Watergate investigative reporter CARL BERNSTEIN was shown in a BBC News 24 'Hardtack' interview with Stephen Sackur this morning [8 March 2006].Bernstein decried the media in the USA where local communities were fed up of being denied the coverage of their lives and of issues that mattered to their local communities. Bernstein could have been equally talking about the East End of London where the campaign against Crossrail whole attacks is being systematically excluded coverage by the so-called independent local press. One of those 'titles' is reviewed here by Khoodeelaaronline
A look at the ‘local’ paper, the Newham Recorder-as-disguised-as-the-Tower Hamlets-Recorder, makes it very clear as to why the campaign against the Crossrail hole attacks on the East End of London must be maintained by using the information and news media of our own.
The community’s own media must exist to report on the progress and the direction of the campaign.
In one week between Wednesday 1 March to Tuesday 7 march 2006, more than ten key factual events took place across the Borough, to oppose the Crossrail hole attacks.]
The Khoodeelaar demonstration at 6 PM onside Tower Hamlets Council on 1 March which was addressed by both Opposition councillors as well as by the local MP
The public meeting at Bow West held to oppose The Crossrail attacks –
The motion by opposition councillor Louise Alexander against the Crossrail hole
And seven other events including the publication of the series of reports showing how the controlling clique on Tower Hamlets Council had been lying from the start to promote the Crossrail hole attacks on the East End.
But none of these crucial community action and campaign against Crossrail hole attacks events is reported in any way that can give readers the information they need to lean about the events and their implications on the lives of the people in the Borough.
How the local ‘press’ misrepresents the community’s battle against the Crossrail hole Council – Khoodeelaaronline, first review of the Newham Recorder – disguised as ‘Tower Hamlets Recorder’, issue number 065 [City 2205] dated Wednesday 8 March 2006
The main headline in this token [the latest] edition of the ‘Tower Hamlets’ [Newham!] Recorder is given to ‘Child porn of ex-councillor’, a story on a ‘former councillor’ and his string of convictions for sex offences.
It is very difficult to spot what Council he was a councillor on. Until the fifth paragraph which contains the offenders party affiliation and the name of the council.
He is ‘ex’ Green Party and an ex Hackney councillor. ‘Jail for man with fetish for under age girls in swim outfits’ is the bold description of the man’s latest offence. The paper is divisible into 6 columns, if the space given to the ‘Crossrail rumpus’ item is any guide. By that criterion, the space given to the “porn of ex-councillor” is way out of proportion.
For one thing, that story was about a HACKNEY councillor, ex or not. For another thing, THAT amount of space need not have been given to DRAW ATTENTION to the ‘outrages’ of child sex offence. It is a given that CHILKD SEX OFFENCE is one of the worst offences, in anybody’s language.
People are not in need of extra help to recognise how absolutely dangerous anyone who has any inclination towards that offence is and can be. There is universal opposition to child sex offenders.
Half of the space given to that item would be enough to keep the proportion and the attention alive and the moral and social alert very much on. The other half, the rest of the space, could easily have been given to the Crossrail threat to TOWER HAMLETS and that item should have been the top item.
Why?
Because that story had at least ten CURRENT news and campaign events components in it.
All those things happened in the course of the six days between the last edition of the so-called Tower Hamlets Recorder and the day it is actually finalised [the front and back pages at least – which is Tuesday 7 march 2006]
But this is wishful thinking.
To expect the disguised version of the Newham Recorder misusing the words ‘Tower Hamlets’ - for sheer petty trade – to report on the appropriate political and social struggles and campaigns actually taking place in the East End borough is expecting too much.
The ‘publishers’ are not in the 'newspaper' business to report on the community’s battle for democracy, representation and the defence of the local community or the local environment from attacks by big business. Or attack by a negligent controlling cliquey on Tower Hamlets Council. The publishers are in business to make money. Money first. Money second. And make money the last.
So why bother commenting on their abysmal conduct to type?
Answer: Just to put the facts on the record.
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