape and destiny should - in this country at any rate - be decided in a referendum. The answer is simple: it should and it must.”
25 June – a leader opposing a referendum, “Having dangled the prospect of a referendum last week, Mr Brown was right to bat it smartly away.”
12 September – a leader calling for a referendum, “The case against a vote on the treaty is weak. The Government's argument that the new European treaty is significantly different from the European Constitution that was rejected by Dutch and French voters in 2005 is unconvincing. The name may have changed but it is essentially the same document on which Tony Blair promised a national plebiscite shortly before the last general election... This newspaper wants a referendum for different reasons.. Rather than trying to evade the moment of truth, Mr Brown should concentrate his energies and those of his Government on campaigning for a yes vote.”
18 October – the piece cut 'n pasted from the FCO briefing opposing a referendum.
Source : OpenEurope.org
Kelner's credibility on this is zero. We can completely ignore the Indy's position on the EU Referendum, it is as irrelevant as it is changeable.
In America, where journalists take professional ethics more seriously, there would be resignations if a journalist plagiarised a government briefing wholesale. The substantive issue here is not whether the Indy is for or against a referendum, it is whether the Indy is a credible source of honest independent journalism, or a rag which reprints press releases uncritically. Which is it? Indy readers have a right to know if they are being peddled government spin as independent journalism on the front page.
In America, where journalists take professional ethics more seriously, there would be resignations if a journalist plagiarised a government briefing wholesale. The substantive issue here is not whether the Indy is for or against a referendum, it is whether the Indy is a credible source of honest independent journalism, or a rag which reprints press releases uncritically. Which is it? Indy readers have a right to know if they are being peddled government spin as independent journalism on the front page.
59 comments:
Come back Andreas Whittam-Smith, all is forgiven !!
On the subject of journalistic bollocks, how about some 'special mentions' that talk about how the South African rugby team is racist, when they have a similar number of black players to, er, England - the nationality of many of the journos making this preposterous claim...
Still, if it helps them shift a few papers...
All newspapers re-print press releases uncritically - have you even read a newspaper recently?
Whether it's worse to do it for a government press release rather than one from a charity or company is another issue.
Three posts on a Sunday! What's up G, ccards maxed out or what?
Hilariously, just seen Blunkett on the Politics Show and even he doesn't see the need for a referendum. That's got to be £150K a year well spent by the nutters at the Sun for his column! Expect more foam-flecked nonsense from the husband-beating Rebekah and her underlings soon! pip pip
Everybody with the name Simon in their names should resign, starting with Sion Simon and Simon Hughes. The world would be a much better place. And of course this c**t.
Independent journalism?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...........
Nah, GF's totally right on this one, it's really about ethics - journalists love to bleat on about their 'professionalism'. If that professionalism is shown best by reprinting government publications then the baws burst, people really need to know that there are institutions where they can find out for themselves what's going on.
If we wanted government propaganda dressed up as reportage we'd get the BBC to buy out the Sun rather than lonely planet.
On ths subject of standards, perhaps I might also ask for better English too?
Guido, you have a habit of using commas incorrectly. For example, in a'sentence' in this post you say, "We can completely ignore the Indy's position on the EU Referendum, it is as irrelevant as it is changeable." The comma here should be replaced by a full stop or, if you want to get more advanced, a semi-colon.
It's good to see bloggers being more concerned about reporting ethics than professional journalists. It makes nonsense of the claim that the dead tree press is more reliable.
Keep it up, Guido!
For a newspaper you can safely ignore, you seem to be writing an awful lot about it.
The dead tree press have brought the blogosphere revolution on themselves, by being for sale to the highest bidder, who always turns out to be someone spending someone else's money - yours.
Well done Guido for highlighting this particular piece of fuckwittery from that useless rag the (hah) Indy. On overtime too!
Copying a press release verbatim without referring the source? Ah, this from the newspaper that criticised the Dodgy Dossier.
Kellner should have fired the sloppy hack and apologised quietly. Instead, he's defending low standards. Is the Indy really like Metro, a copy 'n paste of the newswires? Metro's free.
Guido, get yourself a copy of Fowler's Modern English Usage (OUP) and read it from cover to cover. I had quite a good education but still emerged from university ignorant of my native language. Fowler put me right.
He will enable you to write clearly and concisely, and often flawlessly. When expressed in correct English, your pontifications will gain the sheen of authority they presently lack.
