Friday 30 September 2011

Media Quotes of the Week: Two points from Labour's Ivan Lewis and a packet of crisps

Labour shadow culture minister Ivan Lewis: "Neither the current broken system of self regulation or state oversight will achieve the right balance. We need a new system of independent regulation including proper like for like redress which means mistakes and falsehoods on the front page receive apologies and retraction on the front page. And as in other professions the industry should consider whether people guilty of gross malpractice should be struck off."

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet: “It’s depressing to hear a Labour Party shadow minister call for the blacklisting of journalists."

The Independent in a leader: "In cases where a journalist has been grossly invading the privacy of innocent people, or lying, or otherwise behaving in a manner that calls into question their fitness to be considered a journalist, it would make sense if there were an independent body – made up of people who understand the industry – to sit in judgement on them."

Peter Preston in the Observer: "Get a picture; get a looter; get a conviction. We know that already, so what's wrong? Only that television cameramen aren't police or local authority camera scanners. They're doing a different, separate job for us, not them. Some were rounded on and attacked when the rioters took hold. Many more will surely be in danger next time round. It is too damned easy to make the press partners of the police, but it's wrong."

Ian Jack in the Guardian: "If you like newspapers, the future looks dark. Only a couple of the qualities – the Telegraph and the Financial Times – make any money. If you like national newspapers and live at a distance from London, the future looks even darker. The supply chain that takes newspapers from printing presses to newsagents is fragile. If one big publisher, say News International, withdrew from the pooled distribution arrangements then the increased cost for the rest could be fatal. In newspaper offices, dark talk is common: by 2015 printed versions of the dailies might appear only once or twice a week, with a circulation restricted to London and perhaps a few other big cities."

John Lanchester reviews London restaurant Hedone in the Guardian: "Top-quality lobster and cep coexisted politely on the plate without creating any synergy, much like Lampard and Gerrard in the England midfield."

The Gainsborough Standard's Andrew Trendell reviews the new Coffee Station at Lea Road Train Station: "I opted for a large cappuccino and a bag of hand-cooked vinegar crisps. The freshly brewed coffee was rich, flavoursome and really hit the spot, and the crisps, well, I'm sure you've all had crisps before."

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