Expression of the Week

Here's an interesting way to describe the print media such as newspapers: "the dead tree press".

I have seen this used in the blogosphere, as the old-style media are increasingly shown to be largely out of touch and lacking in reporting "bite", particularly when it comes to Labour (and similarly leftie) activities. Say what you like, it is certainly descriptive on at least two levels!

It does seem that much (most?) of the print medium, along with much of the broadcast media, has become less valuable and, indeed, less even-handed in recent years, and they will be the only ones to suffer as more and more of the buying public become disillusioned with what they publish, finding it seriously lacking in important respects.

Fortunately -- for their sakes -- there are still a few still-useful newspapers around, such as the London Evening Standard (which has always had a tremendous reputation), although the broadcast media seem to have very little to commend them these days. Hopefully that will change someday soon, as they really are needed. If not, no doubt a suitable term will be coined to describe them as well, for example "the wasted electrons media"...

Meanwhile, the political blogosphere in this country continues to grow apace and attract new regular readers and commenters (and I include myself in this group). It now has a reputation -- despite what some (e.g. David Blunkett MP) might prefer us to believe, as reported HERE -- for broader, generally enlightened and more honest commentary than the traditional media have tended to provide in recent years, on the whole.

I believe this to be a healthy thing, as it will compel any less-than-honest media chief to clean up his/her act or (ultimately) face the prospect of going under. We don't need a Soviet-style Pravda domination of the media in this country, and the modern blog-culture is our best weapon to defeat any such attempt -- just as previous changes in the world have enabled other bad institutions to be taken down.

As with so much of this kind of practice, it takes time to reach the point when decisive action can be taken, or when the natural forces of the market produce the same result. We just need the patience to await that moment, and the perseverance and dedication to show the world at large that there is now a good, honest reporting medium out here, that doesn't hide or play down anything inconvenient to particular factions.

In short, the new medium is far more the people's own medium than the mogul-dominated previous generation media forms. With more informed comment and reporting comes more informed decision-making by the people of our nation -- and that obviously includes election times. Thus we shall be able to take back our nation far more strongly and convincingly when we all really know what is going on, and in full.

That will be a much better time for this country!