At least that is one implication of what shadow culture minister Ivan Lewis could bring about with a register of journalists. You only have to look at what Labour's Socialist cousins around the world have done by allowing only certain publications to publish news down through the years.
So while I agree that something needs to be done in light of hackgate a register of journalists and a striking off of some of those is not the way to go about it. Where would this register end? How would it affect freedom of speech and thought? Would it be used to expand to bloggers?
The expansion to bloggers is something that Labour and the Tories have both toyed with. Bringing in some regulation on the press that the politicians have control, even a quasi control over is not the way that we should be going.
What we need is an independent press authority that has the power to inflict punishment on the press and by that I do not need expelling them from expressing a thought in print. We need a complaints procedure that anyone can activate not just someone who has been directly affected as in some circumstances by the time the hurt party/parties get around to taking action it is already too late and too much hurtfulness can already be caused even as they are grieving.
I expect the register of journalists to go the way of Ed Miliband's £6,000 tuition fees and be buried very quickly as is the way of trying to make policy on the hoof that Labour appear to have adapted this week.
What a remarkable coincidence: I'm coming to read this immediately after reading another Lib Dem blog calling for greater journalistic accountability: http://maxatkinson.blogspot.com/2011/09/politicians-and-broadcasters-in-uk.html
ReplyDeleteMr. Milliband has aimed another bullet directly at his feet.