Craig Brown Quotes
More and more, I find that the news reads like a particularly random game of Consequences.
Brown, Craig. Column. Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers.
See Adolph S. Ochs for the original slogan. {601364}
Even as late as the 1970s most media organizations did not feel any inhibition about having a spokesperson for a political movement or candidate comment about statements that were clearly untrue. The constant political criticism of the media produced this change and no matter how absurd or false a political statement is, most media will have a spokesperson for the lie appear on the program to repeat the lie. Both political parties are thereby encouraged to exaggerate or even lie as they will never by exposed by trusted journalists and can reduce all falsehoods to a “he says, she says.”
In the age of digital electronics, the media, with its tendency to want to be the first to break any news story, reports events very quickly even when they have not verified what they are reporting. When an event occurs, the initial reports almost always include some errors and are incomplete with respect to critical information. There is no time for reflection and adding context. Then they often repeat the errors and omissions until there is more clarity and they begin to report a more accurate version. National Public Radio thus tries to “slow down” the news, not report it immediately but to wait for verification and allow the journalists some time for contemplation and reflection.
Craig Edward Moncrieff Brown is an English critic and satirist, best known for his parodies in Private Eye.
