Sensible, not soft: the right approach to sentencing
Contribution by Gemma Lousley
The first definitive guideline from the Sentencing Council, published on Wednesday and covering assault offences, is well-thought-out, clearly set out, and overall very sensible. However, it’s pretty quickly gained a reputation amongst the rightwing press as being ‘soft on crime’, and allowing violent offenders to get fines or community sentences instead of prison.
The guideline doesn’t propose that sentencers shouldn’t send serious violent offenders to prison: substantial custodial sentences are set out as the appropriate response for offences such as causing grievous bodily harm with intent. What it does propose is a proportionate approach, so that sentences accurately reflect the harm caused to victims, and culpability. As such, it says that for less serious offences where very minor or no injuries are caused, community sentences should be used.
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Why is the mainstream media so bad?
Writing in general exists to either entertain, inform, explain, describe, argue, persuade and advise, or for no particular reason at all; quite often writing is just absent-minded scribble. The media in all its forms performs these roles every single day.
The Westminster Skeptics quite understandably see the media as a tool for informing the public, explain the facts and describe the situation. They promote an evidence-based approach and critical thinking in the areas of policy, media, and legal reform, and I enjoyed going along to their most recent meeting on Monday night.
However, I would argue that most people see the media as entertainment. continue reading… »
EXCL: disagreements rage at BBC London over ‘cuts’ v ‘savings’
Last week I reported on Liberal Conspiracy that journalists within the BBC were being pressured to replace the word ‘cuts’ with ‘savings’ by senior editors.
In particular I singled out BBC London, as my sources indicated that heated internal discussions had taken place within their news department.
Readers unearthed several examples of BBC online using ‘savings’ in absurd contexts. A complaint was also lodged by Labour over BBC London coverage.
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Notes from a male dominated media industry
In the last two months I’ve been working as a freelance journalist for the first time, and I had an interview at a national newspaper for a job.
Scenario 1: During my group interview for the job, there were around 6 male editors and executives present, and one woman. The people interviewed were evenly divided: 6 men and 6 women.
Scenario 2: Yesterday, I interviewed Ed Balls and John Denham at a video games lab in Liverpool. The Labour representatives organising the event were all male. So was the councillor present. The one woman in the room, Angela Eagle MP, left as I arrived, so there was a local journalist, Ed Balls, John Denham, Liam Byrne, and their special advisers, all male.
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The British press and rise of the far-right
contribution by James Bloodworth
The British press have been dirtying themselves for quite some time in the mucky sewer of anti-immigrant rhetoric. Dave Osler believes the influence of the Daily Mail, the Sun and their ilk is exaggerated in this respect by the left, and not as influential as many like to believe.
He says the media caters to and feeds off an ample amount of already-existing prejudice. For reasons other than the fact that I find such thoughts incredibly depressing, I disagree.
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Is the Sun becoming more mature in covering suicides?
Reporting suicides is without doubt one of the most difficult subjects to cover as a journalist. Where the method is unusual, this is even more hazardous: studies have shown that copycat attempts have risen dramatically in the aftermath of their portrayal in the media (PDF).
In September last year the press was understandably interested in the apparent pact formed by Steve Lumb and Joanna Lee, who died together in a car on an industrial estate in Braintree.
The two had, according to police, met online and killed themselves using a relatively recently discovered method involving gas, placing warning messages on the vehicle alerting the emergency services to the potential danger of opening it without proper precautions.
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Why I’ve reported the No2AV baby advert to the ASA
The campaign against the Alternative Vote are running a highly disingenuous ad campaign in local newspapers which claims it will cost £250m. The implication is also that babies will die if people vote Yes.
And so I’ve made an official complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority – as Stephen Baxter says, it is beyond parody. because of it is insulting nature. My complaint is below.
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How does ideology frame media reporting on climate change?
contribution by Bárbara Mendes Jorge
Climate change is no longer a mere “scientific” concern of temperature rises or adaptation, but also an economical, political and cultural issue. The media, the medium in which most people get information on climate change from, can choose, or are forced, to frame it in one or all of the above ways.
Whilst the above seems obvious, what did not seem so clear to me when I decided to analyse reporting on climate change for my MSc dissertation, was how the right-wing and left-wing media differ in the way they report on climate change.
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This Saturday: where does politics online go from here?
contribution by Sian Berry
This Saturday, at the Progressive London conference hosted by Ken Livingstone, I’ll be chairing a discussion on politics and new media, so I’ve been reflecting on how quickly things can change.
It’s been nearly three years since the first Blog Nation, organised by Sunny Hundal and the Guardian (pictures here). It was pretty much a crisis meeting: where the main question seemed to be (I paraphrase) ‘Why the hell is the political web so dominated by right wingers?’, with ‘and men!‘ as a strong additional current of complaint.
A lot has changed since then, including the rise of social networks. At last, I think, the progressive left has caught up online.
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Ed Miliband’s article for The Sun – reading between the lines
Ed Miliband wrote his first article for the Sun newspaper yesterday, which I thought was fairly significant for what it indicated.
Some will say, with good reason, that Labour should have nothing further to do with News International. But if the UK’s biggest tabloid invites you to attack the government, you are unlikely to turn it down.
