News 2020
We regret that we cannot be held responsible if the future turns out differently due to inaccuracies in the present
The Prime Minister has criticised the news media for its reporting of the earthquake in south-east Asia, in which more than 100 Britons have been killed.
Journalists had focused too much on "getting an emotive reaction" and had not shown sufficient interest in the more positive aspects of the story, he said.
The Prime Minister's remarks were made during a press conference held to announce a three per cent cut in Third World debt, conditional upon the rationalisation of the countries' economies and a general cutting away of excess flab, particularly in Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan.
Asked whether the Government intended to give preferential treatment to countries hit by the earthquake, the Prime Minister said that emotive considerations could not be permitted to influence national policy.
"Of course, our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones or favourite hotels," he said. "But I think this particular geophysical incident has been blown somewhat out of proportion by media coverage which tends to concentrate rather too much on the negative aspects of the matter."
Casualty figures had been given excessive prominence even when they were not known to be reliable, the Prime Minister said. Coverage of the earthquake presented an unfavourable contrast with coverage of the war against nastiness in the Middle East, where only the best quality casualties are reported, he continued.
Respected journalist and ex-BBC director general Andrew Marr was singled out for praise because of his article "Do we give natural disaster a chance?" in which he proposed "the Shylock option" on debt relief: "Now that these Third Worlders' boats have been lost at sea, we must ratchet this up much further. And unlike Shylock, we have the privilege of making our own laws. Flesh, blood, bone, whatever it takes - we must have our bond."
The Prime Minister also praised the BBC's Newsnight programme for its spectacular digital reconstructions of the earthquake and its useful hints on plate tectonics.
The Prime Minister has criticised the news media for its reporting of the earthquake in south-east Asia, in which more than 100 Britons have been killed.
Journalists had focused too much on "getting an emotive reaction" and had not shown sufficient interest in the more positive aspects of the story, he said.
The Prime Minister's remarks were made during a press conference held to announce a three per cent cut in Third World debt, conditional upon the rationalisation of the countries' economies and a general cutting away of excess flab, particularly in Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan.
Asked whether the Government intended to give preferential treatment to countries hit by the earthquake, the Prime Minister said that emotive considerations could not be permitted to influence national policy.
"Of course, our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones or favourite hotels," he said. "But I think this particular geophysical incident has been blown somewhat out of proportion by media coverage which tends to concentrate rather too much on the negative aspects of the matter."
Casualty figures had been given excessive prominence even when they were not known to be reliable, the Prime Minister said. Coverage of the earthquake presented an unfavourable contrast with coverage of the war against nastiness in the Middle East, where only the best quality casualties are reported, he continued.
Respected journalist and ex-BBC director general Andrew Marr was singled out for praise because of his article "Do we give natural disaster a chance?" in which he proposed "the Shylock option" on debt relief: "Now that these Third Worlders' boats have been lost at sea, we must ratchet this up much further. And unlike Shylock, we have the privilege of making our own laws. Flesh, blood, bone, whatever it takes - we must have our bond."
The Prime Minister also praised the BBC's Newsnight programme for its spectacular digital reconstructions of the earthquake and its useful hints on plate tectonics.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home