Comments on: The Prince of Darkness complains about “uncorroborated, undigested and unmediated news”

By: Paul Marks

Paul Marks — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 09:40:54 +0000

I visited Tesco’s yesterday – unlike the National Socialists (and certain other people) I do not believe chain stores to be evil.

On the newstands in Tesco’s were (logically enough) newspapers.

And on the front pages of these newspapers were stories.

But I could not tell (apart from by the titles of the newspapers) which, among the “serious” (or “quality”) newspapers, were supposed to be conservative newspapers and which were supposed to be socialist ones.

Certainly the Guardian, Independent (and “I”) and Financial Times had pro Barack Obama and pro British government spending strories.

But so did the Times and the Daily Telegraph (supposedly the conservative “quality” newspapers).

So why should I care if ALL of the “serious” or “quality” newspapers close down?

Indeed why should I not actually hope for such an event?

By: Paul Marks

Paul Marks — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 08:35:25 +0000

This is indeed a good news story.

By: PaulM

PaulM — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 21:15:37 +0000

If someone had told me ten years ago I’d be getting news from Russia Today RT I’d have laughed hard enough to choke.
But I am actually tuning in there rather than the BBC etc.
I’ll be giving up atheism next!

By: George

George — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 13:50:04 +0000

I know it’s an overused word but is Mandelson actually a fascist?

By: PeterT

PeterT — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 13:16:30 +0000

Of course, Mandelson himself does (or would have at any rate) have an interest in such trifling issues as the various scandals (I can’t remember all the details: something about a house purchase and something about granting a visa for cash?) he’s been at the centre of being ignored by the media, and the days when a call to the editor would have done the trick he might well surely miss.

By: Roue le Jour

Roue le Jour — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 02:25:39 +0000

I would like to point out that Pravda was a free sheet. Not even the Soviet Union expected people to purchase their own propaganda.

By: Laird

Laird — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:56:26 +0000

I find it wryly amusing that the context of these deep thoughts from Lord Mandelson was the publication of Prince Harry’s nude photos. Is there anything truly less important to the world (or even England) today than that?

By: Tedd

Tedd — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:17:15 +0000

I was going to say that mainstream journalism has always been a squalid affair, with a few notable exceptions, but professional journalists have also always seized on those exceptions as though they represented the true nature of journalism.

And then it hit me just how perfectly that makes sense. Journalism has always been about telling how the world does not work. (“Man bites dog” is news, whereas “dog bites man” is not.) Journalists are trained to see the world this way so, in their looking-glass universe, the rare, honest, scrupulous journalists define journalism, and the way journalism actually works in the normal, day to day world is irrelevant.

By: Surellin

Surellin — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 19:24:10 +0000

Nothing to say that hasn’t been covered, but hurrah for “uncorroborated, undigested and unmediated news”.

By: PersonFromPorlock

PersonFromPorlock — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 18:09:55 +0000

Mandelson? What happened to Lucas?

By: Jaded Voluntaryist

Jaded Voluntaryist — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:26:39 +0000

Mandelson always reminds me of Rimmer from Red Dwarf because they both tried to pick their own nicknames, and failed….

As I recall Mandelson wanted to be known as “Bobby” as he viewed himself as the Bobby Kennedy to Blair’s JFK in the New Labour Camelot.

Everyone just took to calling him Mandy

By: Perry de Havilland

Perry de Havilland — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:09:13 +0000

I read this and I smile from ear to ear. Dear Mr. Mandelson, FUUUUCCCCKKK YOUUUUU, Love, The Internetz.