Exposure and entrapment – for the public good?

There was once a time when investigative journalism was to be feared and thus crushed by tyrannical governments, greedy global companies or corrupt trades unions. As a result, it was to be admired by the rest of us for its courage, ingenuity and resourcefulness.

But that would appear to be in the past. Today, journalists would seem to prefer the sneaky entrapment of soft targets on their own patch rather than endangering themselves out in the field in order to expose cruel, illegal and corrupt powers of whatever nature.

Moreover, their employers, the newspaper proprietors, seem to put circulation and advertising revenues before the truth, public good and integrity in a way that would shock the news barons of the 1930s.

When was the last time you read a great piece of journalism exposing the Mafia or Columbian drug bandits or how Zimbabwean politics really works? Or what about how many murdered opponents of Vladimir Putin were actually taken out on his orders or how the nuclear programme of Iran, under the obscene leadership of Mr Ahmedinejad, is really to be used?

Well, I haven’t in a very long time. It seems to me that increasingly, ever since the visual media finally killed off news reporting by papers during the First Gulf War, arrogant opinion, not unlike mine I suppose, puerile female comment about anything and not always truthful sensationalism have replaced genuine investigative journalism.

Those unsung, usually alcoholic, heroes of yesteryear, with a curiosity for a story, a nose for the truth and a desire to uncover both, have been replaced. The new breed of journalists are people who have little calling, less concern about the truth than Robert Mugabe and about as much integrity as a second-hand car dealer.

There is nothing new in this. Nobody was surprised when WikiLeaks decided to publish over 250,000 US government documents and declared that this was an act of important investigative journalism last year. The fact that being handed the leaked files was hardly investigative, and that they contained little more than embarrassing gossip, seems to have been largely missed. Such is the way of today’s world, I suppose.

Also in 2010, we saw the respected Daily Telegraph of London expose the scandal of British MPs’ expenses. This was both a great coup and a necessary exposé. But again it was hardly brave investigation, as the newspaper was offered the leaked documents and thus only had to thank its lucky stars before pushing the publish button.

Worse, flushed by this sensational success, the Telegraph then decided to ignore its history of excellent reporting journalism to pick up the cheap mantle of that well-known British rag The News of the World.

Last month it published private conversations it had recorded with Liberal Democratic ministers of the British Coalition Government. It had sent journalists, posing as Liberal voters, to meet the politicians and had then asked them leading questions about people like Premier David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne.

The ministers’ unguarded comments, perhaps made to allay fears that they were purely the Tory Party’s voting poodles, were made in private but were gleefully published by the Telegraph with pompous trumpets of self-glorification in the scoop of this “investigative journalism”.

I believe that everyone, even politicians, should be allowed to have private conversations not for public consumption. It is everyone’s right. Moreover, as reading WIKILeaks prove, not being allowed to do so would inhibit sensible government and turn all politicians into politically correct robots more concerned that ‘big brother’ might be listening than doing or saying what they believe.

I also believe that Britain, given the mess left after 13 years of Labour government, needs this Coalition government to work and that to attempt to divide and weaken it by such cheap methods is more becoming of the ghastly socialist tabloid the Daily Mirror. But it was the respected Daily Telegraph, which clearly had an eye on pleasing Tory readers disaffected with the idea of sharing power with Liberal Democrats, who committed this cheap act. If the government had been dishonest, corrupt or incompetent, then publish and be damned. But this tittle-tattle was hardly worthy of publication and a decent publisher, proud of its reputation, would not have even contemplated doing so.

However, this is not my main complaint, which is one that is motivated by the belief that the entrapment of basically decent people is wrong, does not benefit the public and is cowardly while being dished up as worthy journalism. In fact, it is little more than the sort of eavesdropping exchanged by gossiping housewives.

India’s poor? Now that’s

poverty!

I’m in India for the New Year. I have written to you several times from here before. The weather is as perfect as ever, the culture as colourful as ever and the people as cricket mad as ever – which meant that the coverage of the wonderful thrashing of Australia by the England cricket team was as widely reported in Delhi as it was in London and was almost as enjoyed by the Indian public.

The middle class continues to emerge as the economic explosion flourishes, despite the world recession. However, the poor remain as absolutely poor as one could possibly imagine. Naked children running around in open sewers beneath new flyover construction is a common view that conjures up the real picture – one where all this new economic prosperity will fly over these wrecks for a very long time to come.

The annual ‘10 nails in the world’s coffin’ awards

It is time again for the annual “10 Nails in the World’s Coffin” awards as sponsored by The Malta Independent on Sunday.

Out go George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and world leaders. For those still plaguing us, last year’s positions are in brackets.

