UK drops in World Press Freedom Index following surveillance and anti-espionage threats The UK has dropped two places on the World Press Freedom Index following the passing of the Investigatory Powers Act and threats to pursue journalists reporting on national security. The World Press Freedom Index for 2017 was published today by Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières), the Paris-based …
Surely that's more a symptom of the toothlessness of the press regulator. If all you're forced to do is print a retraction or apology in small print buried at the bottom of page 19 and maybe pay a small fine, there's no incentive in being accurate or truthful.
This has always bugged me. The simple solution would be that if they spend the front page and half of page 5 defaming someone, and their allegations are proven false, then they should have to print a full front page and half of page 5 saying they were wrong (lied would be more honest), and how they managed to be so wrong.
If every second issue was a front page of them saying we were wrong it would certainly a) mean they started being more careful with what they printed, and b) make people more wary of news sources that were repeat offenders.
This could also be carried over to Television media by recording how much time was spent defaming someone and then having that same amount of time at the same time slot apologising for doing so.
But na, that would be too easy and actually mean some of these "News" sources might actually have to do some journalism rather than just making stuff up... Cant have that now, can we?
My daily Telegraph costs me £1.60 per day. Even more at the weekends when there is less news going on!!!!
Seriously however, I'm really not surprised at this and I would state as an almost certainty that investigatory journalism based on "political leadership" and such like will also continue to be impeded or curtailed by the owners of these rags themselves, seeing as most of the slimy fuckers are already in bed with and biased toward the establishment.
We all know that Egypt, Turkey etc are examples of how this madness will end.
The really sad thing is that journalists are becoming second only to terrorists in some countries, because laws passed by well-meaning people are being misused as a weapon wielded by those who should know better, against freethinkers and other "undesirables".
I for one won't be renewing my passport. I have told my current employer this, and the reasons why.
I will not be affiliated with a regime which as lost all touch with reality, and prefers to substitute security for freedom by eroding the rights of the common man.
It is bad enough that in France, the choices are mere illusion and of course FN will get in because "OMG Terrorists" and rights will be further eroded.
One of the greatest myths a party can generate is the myth of its own invincibility.
If a party formed barely a year ago can lead one that's had decades to prepare for its "moment" in the spotlight I'd say it's not over.
"laws passed by well-meaning people are being misused"
If you think the people passing those laws are "well-meaning" then I'm afraid things are worse than you think!
Normally, the obvious flaws and ways in which those laws can be abused are brought up well before they are passed.
Those concerns are ignored , or dismissed with something about "guidelines" or "intent".
Subsequently, the law is abused exactly as predicted.
Turns out they don't poll the MP's who voted on it for the "intent" of a law when it's being applied, I mean, it's pretty black and white. If they didn't "intend" it to be used in a certain way they could have put it in the law.
And guidelines are only guidelines after all, I mean, if they were actual rules then the law would have included them , right?
So either voting politicians are somehow surprisingly naive for a profession known for it's infighting, backstabbing and flexible application of both rules and morals. Or they know exactly what they are doing.
I'll just leave this here: www.openrightsgroup.org
Get your chequebook out. We don't have time to do much about this, busy people that we are, but we can fund someone who can.
Liabl* l*ws, freed*m of sp**ch, fr**dom of the pres*, r*sp*nsible journa****, entr*nch*d establ***ment control of the Press.
I'd worry about people not feeling able to speak out but then I read the Comments section of (anywhere but here) and I think, heavens, which rock did you f**kers crawl out from under?
Yeah, but have you noticed that more and more now, the comments on certain articles are either closed, or not open right away.
Like you I read articles and think who the hell is swallowing this, then I read the comments and its full of beautiful tards giving it both barrels.. fuck yeah!
But looks like tptb can no longer have common sense driving the narrative, and attempt to stop it, like we wouldnt notice!
1. If legislation can be abused then sooner or later it will be abused.
Doesn't matter if it's tax law where people spot loopholes and avoid paying tax or snooping legislation (for use against terrorists only) which ends up being deployed against people who put recyclable waste in the wrong wheelie bin. Sooner or later somebody who can gain advantage by exploiting the loophole will spot that said loophole exists.
2. The abuse will most likely occur sooner rather than later.
Pretty obvious, really.
3. The "abuse" was probably intended all along.
"Oh. It appears some of my rich friends spotted a loophole in some legislation I helped draft and now they're making shitloads of money from it. Obviously, that was never my intent." Yeah, right.
Our tax system is deliberately complex and full of loopholes - it's written that way by people who understand taxation so they can offer 'tax streamlining' for those who can pay.
Of course, eventually these loopholes filter down the chain a little to celebretards and your common businessman etc. at which point they are crucified in the press for tax 'avoidance' - meanwhile the slimy fuckers move on to their next set of crafted loopholes.
Am I allowed to hate bankers? Are they a protected race yet?
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