Sorry Mandy, but you’re wrong – Now I don’t mind Mandy Rhodes as a journalist, I think most of the time she is pretty fair. I’ve never read the printed version of the Holyrood Magazine, mainly because I never see it in the shops in and around Dundee so never able to pick one up and see if it is any good. However, on this occasion, Mandy is just wrong.
The media in Scotland is broken, it has been broken for a long time. It’s not just the misinformation, it’s the lies too many journalists are happy to report, it’s the personal agendas that too many put across and call impartiality, it’s not just the cozying up to their favorite politician or celebrity, more often than not it is the politicians that many went to private school with.
GM is correct, we are told that the so-called third estate is there to hold the powerful to account but we know that is bullshit. The newspaper media in the UK is broken and without political intervention, it will stay that way, the other sad reality is that the politicians are so beholden to the media barons, and their right-wing anti-worker agenda, that nothing will change anytime soon.
A report in March 2021, showed that just three companies (News UK, Daily Mail Group, and Reach) dominate 90% of the national newspaper market (up from 71% in 2015). When online readers are included, these three companies (News UK, Daily Mail Group, Reach) dominate 80% of the market. In the area of local news, just six companies (Gannett, JPI Media, Reach, Tindle, Archant, and Iliffe) account for nearly 84% of all titles. (Media Reform)
The report goes on to say – In addition, the digital media space is dominated by unregulated tech companies and social media platforms with revenues far beyond that of any UK media organisation, particularly Amazon (£297bn), Apple (£226bn) and Facebook (£66bn). These companies exercise a considerable gatekeeping power over how UK audiences discover, access and consume media content. While the UK is home to a number of independent news websites such as openDemocracy, The Canary, Byline, and Novara Media, the traffic to these new journalistic enterprises is miniscule compared to the websites of legacy national media like MailOnline and the Guardian.
The Sun and the Daily Mail remain the two most popular toilet papers in the UK, which explains an awful lot, doesn’t it. When Boris Johnson became Prime Minister in July 2019 to the end of September 2020, three billionaire press owners, and their representatives, had more meetings with ministers than all the rest of the UK media combined. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp was top with 40 meetings, followed by DMGT (owned by the current Lord Rothermere) and Sir Fred Barclay’s Telegraph and Spectator. (New Statesmen)
Journalists are only trusted by 23% of the population, one place higher than Government Ministers and two higher than politicians in the main. Of the 100 most influential news editors and broadcasters, 43% went to fee-paying schools. Similarly, 44% of newspaper columnists were privately educated, with a third – 33% – attending both an independent school and Oxbridge.
As we know from 2014 the media is as corrupt as the politicians beholden to it so Mandy Rhodes would be better off holding her colleagues to account, getting them to tell the truth or at least stop pretending to be impartial when the majority of them are a bunch of lying bastards who hold the public in the same contempt as the politicians now do in many of the parties so she will get no sympathy from me on this, I despise journalists as much as I despise the Tory Party, the Labour Party, and many in the SNP.
grumpyscottishman.wordpress.com 
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a now 60+ Female.
“the way the media gets attacked”.
“drivel” and “misinformation” seem quite mild forms of criticism to me.
She’s either following orders or she’s way out of touch.
Brian
Just not as aware as she should be, the standards of journalism in the UK are some of the worst in the world apart from some new media and possibly James O’Brian. Most are just bought and sold like most of the politicians are now, they should have to wear a patch on their shirts for whomever they have accepted money or privilege from, that would be interesting.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
The MSM has got themselves to blame for,
1 Their subscription being down
2 There only focus is unionist politics
3 Prevented from focusing a political view unless its approved by their owner
4 They aren’t prepared to do any investigative journalism
5 There not bothered if your innocent
6 Twitter and Facebook was a blessing for these journalist
People want the facts so they go to there politicians for the truth and if their politician are lying then its up the journalist to get to the truth, 8yrs of the SNP and 50yrs of labour our journalist view in Scotland is based on sectarian or political biased views, I for one don’t care about someone religion but I’m interested in their political views but on both side of the argument not just the one that suites the unionist side.
Its is so important who ever leads us to Independence has a clean conscience and is free of mind, we desperately need a leader who going to address and it will need address the MSM in Scotland, so we aren’t being influenced by the MSM in London.
100%YES
You’re not wrong, journalists are lazy and they write what their bosses tell them to. They take an oath, doesn’t mean shit doesn’t it. I gave up on most a long time ago, even the ones I do have some time for tend to be ass-kissers in the main as well but at least make an effort. Until we ban overseas ownership of media we will always be at the whims of corruption, everyone knows the politicians in the UK only care about money in the main or their own pensions/position, we are the furthest from their minds so why would most journalists even make the effort.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce