- + Maparent joined Debatewise
- + Arnavnarian joined Debatewise
- + Plally7 edited the debate Will mankind make it to the next century?
- + Erinliddicoat voted on a point for the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Arnavnarian voted on a point for the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Crissieboy joined Debatewise
- + Arnavnarian voted on a point for the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Soominchoi joined Debatewise
- + Ll Blynch edited the debate Are London Underground staff justified in their strike action?
- + Arnavnarian voted on a point for the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Tracy Barret voted on the debate Prostitution should be legalised to protect sex workers from HIV/AIDS
- + Golmindalin joined Debatewise
- + Loretta voted on the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Elena Porjazova voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Erinliddicoat voted on a point for the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Nemothe Emo joined Debatewise
- + Explonential joined Central London Debating Society
- + Jiwoo Cj 1127 voted on the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Erinliddicoat voted on a point for the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Elena Porjazova voted on a point for the debate The Candidate Countries Should Be Fast-Tracked To EU Membership In 2012
- + Arnavnarian voted on a point for the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Erinliddicoat voted on a point for the debate Foreign workers should be given the right to vote in local elections where they work.
- + Thebabeofbengal edited the debate Are women superior to men?
THE TABLOID PRESS IS REACTIONARY
Tabloids - such as the UK based Daily Mail, the Sun and the Daily Star - are false in holding themselves as the champion of 'the people'. Their short-lived campaigns for immediate change to government policy do not assist a deliberative process of government. They are reactionary, blinding their readers to reasoned debates and partake in general sophistry to sell higher volumes.
The Tabloid Press is Reactionary
Yes, because... False Journalism
Tabloid newspapers' obsession with rumour and conspiracy feed what borders on false reporting rather than publishing established events.
Some of the newspaper's claims may seem outlandish, but it is important that there is a public forum where alternative opinions on current events can be expressed. Some rumours, after all, turn out to be true and the majority of the readership are intelligent enough to make up their own minds, having seen events reported by various sources.
Vote on this point: False Journalism
See history of changes to this point
The Tabloid Press is Reactionary
Yes, because... Tabloids simply pander to the angry mob
Tabloids’ choice of rhetoric and their obsession with rumour and conspiracy results in their journalistic integrity failing. Tabloids simply pander to the angry mob, simultaneously proving them more ignorant. Take for example, the campaign against paedophiles by UK based tabloids. Caught up in the angry campaign, vandals, after mistaking the job title ‘paediatrician’ to mean paedophile, attacked a doctor’s surgery. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/901723.stm
There will always be a minority of members of society who react violently to issues without really thinking their actions through. Tabloids cannot be held responsible for this; they do not incite their readers directly to violence or demonstration. While their handling of issues may be a little sensationalist, they raise awareness of very real threats in the modern world.
Vote on this point: Tabloids simply pander to the angry mob
See history of changes to this point
The Tabloid Press is Reactionary
Yes, because... Profit machines
Like all businesses, the tabloids are there to make money. Their particular attraction is te ability to appear traditionally conservative: it prints stories that are pointing toward the decline of standards in UK society, whether it be youth crime, the police, the UK's global power. Mixed with this is a strong sense of patriotism- mainly the victims of this position are immigrants and the EU- as well as the syle of being papers for the everyday UK person, simpler language, easier storylines and an anti-class feel. They can be reacitonary when they believe that their demographic who they appeal to wish them to be. The constant furor every once and a while which the newspapers stir up such as a missing little girl, a brutal murder, or foreign enemy is no way near objective as they have a tradition of painting the world in black and white, and they cannot stop now and explaion to their readers than the world is more complicated than they could ever imagine. Neither would they want to, because it is a business, and those who run it profit by it and wish to carry it forward so long as it remains useful.
See history of changes to this point
The Tabloid Press is Reactionary
No, because... Freedom of the Press
They must however publish true and accurate stories. Freedom of the press does not constitute the freedom to spread lies and make false claims about people. There have been several recent court cases where tabloids and magazines have been forced to pay damages to famous people after publishing false stories about them.
