MEMBERS of the public are quite famous for lambasting journalists for not covering stories accurately or seemingly withholding facts from them.<\/p>\n
If any form of corruption comes to light, the media is always blamed for not having exposed it earlier. The mainstream media, especially, takes an awful beating in this regard. Any little mistake — and they do make many — is leapt upon by righteous souls from the among the masses who make it their mission to blame each and every ill in society on the media.<\/p>\n
But does this same public really want to know the truth? And when the truth is revealed, does the public act on it?
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\nFor months now, the mainstream media has been reporting about the spying carried out by America’s National Security Agency, based on material supplied by an intelligence analyst Edward Snowden who decamped and took refuge in Russia.<\/p>\n
But how does the public react to these reports of blanket surveillance? Is it sufficiently energised to march to the seat of power and demand changes? Is it worked up enough to stop using the services of organisations that collaborate with the NSA and help in the collection of data on citizens?<\/p>\n
The short answer is that the public has done sweet f***all.<\/p>\n
No, the public is the biggest bunch of hypocrites going. They demand this and that – but nothing should be asked of them. They criticise the media left, right and centre – but they are above criticism themselves.<\/p>\n
And even if the truth is paraded in front of their eyes, they will believe any old rubbish they want to believe. It’s not a matter of proving something to them via facts, it’s a question of what they believe. A fair number of people still believe that cyclist Lance Armstrong won those seven Tour de France titles on his own steam – this, despite the man making a confession that he used every drug on the planet, and then some, to record that feat.<\/p>\n
As far as I am concerned, these squeaks of indignation from the public about the media should just be disregarded. People who live in houses made of cheap glass should stop throwing rocks.
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