You will also spare yourself endless correction from bores and sesquipedalians such as the typo-prone Mr Pedant and of course
Your servant,
Dennis
P.S. The Oxford Dictionary for Writers & Editors makes a good supplement to Fowler.
P.P.S. Yes, I am a professional writer and, most unusually, have made lots of money.
Help, help, my husband, oops, I mean my Chancellor, is abusing me!! Please stop swearing Gordon, it's soooo uncouth, you vile man, no I won't bend over the desk again you've already done it twice today......ooh no, you beast, not over the rocking horse you pervert, put it away....stop it.....not up there again, no no .....help Cherie help!!!
dennis:
I have been educated up to the standard required for me by the fuckwits in charge in the timescale prescribed. Why should I be bothered to correct this in my own f*****g time?
Ethics are for you scum-bags on the right -- us lefties don't need 'em, being pure of heart and purpose. Always remember that the Nazis were evil not because they committed mass murder, but because they committed mass murder for the wrong reasons.
Sunny said
"For a newspaper you can safely ignore, you seem to be writing an awful lot about it."
Guido might say the same about your attitude towards him.
just seen clegg
i have declared him a tosser, he just spouts populist.hulnes past seems to be surfacing , which is a shame because at least he has one based in the real world.
haugue was good , but familiar .
rumour mill is suggesting lab mps are now getting concerned with brown project , but he isnt getting the support he had when he came in.
if he doesnt start saying what labour stand for , the EU treaty parliment session could fail .
some say he should backtrack and give us vote , some say he should be more open and would like him to declare he is dictator of the proletariat ie the gov that allows transition from capitalism to communism after a socialist revolution.
so hes either hiding somthing or hes crap at politics.
no ministeral annoucements expected whilst lib dems are on show .
thanks
red despot spotter
was there once a newspaper called the independant? i vaguely remember not ever buying it.
bog roll like that just tells you something has happened I then go elsewhere to find out what.not the bbc though.
ps I know its pendent but they swing so!
Guido, who THE FUCK are you to lecture anyone about ethics? Cunt.
ppGuido, that's a very good question. Being able to compose clear English helps you to think; being able to think helps protect you from said fuckwits. Knowledge of the language also allows you to work out when you're being sold a crock of shit, Alastair Campbell stylie.
Besides that, it makes you sound more important, possibly, than you are. Handy when writing letters of complaint or when trying to win doubters to your side.
Finally, if writing is your job, there is everything to be said for improving your skill.
Here endeth the lesson.
The more you see of Nick Clegg the more you realise he is just an empty vessel spouting cliches.
caspiansee 4:17pm
Yep, of course, the reason Blair (member of UK Labour Party), the US and Israel are lining up Iran for annihilation is nothing to do with nuclear capability, but because the Iranian leadership is constantly deriding Western democrarsey - as was also the habit of Saddam in his WMDless Iraq. Western governments just don't like people saying nasty things about them. We've now got a war brewing over freedom of speech.
Tony 'peace-envoy' Blair's speeches are becoming so beligerent towards Muslim nations that even that evil old battle-axe Condoleezza is realizing the need to put up a pathetic pretence of peace-making and is unusually finding herself miscast in the role of 'good politician'. When Blair was briefed to 'bring peace to the Middle East' it seems like he misheard and thought he was supposed to 'bring back a piece of the Middle East'...easy mistake for a cunt like him to make.
So on the one hand we've got people being shut up for touching on the tender truth of Western hypocrisy...and on the other we've got establishment figures like Keith Jarrett (President of the National Black Police Association) fantasizing publicly about black parents wanting their children to be stopped and searched more. Would you believe it? Unfortunately, yes...there's always someone ready and willing to sell the freedom of others for his own aggrandisement...and this guy's now joined the mottley crue which I have already listed...shit man, even that bastard Blunkett popped out of his hole to support the proposition...you'd think Jarrett would have smelt a rat by now, wouldn't you?
If I want regurgitated govt press releases then I'll watch the BBC where people read them for me.
The more you see of Nick Clegg the more you realise he is just an empty vessel spouting cliches.
Empty vessels can't spout cliches, or anything else. This is because they are, by definition, empty.
A better characterisation of Clegg and Huhne comes from ConHome: Tweedlelibdem and Tweedlelibdum.
Name a newspaper that doesn't cut-and-paste press releases; they all do it, as anyone who's written one will testify.
dennis:
Thank you so much for your time.You are a gentleman.