10 (-) Bankers. These guys made a big appearance in 2008 only to drop out again in 2009 but just pip the Burmese generals to appear again in 2010. Naturally, most bankers do not shoot children like the generals. However, their ongoing greedy bonuses and refusal to take responsibility for the state of the world economy could still be the cause of the mass deaths of hundreds of thousands of children in Africa. They remain the unacceptable face of capitalism.

9 (8) Pakistani government. Down from number three in 2008 to number eight last year and down again to nine in 2010. However, they remain a menace for their ability to “hunt with the hounds and run with the hare”. As suggested by British PM David Cameron, taking western aid with one hand while building terrorist hideaways with the other is unacceptable.

8 (-) Facebook. The social network is a great assistance to anarchists and others organising violent demonstrations around the world. It is also a serious menace to peaceful domesticity across the universe. Not only is it a gross intrusion into family life but it also puts children under immense peer pressure and is a ghastly vehicle of bullying and mental torture when used by those seeking to humiliate others. It is a vehicle of countless misery and even suicide.

7 (10) Barak Obama. This man’s oratory led to him receiving the Noble Peace Prize after just 11 days in office. Since then, his dithering inability has damaged the US economy’s attempted recovery at home and cost the lives of hundreds of British and American troops abroad. The Beatlemania surrounding this man’s election was misguided, as I correctly predicted. Now, two years into his presidency, “Half’” has become dim Barak’s middle name. He is halfway through what is likely to be his only term as president, half black and half-witted.

6 (6) The Chinese government. Once again, the world’s concern at the imprisonment of human rights activists such as Nobel Peace winner Lui Xiaobo has angered the Chinese government. Human rights are not understood or even considered important by it – more a nuisance getting in the way of its bigger picture. However, my visit to this extraordinary country in 2009 taught me, at first hand, the exceedingly hard nature of the government’s job, how it had been very successful in certain areas and that its intentions seemed to be more disciplinarian than evil despotic, despite the widely reported corruption that will always exist in any totalitarian regime.

5 (5) Robert Mugabe. This despicable individual will only fall from the dubious celebrity of this list upon death. His appalling tyranny deserves number one status but this honour eludes him due to the fact that his Zimbabwe is a danger only to itself and not a danger to the world.

4(-) Kim Jong II of North Korea. This man is now old and ill. Nevertheless, his regime continues to enslave and impoverish its people and to threaten war in the region with South Korea, and its nuclear capability is a very serious threat to the rest of the world. Worse, Jong’s imminent demise will apparently not bring any of this to an immediate end as his third son is due to take over this evil family business.

3 (2) al-Qaeda. These guys, led by bin Laden, have hijacked a worthy religion and turned it into a vile gospel of hate and murder that appeals to the more basic instincts of some Muslim men. After three years in the number two slot these fanatics fall to number three not because they are any less dangerous but because there is a new and even more dangerous number one. Naturally, they could make it up to number one themselves in 2011 if any of bin Laden’s apostles enjoy another 9/11-type success.

2 (3) Vladimir Putin. After two years at number one, the murderous little dwarf slipped down last year to number three on the back of a weak Russian economy. But with Russia’s democracy no more than an illusion, and the tiny dictator perhaps about to subvert the Russian Constitution in order to take a third term as president, the danger sirens are blaring again and he is back up to number two. The continued imprisonment of Mikhail Khodorkovsky is a timely reminder of how this dangerous midget deals with his opponents. No doubt when Mr Khodorkovsky is eventually released he will meet with a curious fatal accident, as have others before him. Putin is still, in my opinion, a man most capable of blowing up the world. However, Russia has been a major power on the world stage for years and therefore has experienced events like the Cuban missile crisis. This may act as a restraint at that last fateful minute.

1 (-) Ahmedinejad. The Iran President is, like Vladimir Putin, a power-crazy midget. Small men with large egos and a thirst for power have plagued the world since man rose above other species. This evil man causes suffering at home in the same way that Robert Mugabe does in Zimbabwe, but also has the capability to do much more damage outside his own domain like Kim Jong II and, unlike Putin, is not used to leading a nuclear-empowered nation. Therefore, he is this year’s biggest potential nail in the world’s coffin and no doubt a popular choice.

Fine dining secret?

I have often declared my support for Malta’s dining awards. They encourage competition, which encourages improved standards and that was essential when the awards were first dished out a decade ago. As a result, they deserve some of the credit for the better cuisine that I am served today compared to then.

However, I often remain astounded by who gets these awards and why. It does not always confirm the standards that I note as a man who eats in good restaurants twice a day every day.

I have asked restaurant owners to explain the criteria and method of judging but they are unable to do so. Therefore, suspicion of foul play is now widespread.

My advice to the organisers is to deliver transparency or lose

credibility.