Amanda Platell
A few days ago the BBC aired a programme entitled 'How Euro Are You ?'. Andrew Marr hosted it, together with Dara O'Briain. It was one of the usual audience - cum - panel quizzes, where you get to answer mildly or terribly inane questions on your opinions on some subject - Europe in this case. Among the panelists was Amanda Platell, William Hagues former press secretary. A conservative Lady, who is originally from Perth, Australia.
At one point the discussion turned to the role of the media in shaping opinions of Britons toward mainland Europe. A person in the audience noted how she found the papers were full of mistrust and in some cases, outright lies, about what happens on the continent. This was the source of the many negative feelings people here harboured toward the rest of europe. Amanda disagreed. The papers, she said, would simply go out of business, if they didn't reflect the views of the public. They were not responsible. They simply mirrored opinions held by the majority of the public. This is what the readership wanted. You would go broke if you tried to sell them anything else.
This is hardly a convincing argument. It reminds me very much of what Jamie Oliver faced when he tried to do something about the attrocious food children are / were being served in schools here. The retort constantly was that these children simply wanted rubbish food, they loved it, wouldn't eat anything else. No matter that we know it is devoid of anything really healthy, contains nigh a trace of minerals, is low on vitamins and makes kids hyperactive and fat.
The same can be said for the news outlets Amanda works for. What they write is dangerously low on the essential trace elements of context, perspective and subtle argumentation. They sell easily digestible headlines, under the excuse that it is this that people crave for. As if we didn't know any better. This kind of nurishment is analogous to a diet consisting exclusively of saturated fat, processed starch, flavoured only with lots of sugar or salt. Refried Headlines. Fizzy News.
At one point the discussion turned to the role of the media in shaping opinions of Britons toward mainland Europe. A person in the audience noted how she found the papers were full of mistrust and in some cases, outright lies, about what happens on the continent. This was the source of the many negative feelings people here harboured toward the rest of europe. Amanda disagreed. The papers, she said, would simply go out of business, if they didn't reflect the views of the public. They were not responsible. They simply mirrored opinions held by the majority of the public. This is what the readership wanted. You would go broke if you tried to sell them anything else.
This is hardly a convincing argument. It reminds me very much of what Jamie Oliver faced when he tried to do something about the attrocious food children are / were being served in schools here. The retort constantly was that these children simply wanted rubbish food, they loved it, wouldn't eat anything else. No matter that we know it is devoid of anything really healthy, contains nigh a trace of minerals, is low on vitamins and makes kids hyperactive and fat.
The same can be said for the news outlets Amanda works for. What they write is dangerously low on the essential trace elements of context, perspective and subtle argumentation. They sell easily digestible headlines, under the excuse that it is this that people crave for. As if we didn't know any better. This kind of nurishment is analogous to a diet consisting exclusively of saturated fat, processed starch, flavoured only with lots of sugar or salt. Refried Headlines. Fizzy News.
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5:45 pm
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