Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Leveson By Charles Slavery

THE Leveson Inquiry is uncomfortable viewing for many in the trade who are even now attempting to rubbish or pour scorn on the evidence of those directly affected by media intrusion.

There has been much made of celebrities lining up to baseball bat the tabloids, like that scene in Airplane when they form an orderly queue to take a pop at the hysterical woman.

Who tests this evidence at the inquiry? How can it be relied upon without cross-examination? Where is the letter JK Rowling suggested was slipped into her daughter’s schoolbag?

The Inquiry has succeeded in making me squirm in my seat on a daily basis, reminding me of  the times I sat outside homes where I had little or no right to do so.

Most of the time I was waiting for the bad guy to appear, but not all of the time. Sometimes I was waiting for Joe Public, who was guilty of nothing more than being “newsworthy” at that particular snapshot in time.  More often than not, I sat waiting for some Z-list celebrity or footballer to emerge from a club, home, or mistress’s arms.

Door-stepping is something all journalists do, not just the tabloids. Broadcast media, broadsheets and tabs together, engage in it. There’s a reason why Leveson is so populated by celebrities. We gave them the ammo, and now they’re firing it....read more

http://charleslavery.org/2011/11/28/leveson/