BsAbNlEHgofyjuDCsp - 12 avril à 14:12 Hi, I think you might like this, it's part of a book I'm spending the rest of my life on, it seems, but it's good shit:(If you get it twice it's only beuacse I'm asking you to excuse a sextagenarian's feeble understanding of Internet priorities)>The world of the journalist is called THE FOURTH ESTATE. Trust in journalists depends on accuracy, fairness and a readiness to acknowledge mistakes and apologise for theme2€a6Journalists should represent the governed, those without power, those without information and that is no route to popularity with those who wield power. Peter Cole, London Daily Mail.I believe that New York Timee2€™s Ms Judith Miller will go down in history as a fatality of this new post-911 globalisation system, not only of the new attitude toward the protection of your right to be informed from whatever source, but also the erosion of fundamental Democratic rights as outlined in the United States' Patriot Act.I Googled this a few years ago:(Lord) Burke observed, there are Three Estates in the British Parliament, Lords Spiritual, Lords Temporal and Commons; but, in the Reporterse2€™ Gallery yonder, there sits a Fourth Estate more important far than they all. It is not a figure of speech, or witty saying, it is a literal fact very momentous to us in these times. I believe that every young journalist worth his salt must eventually arrive at the question, what should journalism be accomplishing, and according to what values? I believe those questions have begged answers since the dawn of paper but I also believe that today those questions are perhaps not asked often enough to produce that many answers.Thirty years ago, when I was a young sub-editor on a Black South African newspaper called e2€˜The Worlde2€™, and later a slightly older reporter on the white e2€˜liberale2€™ Rand Daily Mail, I summed up those questions in this form, what are the responsibilities of the Fourth Estate? And put it to anyone who would pick up the cudgels.The debate was often vigorous fights could even break out at the Federal Hotel, a pub around the corner from the South African Association of Newspapers (SAAN) building in Johannesburg.With that question, in various forms, I have raised the same debate in the last thirty years here in Durban, where I have continued to ask it of whomever would take up the talk I am too old now for cudgels!But without these questions being continuously put forward by journalists themselves, a mistrust of journalists can come about and even prevail in a democratic society.Often, beuacse of this lack of self-examination, many people will not speak to journalists for fear of being misquoted .(Today, the digital recorder helps).On the other side of the coin, some use the scribe to spread lies and rumours among the people.Because if the journalist believes the lies, and writes them into his paper, the people also believe them beuacse truth is inherent in the very nature of the journalist's responsibility.Sound judgement is a precursor to responsibility, and on the journalists' judgement hangs their credibility (I beg forgiveness for a pedantic interlude but I have to cross the t's guys for my own credibility).If the reader believes that the journalistse2€™ judgements are sound, their stories rational, well-informed and solidly based on previous good judgements, the reader will accept the journalistse2€™ judgements and, in society, act according to their belief in the soundness of those judgements.And that is the crux of the debate, beuacse there are those in society who will, who in fact must for themselves and ourselves believe in the words written by the journalist. And those people act on those words in their conversations, opinions and, ultimately in their democratic right to selectively purchase goods and services and in their responsibility to vote.What then are the responsibilities of the Fourth Estate? What should it be accomplishing and according to what values? In whatever language or culture the question should find some answers below, I think, if it's going to be very momentous to us in these times as well as in Burkee2€™s.The Fourth Estate is certainly here, there and everywhere today.As usual?Yes!e2€˜Embeddede2€™ in Afghani and Iraqi military invasion columns and everywhere else this mighty machine can put itself in to keep us informed.Thackeray put it best in his observation of this wonderful Fourth Estate of ours, this watchdog, this Weekend Witness, This Daye2€™s Observer, The Times, Chronicle, Clarion, Messenger or Daily Mail, Daily News or Bugle, under whatever flag she flies her colours: There she is the great engine she never sleeps. She has her ambassadors in every quarter of the world her courtiers upon every road. Her officers march along with armies, and her envoys walk into statesmen's cabinets. They are ubiquitous. And privy to secrets great and small.And that I believe is our trust, our responsibility.That trust and responsibility has been taken from us.The media television, newspapers and radio companies are just that, companies. Profit centres owned by the corporate entities, the military industrial complex, Dwight David Eisenhower warned us against when he stepped down from the office of the President of the United States.A place I like to call America.Home of the brave and all that stuff.That New York Times reporter Judith Miller must be supported across the globe for defending the journalists' responsibility against those who today wield power is beyond any doubt, any question.Tom Dennen |
