Forget the Future: What’s Happening in Journalism Now?
I recently went to a talk entitled “Forget the Future: What’s Happening in Joure nalism Now?” at the Frontline Club in London. You can watch a video of the talk here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_K1GDk52xY). The following is my analysis – if you like it then please share, and never stop until we live in our world[s1] . If you hate it, or have any other comments or feedback, please tell me (bloggerok1234@gmail.com).[s2]
I’ll tell you what happening now - fuck all. It’s business as usual for the elite schools who so totally dominate this industry of so called and self-declared impartial journalism. This, of course, includes the owners of this media who collectively report the news to 99.9% of people they never could or even would represent.
I have truly never been to a more embarrassing talk in all my life, everyone looked embarrassed, from the host and guest speakers to the audience. the poor bloke with the mic who was treated like a dog by George Brock who just keep barking orders at him (i talk about George Brock at the very end, ((changed my mind)) [s3] if he wants to make dogs of people that his fetish &they like been made dogs of ...cool)[s4]
The title of this talk should of been “Accidentally Telling Everyone Why You're Fucked If You Want To Be A Journalist and Don't Come from Eton, Oxford or Cambridge.” The exception is Stephen Bush or Assistant Comment Editor, The Telegraph[s5] , who did genuinely did have great concerns about our media’s elitist closed door system.
The night was meant to be a forum where these self-declared impartial journalists would impart their wisdom to a room of the next great upcoming media talent. However, it soon became clear the only advice is that if you don’t come from Eton, Oxford or Cambridge, then you’re fucked.
Why? Well, just look at the night itself which was organised by the Eton, Oxford or Cambridge school elite, hosted by the Eton, Oxford or Cambridge school elite and panelled by the Eton, Oxford or Cambridge school elite. This shall henceforth be referred to by me as the ECO system.
it is very clear that 99.9% of those in the E.C.O. cant see it, if you spent your whole life in a forest, there is no forest )[s6]
We might as well have been at the Mad Hatter’s tea party for all the good in the world this night was going to do - where time never changes, and unless you’re already seated at the table you are not going to get a chair. The characters from Alice in Wonderland declared “no room, no room” when they saw any stranger approaching the tea party. Last night this was echoed by the panellists, and will be every time you go for a job (I, like Alice, thought “There's PLENTY of room!”)
The first speaker, Alex Hearn, brings to mind a gazelle being taken down by a lion. He opened by stating that since he left the ECO system he has failed at everything he has ever done. It seemed that he was trying to say “don’t worry, keep trying and you will capture your dream”. However, what came across was “don’t worry if you fail at everything, we ECO boys and girls stick together and we will always find room at the table for you.
i think all alex comments during this talk are simple bordering on the insane and it was at this moment that mad hatters tea party leaped to my mind[s7] . (if you or know someone who apply for the job alex Hern has at Tech Reporter of The Guardian could you introduce yourself to me thank you, you could help me add to depth of this blog)[s8]
in absolute no connection to Alex Hern or anyone on the panel i think mad hatters tea party, should be retitled to mad hatters cocain party seems more of a interesting title, not sure what makes me think that tho[s9] .
Alex then went on to say that he was the only intern ever to get paid at Left Foot Forward and, with great joy, he announced “I scored the only ever paid internship there and after i left it, i burned down all the bridges there insuring none could follow” [s10] (you can hear this comment at 4:10 on the podcast, and the groans of all the aspiring journalists in the audience who are desperate for such an opportunity).
Left Foot Forward is, unsurprisingly, an ECO elite school programme. The only people who call this “impartial journalism” are those sat at the Mad Hatter’s tea party.
Following Alex’s statement, Archie Bland (who was brilliant all night and handled himself with distinction) embarrassedly put the question to the “I’m afraid to say, this is an Eton, Cambridge and Oxford filled panel which will confirm lots of people accurate suspicious about what journalism is like and what a rarefied sort of environment it is”.
Emma Hogan answered first, her view on the ECO journalist mafia (as referred to by Zing Tsjeng) is that not all is lost and things are looking up for anyone hoping to get into journalism. However, she shot herself in her own testimony by suffixing her statement with “I think”, and then “I hope anyway”.
no one goes as far as Emma Hogan has done, on hoping your facts are right, a professional would alway say “i dam well make sure my facts are right.” but having the E.C.O. school journalist mafia start such serious journalistic project upon themself, is never going to happen.
that will be the job of everyone else which i hope one day someone will take up as a challenge too.(hopefully someone who is not dyslexic, oh the irony, but on reflection this might prove its ok to be dyslexic )
it should be noted that there are people from the E.C.O. schools journalism mafa that are sick of this sublime hypocrisy at the hart of journalism.
why because its is their job which is such a beautiful noble pursuit and actually does do some great things have to have at its hart such an all consuming cancer that eats upon truth and justice with such sweet delight.[s11]
lest we all forget we all have harts and a good journalist hart, pumps the blood of passion and truth to every organ in there bodys. when/if the opportunity presents ! (yes even at the daily mail, tho my optimism may have way exceeded it self there, who knows.!)[s12]
The point I should have raised, but failed to, was that we supposedly live in a democracy. Yet the fundamentality of any democracy is that all citizens are meant to participate equally in their society, and this night strikes at the very heart of this, and the ramifications are profound. The ECO system closes the doors to all but the ECO, meaning the people have no access to corner stones of democracy, such as journalism, nor positions of power and influence.
On the 9th September, Alan Rusbridger did a talk at the British Library called “Reflections on Press Freedom”, which was one of the best talks I have been to at the British Library (insert link). At this talk, I asked him if, “with hand on heart can the people of this country say they live in a democracy, given everything you have said tonight”. He did not answer my question in front of the audience for whatever reason.
So afterwards, one on one I asked him again and this time he said “we live in a flawed democracy”. This was mind blowing - and my response to his statement was “which of course, is no democracy at all”.
Three days later, Alan Rusbridger’s contemporaries claim at the Frontline Club that journalism is totally controlled by the ECO system. This is why we live in what Alan Rusbridger called a “flawed democracy” and what I called “no democracy at all.”[s13]
We are undoubtedly looking at a Mad Hatter’s tea party – but who has set the places? A very small group of people who collectively control the shape of our so called democratic government. It is these people we need to look at, not just the journalists. I am certain, judging on the comments made that night, that there may be more ECO journalists who would like to help with a solution.
So what is the solution? Firstly, and this will be a slow process, until you know with hand on heart that you or your child have just as much chance as being a journalist, or the Prime Minister, or in any other position of power as anyone in the ECO – do not call what we live in a democracy. Until every child, family person or community anywhere in the world knows that democracy was truly given to them, do not call this a democracy, not even a “flawed democracy”. Until then – always question anyone who claims that we live in a democracy
solution number 2
stop saying ‘’we’’ are destroying the world it is them and only them. i heard this for years and nothing breaks my hart more each time i hear it.
for we have no access to the any of the jobs that make the shape of a country.[s14]
bloggerok1234@gmail.com
i keep adding to this
