It's the journalists, not the politicians, who have fouled our political culture

It's the journalists, not the politicians, who have fouled our political culture

11 Oct 2005

The panel, under chair Martyn Lewis, debate whether it is the journalists, not the politicians, who have fouled our political culture.

Arguing in favour of the motion are John Lloyd, Denis Macshane, and Clive Soley.

John Lloyd begins by arguing that the media have done three things to politics: firstly, that they have substituted their priorities for those of democratic institutions; secondly, that they have made politics into entertainment; and finally, that they have forced their way of doing things on politics, parties and governments.

Denis Macshane illustrates the ‘lies’ of the media, and then criticises the ‘liar, liar, pants on fire rhetoric’, which serves neither journalism nor politics. He claims ‘Britain deserves a new deal’ from the media and the politicians, to move away from the irrelevancies of what they generally cover.

Clive Soley argues that the Labour Party was battered by the media in the 1970s, and in response, the party developed tough media strategies which were then wrongly continued afterwards. The problem is the relationship between politics and the media, and the fact that they latter are not held to account.

Arguing against the motion are Peter Oborne, Lance Price, and Robert Fisk.

Peter Oborne begins by suggesting that politicians are responsible for issues of life and death – such as Iraq and Afganistan – and that, to compare their power to that of the media is absurd. The collapse of trust is, however, the responsibility of both journalists and politicians.

Lance Price begins by admitting having not always told the truth while working at Downing Street. However, he suggests the motion is a false dichotomy and that it is overly simplistic, as the fouling of our political culture is not new. New Labour did, admittedly, take the fouling to new heights, in part due to Labour’s biased treatment by the tabloids in governments past.

Robert Fisk states that ‘journalists did not bomb Afghanistan, or invade Iraq, or write false dossiers on Iraq’. However, they have been complicit in the parasitic relationship between all powerful governments, and journalists who want access to that power, and are then used by the powerful to disseminate their lies.

First Vote: 215 For, 244 Against, 237 Don’t know

Final vote: 239 For, 407 Against, 89 Don’t know

The motion is defeated by 168 votes.

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