and over to John for the latest CRIME!

Midgies bite a fisherman LIVE!

What is news and what’s the point of it?

It doesn’t seem to be about education, providing insight into global events or speaking truth to power.  These days it’s not even really news at all…it’s just crime.

Yesterday, a day where as far as we can tell precisely zero new developments in the latest media spectacle that is Raul Moat we still get blanket “news” coverage.  Channel 4, usually less guilty of sensationalist antics, dedicated around 50% of its broadcast to bringing us “the latest”…last night someone had robbed a fish and chip shop nearby (but not the guy they are looking for.)

We had an exclusive report about his Facebook page (he might be checking his messages apparently.)  If he watches the news he ‘ll be glad to see a criminologist offering some tips “start putting demands on the police…a time barrier”  he suggests, before saying its a bit “Rambo-esque.”   Yes, the criminogist came on TV, gave him advice and then compared him to Rambo! Next up, local MP (well ex-MP and from a wee bit up the road) enlightened us with “there seems to be a lot of stuff, certainly in the press.”  Quite. The evening was rounded off by local fly fishing instructor Kevin Dawson who said “fishing…midgies…police officers…with their wotnots…they’re doing their best as long as everybody’s OK.” Truly compelling journalism.

But why is the media so obsessed with this kind of crime.  Are we supposed to be scared? When David Cameron stands up in parliament and lies about violent crime that’s about fear. Crime should be worse than it is.  It’s a miracle its so low and who knows maybe as the ConDem cuts start to bite  we can have ourselves a crime wave.  Politicians and the media love lying about crime in order to create fear of ourselves.  We don’t go out onto our own streets making them more dangerous because the papers tell us not to. We don’t meet people on the street, do stuff on the street, talk about stuff on the street because we’ve been told by the media that the streets are full of…erm…us.

The BBC: Clarity on Crime

Fear also helps them push through things like stop-and-search, the useless anti-social behaviour legislation and the new brand of elected Robocops.  Electing police is quite possibly the worse thing we could POSSIBLY do. The person who stands to be a police chief saying “well actually crime is a bit more complicated than just clubbing young people to death and hating gypsies”  will get my vote…and no-one elses votes.  And we also know why the media love this kinda crime.  But really we don’t live in fear that the more grizzly of recent tales will befall us.  Rather something more sinister is going on.

Sometimes people do bad things.  Thats pretty much it.  Yesterday loads of people could have done whatever they liked and got away with it.  When you go into work tomorrow everyone will still be talking about this one fanny.  These stories are really just horrific filler to distract us, their morbid details give people in offices something to witter about in the months between Britain’s Got Talent and the X-Factor.  That’s the real point…Crime replaces news, debate, any kind of content or space and once again the tabloids have themselves a celebrity best seller.