Saturday, December 16, 2006

Running with the crowd

Lord Hutton about the Birmingham Six:
"If the six men win, it will mean that the police were guilty of perjury; that they were guilty of violence and threats ... That was such an appalling vista that every sensible person would say, 'It cannot be right that these actions should go any further'."
Danny Morrison - My report on Lord Hutton - The Guardian
I think that is the mindset of many people in the media as well about many things. "It can't be true, so if we want to be responsible journalists, we have make sure that the truth prevails". They have stopped asking questions, because they have a firm view of the world, they "know what is going on", because they start to believe what they themselves have written.

It is a human reaction, I guess. If everybody is running from the furry animal, one does not question what the intentions of that animal are and runs with the crowd. And while in prehistoric times, this behaviour was vital to our survival, in modern times it is lethal and not right for a responsible journalist.

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