The UK is in transition. Traditionally a top ranking nation renowned for stoicism and stability, we are moving into a new future as a political basket case and historical curio.
So it’s comforting to consider something we’ve always been good at: comedy.
From Gillray’s timeless cartoons through Ealing studios’ biting dissections of the British character to today’s razor sharp satirists such as Marina Hyde, the quality has rarely dropped.
Look at the comedy section on the BBC iPlayer and the A-Z runs from ‘Allo ‘Allo! through to The Young Ones. Something for everyone and everyone a winner. And that’s before you get to Channel 4, which produced perhaps the greatest of them all: Father Ted.
It’s a line from that show – rather than one of the political greats like Yes Minister or The Thick of It – which is particularly appropriate to Westminster right now. A scene opens with Father Ted holding up two toy cows and explaining to his comically thick colleague Father Dougal “OK, one last time. These are small, but the ones out there are far away.”
Dissecting and explaining comedy is like a Liz Truss premiership – grim and pointless – but the joke is rooted in the very basic concept of perspective, something sorely lacking from Westminster these days, particularly with reference to the media there.
Responsible journalism helps voters make good decisions
Many political journalists had their confidence knocked by the 2016 EU referendum result. They failed to anticipate the result, they panicked at the thought of being out of sync with their readers, listeners and viewers and were shocked to find their audience swanning off to listen to those that echo their opinions – invariably wackos on the internet.
Consequently outlets spouting minority views are now given a prominence out of all proportion to the support they actually attract.
Threats against journalists are threats against fundamental freedoms.
Now, more than ever, we need facts. Defending journalism is standing up for democracy.
Wednesday is the International Day to #EndImpunity for Crimes Against Journalists. https://t.co/CUaILFFm6P via @UNESCO pic.twitter.com/AhvNZmhoJa
— United Nations (@UN) November 2, 2022
The likes of GB News, Talk TV, LBC and Times Radio obviously have a right to exist. But they do not have an automatic right to be ranked alongside pedigree outlets such as the BBC and the Press and Journal. The latter exist to serve their audience, and put in the hard yards to do so. The former exist to get clicks and shares on social media. They pursue amplification over information. That gives them visibility but it does not confer credibility.
A vibrant media landscape is crucial to a healthy democracy. But when it comes to providing the sort of informed, responsible – and costly – reports that genuinely help voters make good decisions some outlets, organisations and titles loom justifiably large. When it comes to earning trust others are still far away. As we seek to improve our politics after the debacle that has been 2022 we must get better at determining which is which.
James Millar is a political commentator, author and a former Westminster correspondent for The Sunday Post
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