Freedom of the press?

So, News International is once again in the news, and once again we, the public who fund these organisations have been let down. If the allegations surrounding the hacking of Millie Dowlers mobile phone and the deleting of voicemail messages are to be believed then there is no excuse, no justification for such an act. The arguement that always seems to be trotted out at times like this is that if we want exposure of politicians wrongdoing, for example, we have to be prepared to put up with intrusion into other areas for this to be possible. This arguement is nonsense since in any system of morals or ethics there are boundaries and limits, otherwise you have no morals or ethics and should expect short shrift.

The stranglehold that the media has in the Western World, and particularly that held by News International means that there is little that we as consumers can do, other than vote with our wallets, and stop putting money in Mr. Murdochs pocket. The problem that I have is that this is just another in a long list of intrusions and wrong decisons by the mainstream media, and here I am not just thinking of the tabloid/gutter press, but across the media in generally, and we as consumers seem to have a very short memory in terms of holding these news outlets to account. There can be no question, that if proved, these allegations deserve to result in serious reprecussions for everyone involved irrespective of current position or power, but I strongly suspect that this will not happen and that once again we will see token gestures and in a couple of weeks it will all be forgotten.

I am with labour MP Tom Watson who last night on newsnight surprised Mr Paxman by attacking not just the coalition leaders but his own leader, and called on them to form a united front to bring the media to heel in this specific area of abuse of the defenceless and innocent, and further I would suggest that anyone paying money to the News International organisation is, by association, accepting that what appears to have been done in this case is acceptable, or at least acceptable enough to not cancel Sky. Personally I am making a stand. I have cancelled my Sky TV subscription, and am boycotting News International media outlets. I am not going to alter this position, irrespective of the outcome of any investigation as I have reached my limit and enough is enough....