No matter what content is published in newspaper, the freedom of the press is absolutely paramount, regardless of their effect on readers.
Vote on this point: Freedom of the Press
See history of changes to this point
Vote on this debate: The Tabloid Press is Reactionary
Modified:
27 Nov 2008
Point 1. False Journalism
Tabloid newspapers' obsession with rumour and conspiracy feed what borders on false reporting rather than publishing established events.
Some of the newspaper's claims may seem outlandish, but it is important that there is a public forum where alternative opinions on current events can be expressed. Some rumours, after all, turn out to be true and the majority of the readership are intelligent enough to make up their own minds, having seen events reported by various sources.
It is definitely true that some rumours reported by the tabloids turn out to be true, and the kind of determined reporting practised by their journalists is a valuable check on the actions of those in authority. But often, in what come to be the most 'high-profile' or important examples, the propagation of these rumours exerts a more powerful influence over the 'truthfulness' of the rumour than the facts themselves. How many instances have there been where 'public' figures have been 'exposed' by tabloids, and, regardless of the truthfulness of the claims, been told their position of authority 'has become untenable'. Whilst general opinion may not agree with Max Mosley's private life, calls for his resignation after his 'exposure' shifted the 'truth' claims of his actions away from fact and into influence and perception - that is, the 'rumour' became more influential than the facts. His position as President of FIA was deemed to have 'become untenable', but such an accusation can only have been seriously considered by those who placed greater importance on the hype over the report, rather than the facts of his behaviour, (regardless of its morality). His case was an interesting one for several reasons, not least his privacy victory in the courts, but also because the kind of real politics of spin and reputation normally reserved for Westminster scandals crossed into a different sphere, and without Mr Mosley's defensive actions may have extended the power of these rumours quietly into other spheres. It is this kind of slippage that is pernicious and discrediting to not just the tabloids but the broadsheets, broadcasters and bloggers, and most importantly why the valuable 'alternative opinions' of the tabloids are overshadowed by sensationalism.
Point 2. Tabloids simply pander to the angry mob
Tabloids’ choice of rhetoric and their obsession with rumour and conspiracy results in their journalistic integrity failing. Tabloids simply pander to the angry mob, simultaneously proving them more ignorant. Take for example, the campaign against paedophiles by UK based tabloids. Caught up in the angry campaign, vandals, after mistaking the job title ‘paediatrician’ to mean paedophile, attacked a doctor’s surgery. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/901723.stm
There will always be a minority of members of society who react violently to issues without really thinking their actions through. Tabloids cannot be held responsible for this; they do not incite their readers directly to violence or demonstration. While their handling of issues may be a little sensationalist, they raise awareness of very real threats in the modern world.
Point 3. Profit machines
Like all businesses, the tabloids are there to make money. Their particular attraction is te ability to appear traditionally conservative: it prints stories that are pointing toward the decline of standards in UK society, whether it be youth crime, the police, the UK's global power. Mixed with this is a strong sense of patriotism- mainly the victims of this position are immigrants and the EU- as well as the syle of being papers for the everyday UK person, simpler language, easier storylines and an anti-class feel. They can be reacitonary when they believe that their demographic who they appeal to wish them to be. The constant furor every once and a while which the newspapers stir up such as a missing little girl, a brutal murder, or foreign enemy is no way near objective as they have a tradition of painting the world in black and white, and they cannot stop now and explaion to their readers than the world is more complicated than they could ever imagine. Neither would they want to, because it is a business, and those who run it profit by it and wish to carry it forward so long as it remains useful.
Point 1. Freedom of the Press
No matter what content is published in newspaper, the freedom of the press is absolutely paramount, regardless of their effect on readers.
They must however publish true and accurate stories. Freedom of the press does not constitute the freedom to spread lies and make false claims about people. There have been several recent court cases where tabloids and magazines have been forced to pay damages to famous people after publishing false stories about them.