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Why Lefties need to change our language
Most people don’t spend much time thinking about the radical left – we’re far too marginalised – but if they did, what image would come to mind?
I’d suggest something like this: a middle-aged pub bore, who takes himself way too seriously, no sense of humour, prodding the air with his finger as he mumbles about something not terribly relevant, in language you don’t really understand. As he sits in his duffle coat, ranting at anyone who will listen, you do your best to avoid making eye contact. It’ll only encourage him.
I’m exaggerating for dramatic purposes, but there’s no denying my basic point.
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Couldn’t BBC Question Time find anyone informed on Egyptian politics?
contribution by MediaInsider
Despite the obvious limitations of the BBCs coverage of Egypt, including an apparent inability to get as close to the action as many of their news rivals, one thing they have certainly got right across the whole news network has been the interviews over the last two weeks.
Coverage has been driven by leading figures like El Balderai, Boutros Boutros Garli and Mona El Tahawy: all Egyptian, all relevant and all adding significantly to the debate. The conspicuous absense of white, western scholars talking at length about the intricacies of the the situation has been wholly refreshing.
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Dammit, those gays are getting the upper hand
Picture the Britain of the not-too-distant future, in which an omnipotent Pink Stasi mounts a 24/7 undercover surveillance operation on all straight pick-up joints, listening out for anybody who invites a member of the opposite gender to go back to their place for a coffee.
The man and the woman are trailed home by a squad of heavily armed Muscle Marys, who wait outside the premises for about half an hour, thereby allowing time for all necessary seduction preliminaries. And as soon as the bedroom light is switched on, a snatch squad hammers down the front door just as the hapless couple are about to make the beast with two backs.
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Where’s the evidence Aaron Porter was racially abused?
Protests took place yesterday against the Tory led coalitions higher education cuts and fee hikes.
Throughout the campaign against the cuts, Aaron Porter has been a poor representative of the student body politic. Somewhat dithering, sometimes anonymous and something of an establishment lackey he is not a popular man.
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MigrationWatch distorts statistics on immigration via students
contribution by Sarah Mulley
A MigrationWatch report published earlier this week (widely reported in the right-wing press) claimed that the Points-Based System (PBS) introduced by the previous government had been ineffective at controlling immigration.
MigrationWatch’s key piece of evidence for this claim is analysis suggesting that immigration for work and study increased rapidly in the PBS’s first year of operation (2008-2009). But this claim doesn’t stand up.
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Introducing Sukey – a new online tool to help protesters evade kettles
contribution by Tim Hardy
A couple of nights ago, I had the honour to meet the team who put Godzilla in the Thames during the student protests.
Making use of freely available internet tools, they maintained a live map of central London throughout the demonstrations showing the location of police kettles and blocked roads so protesters could stay safe and move freely on the streets of the capital.
Their next project takes this to a whole new level.
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Is Toby Young really the right person to run a school?
contribution by Terence Dickens
The debate over free schools continues. There are many good arguments against them: for one, they transfer money from underfunded local schools into untested ideological experiments.
But an argument that has been neglected is the kind of people that want to set up free schools. If you take over a football team you undergo a “fit and proper” test. A footie team is less socially impactful than getting wodges of cash set up your own school, but the Government certainly doesn’t seem to see it that way.
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A clampdown on sexism in the media? Pull the other one
contribution by MediaInsider
I can’t help but think BSkyB and News International slamming its employees for sexism is a bit like George Osborne complaining that his weekly food shopping bill has increased- they both only have themselves to blame.
Sky Sports News openly flaunts its sex appeal (see recent advert), and has a history of employing young, attractive female presenters to work alongside middle-aged male pundits, hardly sending a message that sexism in the work place is dead.
Its Saturday morning show Soccer AM even trades off its image as ‘Men and Motors’ style trashy TV.
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TPA spin-off pretends speed cameras cause accidents
contribution by Tim Fenton
There are no areas of the economy off limits to the so-called Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA), and such is their zeal that they have another spin-off, the Drivers’ Alliance (DA), to help spread their particular brand of propaganda on matters relating to road transport and travel.
They have published a so-called “research note” titled “Speeding Fines” [.pdf], with such glaring leaps of logic that they would shame any serious researcher.
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Palestinian Papers show Israel never was a partner in peace
contribution by Matt Hill
The X-ray photos are in, but the patient is already dead. Last night The Guardian and Al Jazeera released the ‘Palestinian Papers’ – the first slab of 1600 secret documents detailing ten years of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
The documents will be of chief assistance to those drawing up the post mortems of what was once called the ‘peace process’, namely that it never was anything of the sort.
The purpose of these ‘negotiations’ – as is now painfully clear – was for Israel to obtain Palestinian blessing for the theft of their land.
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» How disabled people can virtually join the march tomorrow
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» Labour is right to admit it didn’t regulate banks, but where are the bold ideas?
» Why Germany was wrong to abstain over Libyan UN vote
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» How Labour forced Tories to defend the ‘squeezed middle’
» Even Tories know Osborne’s tax changes won’t help lower paid
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