Isn't Ethics a county like Suthics for those with a lisp?
Dennis for Education Secretary.
DENNIS
Is not for humble plumber make reproach to successful writer but Stanislav, too, remember when hopefully is adverb and not fucking punctuation mark, that simplistic is not same as simple and that never should be sentence start with and or but; could give myriad examples, not myriad of, which is shit bollocks talk of inbred fucking morons, just myriad examples of grammatical fuckpit in which language of Shakespeare and King James now fester. Blame BBC, blame most especially HM Government and imbecile teacher but not blame, even obliquely, which mean, more or less, at angle, Lord Guido.
Internet is not medium in same as print. You and I, Dennis, probably not sleep if use comma and not semi colon, maybe, like MadWanker prime minister embark on voyage of endless exculpatory dry masturbation, in order to wipe guilt from mind; develop facial tic and famous DryWank Jawdrop and also insane paper fiddling at despatch box, keep squaring up papers with clunking, nosepick fingers, even though has just squared-up five seconds before; Guido, however has bigger fish to roast. Is big site and constant change; is fast reaction to news and is probably all type in with no proper training in typing and, most important of all, Guido report doings of vastly overpromoted waster bandits, fuckpig incompetent, and complete fucking brain-dead numbskull, like Hoon, Ainsworth, Milliband, Primarolo et al who is ignorant of how to think, never mind fucking speak, never done day's fucking work in fucking life, idle, useless thieving fucking cubtbastard shit-eating child-molesting mother- fuckers; not, we might all agree, a grammarian amongst them and all of probably equal linguistic distinction with the horrible slimy cunts in the press. Little wonder, then, that Lord Guido, sometimes, is mildly improper in the language of his reports to us from the Dark Realm. I don't mind, and, nor, I suspect from your frequecy here, co you, innit?
There is a new vernacular which, whilst improper gramatically, is coruscatingly accurate and even poetic. Stanislav would walk across a forest full of Ernest Gowers' manuals to hear Mr Tambourine Man; as we all know, my Highlands neighbour, Doctor Bob Dylan, wouldn't be nowhere if not for the double negative. IS best wishes from Stanislav, a rebel without a clause.
Anon 6.11pm
Is that you again?
Medication! Now!
Also, find yourself a name. You seemed to sign off this time as "Cunt", but I'm sure you can do better than that if you try.
stanislav.
That charlie must be bloody good shit!
Stanislav not know charlie, is Kosovan maybe ? They is all idle bastard. Not good for Fuck all.
Guido
It's not about journalists' ethics - there are no such things. Nor are there such things as journalists' standards, either.
Personal ethics might be relevant, though.
Dear Pedant et al,
Punctuation and grammar can get very sloppy here. Like I always say, the position of sub-editor is available and unpaid.
People don't really come here for the polished language though, do they?
No offence taken.
Shouldn't that be "as I always say?"
ps When's the caption winner declared and can you tell me if I is in with a chance?
Armando Iannucci put it wickedly in 'The Thick of It'.
The night editor of the Mail is trying to chase the story of who might be the next PM and getting nowhere.
"What's the news?" he cries. "Just tell me what the fucking news is and I'll put it on the front page. It's not like we're the Independent. We can't just stick a headline saying CRUELTY then stick a picture of a dolphin or a whale underneath it."
Guido: I come here for Stanislav's Polish language actually.
So - if a policital party publishes anything it is deemed as a fact - and once cohobated by the political editor as a fact it can be published as such. So that's what they mean by "Independent" - untouch by journalists hands.
Why not simply join the Labour Party and cut the middle men out the loop.
Stanislav, a treat as always to read your calm and well reasoned exposition. Quite right, I don't really give a rat's, but, Guido, you'd do yourself a favour to make your stuff more punchy. Still, as you say, no one comes here for the purple prose.
Fowler's Modern Whatsit used to be my bedtime reading. How pathetic is that?
Dennis - what more purple prose could one want than that young Polish plumber's?
It's no wonder they're taking over the country when they are as quick as Stanislav to spot slimy cunts, arsebandits, incompetent numbskulls, idle thieving shit-eating child molesters and all the rest of the bedrock of the British establishment.
The Great British Public should catch on so soon, or at all would be nice.
Beautiful, Stanislav.
Fowler's Modern Whatsit used to be my bedtime reading. How pathetic is that?
