On Press Freedom and Hacking

Rupert Murdoch? I like him already. Did you see the advertorials? It
got to me, especially the part about News of the World holding others
responsible but not doing same for itself. Calming words, I daresay,
to soothe frayed British nerves. But that isn't my concern. Script
writers are often intelligent folks though never often in the public
eye.

My concern is the British government's reaction over the phone hacking
scandal.
Ed Milliband!
Ed Milliband!
Ed Milliband!
How many times did
I call you? Do you think this issue would have been any different if you were the present occupant of 10 Downing Street? This matter seems to have played into your political
territory and you are now almost always in the news spitting fire and
brimstone. I will keep my counsel and leave British politics to
British politicians.

Nevertheless, can you imagine what could be going on in the minds of
despotic rulers past and present as they see the events unfold? By
events I mean the hacking, the closure, the arrests and the
resignations. Both Mubarak and Ben Ali must certainly be laughing at
the British as they talk about a review of press legislations. Even
Murdoch's own country, Australia, is considering same. And what does
that entail? What ever happened to your much touted press freedom?
These leaders must be asking.

And for Gaddafi, he must be too pre-occupied at the moment to bother
with British journalism, Methinks. But whatever happened to his
Britain trained son who is now busy growing a beard? His comments on
this British volte face on press freedom would have been remarkable.

My last take on this: has there been any freedom for the press? And if
the press has freedom does it also translate into freedom for the
people? I think that a balance is most needed. The people's freedom
supersedes that of any mercantilist press. Anything short of that
should mean we could all be hacked to death like News of the World. As
for the British government, in your new task of trying to curtail
journalistic excesses, borrow a leaf from our now much harangued
depots. A stitch in time saves nine, we have something to offer afterall.

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