Hypocrisy of the press

[Barry Shnikov]

Sir Iain Blair has apparently been obliged to apologise to the parents of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman because, in a private event for the Metropolitan Police Authority, and in response to a question about media coverage, he pointed he to the inconsistency of the media making such a hue-and-cry about their deaths whilst failing almost entirely to report with similar lip-smacking enthusiasm on the deaths of children in ethnic communities. (Read about it here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4653130.stm).)

Is it just me or is it ridiculous to suggest he has anything to apologise for?

Also, he apparently said that he ‘couldn’t understand’ why the Soham story was such a big story. The Chairman of the MPA said it was because they were “little girls who were murdered” and because they were “missing for 10 days”.

That is wrong. Or at least, it’s not the whole explanation.

The reason why it was flogged to death by the media was because there was a strong possibility that somebody had interfered with the little girls. Any story with a touch of salaciousness is lapped up by the red-tops – and presumably, by their target market. The Soham story was a super-stimulus and that’s why it went ballistic.

I should make it clear that the parents of any child who has been brutally and painfully taken away from them have my sympathy. (Perhaps a little more so for those who never get a public outlet for their grief, but suffer behind closed doors.)

[Barry Shnikov]

This comment from another news release:

"Shy Keenan, from the Phoenix Survivors group for abused children, also told the newspaper: "Soham was a landmark moment. The system failed those girls. I cannot think of a more important story. If Sir Ian cannot understand that he should never have been a policeman." "

I wonder what he means by 'the system failed' them. Is he under the impression that Huntley had a job at their school? Which, of course, he did not...

[Dreadful Scathe]

Well said Sir Iain Blair - the media is such that it wouldnt want to put a story on multiple murders of an immigrant family on the front page, never mind let it run for weeks. Is it too much to ask that newspapers publish "news" and not what they think will sell more papers? bloody tabloids!!

[Swinging bee]

Well said Sir Iain Blair - the media is such that it wouldnt want to put a story on multiple murders of an immigrant family on the front page, never mind let it run for weeks. Is it too much to ask that newspapers publish "news" and not what they think will sell more papers? bloody tabloids!!



Hear, hear, In my 26 yrs in the Constabulary I have learned never to tell the press anything, they twist the truth, even make up what they don't know in the "interest" of a story......the only true thing in print about a newspaper is the date!! They are not in the business of truth, but in the business of selling newspapers as you say. Likewise TV companies are really only interested in viewer numbers and have much the same attitude of the press...

Truth not being one of their many bedfellows...and a vigorous self righteous approach to all of our human failings..I would like to see some them deal with what all our emergency sevices and the armed forces have to endure, but instead they make insiduous comments from the comfort and protection of a heated office, not caring who it upsets...so long as their voice is heard!!:angry: But what about the rest of us!

Warped and cynical view you might say..you are probably right, but I speak from a wealth of personnal experience.. GRRRRRR:yeah: