Chris hedges AND george Monbiot ON THE IGNORANcE - ColdType

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Boom And Bust / 3 HuRwITT’s eye Mark hurwitt 30 thereader | November 2008
Media Myopia More news, less views greg philo shows how the media amplifies the voice of the powerful and ignores the voices of the rest of us This article was originally sent to London’s Guardian newspaper for its comments page. It shows how public debate on political issues is narrowed on the most influential media because of the absence of critical voices – whether the issue is the financial crisis or world conflicts such as in Israel/Palestine. New polling evidence from YouGov and the GUMG, suggests that this is not at all what the public wants. The article was rejected by the Guardian on the grounds that ‘it would be read as a piece of old lefty whingeing about bias’. But there is more at stake than this. There is a deep crisis of legitimacy both for politicians and broadcasters, in that many people do not feel properly represented. There is also great public confusion over issues such as the reasons for world conflict and the nature of the present economic crisis. Until recently there has been very little debate about the consequences of the free market policies which were promoted by political and economic elites. As Naomi Klein has pointed out, the global budget crisis may be used as a rationale for deep cuts in social programmes. At present the Conservative Party is ahead in the polls. But do voters really understand what it would mean ‘to balance the government’s books’ and ‘reduce its debt’? There is little discussion of such issues in broadcast media or of possible alternatives. Re-structuring the ownership of the economy in favour of the mass of the population is apparently off the agenda. Nationalisation has come to mean the privatisation and selling of valuable assets, while losses are socialised. We are offered various forms of the free market discussed mostly by bankers, stockbrokers and the economic experts and politicians who have delivered the crisis. But the closure of debate will only increase public frustration and the sense that broadcasters have abandoned their duty to inform their audience. More News, Less Views News is a procession of the powerful. Watch it on TV, listen to the Today programme and marvel at the orthodoxy of views and the lack of critical voices. When the credit crunch hit, we were given a succession of bankers, stockbrokers and even hedge-fund managers to explain and say what should be done. But these were the people who had caused the problem, thinking nothing of taking £20 billion a year in city bonuses. The solution these free market wizards agreed to, was that tax payers should stump up £50 billion (and rising) to fill up the black holes in the banking system. Where were the critical voices to say do voters really understand what it would mean ‘to balance the government’s books’ and ‘reduce its debt’? there is little discussion of such issues in broadcast media or of possible alternatives. restructuring the ownership of the economy in favour of the mass of the population is apparently off the agenda November 2008 | thereader 31
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Chris hedges AND george Monbiot ON THE IGNORANcE - ColdType

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