To Thine Own Party be True

The traditions of newpaper journalism are long established in Britain. The first newspaper, the Daily Courant, first appeared in 1702 - one of its first scoops was to announce the death of King William of Orange.

Any newspaper journalist is judged on two main criteria; their contacts and their integrity - even more important than an ability to write well.

Of course, journos have their own political opinions and they are bound to show through. But it should not prevent them reporting news even if it is unhelpful to their party of allegiance. Nor should it mean writing stories which are simply biased beyond any semblance of reality, aimed at simply inflicting political damage. Then they would cease to be a journalist and become simply a party propagandist.

Well, back to the real world. The Daily Mail has escalated its news war on Nick Clegg helped enthusiastically by the Telegraph and the Sun. The Mail's editor, Paul Dacre, whose photo appears above, is most probably a face you would not have recognised. The profile of the media commanders is usually inversely related to their power.

The reporting of the second TV debate was so biased it was breathtaking. The lead Mail article seemingly canvassing various views included only prominent quotes from William Hague, Eric Pickles and George Osborne. Surely the British public is not falling for this? Yesterday's Mail had seven articles and an editorial slating Clegg.

The Sun's editors now feel able to filter any news they deem unhelpfully truthful. It even extends to opionion polls they have commissioned, the YouGov finding which showed 49% would like a Lib-Dem Government, was omitted.

There remains a very strong suspicion these stories are deriving from Andy Coulson at Tory HQ. BBC Political Editor, Nick Robinson said on Thursday, "I now learn that political reporters from the Tory-backing papers were called in one by one to discuss how Team Cameron would deal with "Cleggmania" and to be offered Tory HQ's favourite titbits about the Lib Dems."

Simultaneous to the launch of these visceral attacks is a dual counter attack by Tory front benchers and Sun editors about Labour "lies". These are simply diversionary tactics trying raising the 'rough and tumble' of local leaflet campaigns into something orchestrated by the PM himself.

Proving the link between conspirators of politics and press will be hard, one hopes the public work out the connection, or at least tire of being instructed who to vote for.

The Conservatives may no longer be the nasty party but the way they are playing the media is still quite despicable. The 'journalists' who write this dross may as well trade in their NUJ cards for Tory Party membership.

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Reading the Sunday Express was recently described by (The Thick Of It) actor, Chris Addison as, "an exercise in futility."

Never more apt than this front-pager this week, which reads like a good spoof rather than anything related to serious journalism.

"DOUBTS over Nick Clegg’s commitment to British interests in the EU intensified last night after it emerged he once led a campaign to return the historic Elgin Marbles to his friends in Greece."

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/171276/General-election-2010-EU-zealot-Nick-Clegg-s-bid-to-return-Elgin-Marbles