Thursday 11 April 2019

Media Quotes of the Week: From this story shows why local journalism matters to does Donald Tusk understand the British better than the Brexit press?



Impartial Reporter
deputy editor Rodney Edwards @rodneyedwards on Twitter: 
"This is why local journalism matters. Victims of child sex abuse in Fermanagh have been contacting @impartialrep almost every day since our first story broke. Finally their voices are being heard. But their abusers have never been prosecuted. Serious Qs for police and others."


Paul Caruana Galizia on Tortoise, writing about the murder of his mother, the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta:  "I left Malta a few hours after my mother’s funeral and haven’t returned since. It is safer and easier, for me, to fight our battles against the governing Labour Party and Maltese state, who continue to block a public inquiry into our mother’s death despite a legal obligation to call one, from London. In the end, what was it all for? Everything. Her journalism was our guiding light on everything. She shaped us and our country into something better. And now that Malta has killed its Cassandra, our Daphne, it is having to face up to what she’s been trying to tell us all along."


Fraser Nelson in the Spectator: "When I became editor, I told my wife that the job was certain to last only last a few years. I thought I’d go down with Rod Liddle, that he and I would drive like Thelma and Louise over the cliff in the name of free speech. We’ve come close a few times, but stayed (just) on the right side: the issue you’re reading is my 500th as editor. Over the past ten years, I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting many readers, and their most common plea is ‘Don’t tone down Rod’. It’s just as well: I’m not sure anyone could."



Society of Editors executive director Ian Murray responds to measures announced by the government to crack down on internet harms:  "The creation of new regulations to protect the vulnerable in society as outlined by the Secretary of State should be and will be broadly welcomed by anyone who feels the digital sphere has become too lawless.But the devil is always in the detail and where the white paper moves into areas concerning the spread of misinformation - so called fake news - we should all be concerned. Who will decide what is fake news? This form of censorship in the hands of those who would shackle the press and curtail freedom of expression would be disastrous for our free society. There is no use pretending there are not politicians who wish to silence some debates who would use this as a weapon if permitted."


Guido Fawkes on the internet harms proposal: "There is also a risk that a future Corbyn govenment will use the legislation against political opponents. When you see the likes of Owen Jones being applauded for describing the Spectator, Sun, Mail, Telegraph, Express and of course Guido, as “spreading hate”, you can easily imagine the legislation being used by a Corbyn government to close down dissident media. This is a dangerous path being foolishly and short-sightedly cheered on by newspapers who think it will scupper the global platforms who are eating into their advertising revenue."


Sun on Sunday political editor David Wooding @DavidWooding on Twitter: "Commons leak inquiry. Torrent of water gushing through roof of the chamber. Unfortunately, it is pouring into the Press Gallery rather than the drips who can’t decide how to Brexit. Stop Press: Sitting suspended."


Jeremy Hunt in the Sun: "Everyone has an interest in allowing journalists to do their jobs because countries with a free media are always better governed. If you look up the ten least corrupt nations in the world, as ranked by Transparency International last year, seven also appear in the top ten of the Press Freedom Index. It is not hard to see why. Powerful people will be less likely to abuse their positions if there is a real risk of being found out. Newspapers do make mistakes and journalists are only human. But none of us would wish to live in a nation where the media is gagged. Britain’s job is to take that message to the world, and I will do everything possible to help journalists to work in safety."

Independent Press Standards Orgaisation rejecting a complaint by the NUJ against the Newsquest-owned Cumberland News over a report of a strike by its members last December: "The Code does not include a requirement for balance. However, there may be certain circumstances where a publication’s presentation of a particular subject, for example, through its decision to include certain pieces of information and omit others, may render the article misleading. This was not such a case."



Norman Giller on the Sports Journalists' Association website on reporting from the new Spurs stadium: "Today’s journalists are spoon-fed background information and match details, but the challenge is just the same as ‘in our day’ to find the right words at the right time when that first whistle blows. But because they send their words into the ether they do not have to clear the hurdles that faced us, with copy takers saying: 'Are you staff …?' 'How d’you spell your name …?' 'Is there much more of this …?' 'I can’t hear you because of the crowd in the background …'I'm changing my typewriter ribbon, you’ll have to wait …' "


Peter Sands @petersands55 on Twitter: "The only people in the UK truly enjoying the Brexit chaos are the @MetroUKNews front page subs."


David Yelland on Twitter: "Donald Tusk understands the British at this moment better than my successor currently editing The Sun. His intel and his instincts have outmanoeuvred the Brexit press."

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