Depends, Dennis. What have you replaced it with? If it is anything which ends in the word 'Act' followed by a year, and you have taken to underlining salient passages and writing little notes in the margin with too many exclamation marks, or you own more than three colours of mini-postit notes and are starting to fondle the bulk packs of rainbow shades, then you may need to seek professional advice.
That's what I had to do.
If you know where Phil is, call Tony.
Independent it is. Independent of common sense. Independent of any fixed viewpoint. Independent of standards. Independent of any idea what it's doing.
despite my ususual joy at seeing milliband in the crap.
times has an article on mr alexander , apparently he opened world bank meeting and put forward how trade help may help burma to move to democracy .
lots of US diplomats calls followed saying that he was undermining tough stand against junta.
so thats milliband 8 alexander 1
looks like being an interesting week.
thanks
red despot spotter
red despot spotter said...
haugue was good , but familiar .
Jim Murphy was familiar too. I used to watch him as a child on Thunderbirds are Go. Seems though he has had a personality bypass since then.How come Gordon seems to have only chosen characterless Scots? I have known Scots with personality....
...perhaps its a Vision thing.
Though Brown is only one of some 600 MPs, and though he is the Chancellor of the Exchequer,and supposedly the Prime Minister, (second-hand and hugely in need of a makeover), he is only one man.
Why therefore should it be his vision that we are forced to live by? The people of Fife should have to live by it, they voted for him....but the rest of us?
Do we really deserve Jim Murphy,the Alexanders,Darling, Browne……if we are going to be fucked by the Scots then lets have real Scots.
I wonder if the indy readers have heard much about this? Surely they would consider switching papers if they knew this kind of political engineering was going on.
Brilliant summary, Guido. And it's not the first time they've been caught out. During the 1999 European election, the "Independent's" news pieces bore an uncanny resemblance to the European Movement's press releases. On one occasion, the Indy lazily repeated the claim by some federalist pressure group that I had stood as a candidate against Fat Pang in Bath in 1992 - something even a trainee journalist would have been expected to look up before publishing, and a mistake that was to cost the Independent an expensive apology.
They're entitled to their opinions, of course, as the sceptic papers are. What's outrageous is presenting FCO propaganda as front page news:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/politics/danielhannan/october/dont-shoot-messenger.htm
Newspapers are basically comics for grown ups that are too stupid to open a browser.
No one can seriously expect to get the REAL news by reading UK newspapers, surely ?
They have been a waste of time for years, and the iron rice bowl of useless, work-shy journalists who, because their 'work' is read by a significant percentage of the population, have the arrogance to believe people believe what they are saying.
Newspapers are just viewpoints from different socialists, pretending to be journalists.
I now take 'Polish Plumber Monthly', in which Stanislav is the leader writer, I have learned much from this quality publication.
I wouldn't be too hard on the Indy, the general level of news media in the UK is abysmal. Cetain areas simply are not covered. The real nature of the EU is just on more of these sacrosanct areas, off limits lest the public put two and two together and realise what's going on.
9.07
(I wouldn't be too hard on the Indy, the general level of news media in the UK is abysmal. Cetain areas simply are not covered).
Thats just the point, its not what they say but WHAT THEY DON'T thats important.
Events are too often cherry picked in this way to suit an argument
"Kelner's credibility on this is zero."
A bit like yours on Pelling and Levy, then Guido?
I wonder if the indy readers have heard much about this? Surely they would consider switching papers if they knew this kind of political engineering was going on.
But to what? If the Indy is abandoning its journalistic standards and political independence, just what the hell is there left to read? 'Private Eye'?
Ano 12.46, we'll have to wait to find out where to buy Stanislav's Polish Plumbers' Journal.
Fight for journalistic ethics.
www.standupforjournalism.org.uk
12.46
(But to what? If the Indy is abandoning its journalistic standards and political independence, just what the hell is there left to read? 'Private Eye'?)
What you have to do is log on, open your browser and surf for your own particular interest, or just for the hell of it.
The world will prob have an opinion on something so you then use your brain to form your own from a multitude of sources.
Indeed if you think a source is talking utter bollocks you can tell them so.
45 Govt, if you want to buy 'Polish Plumber Monthly' which contains Stanislav's wisdom, suggest you try Chancery Lane, near the public lavatories where Tony Blair used to cottage when he was a pupil barrister.
The publication is real steal at 15,000 Zlotys per copy (less then TB charged), and you get a 2 pound credit voucher for any future plumbing jobs.
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