The power of the media

A documentary programme shown yesterday 'Sex, Lies & Michael Aspel' told the until now hidden story of how mild-mannered BBC presenter was the secret father of the likes of Spice Girl Mel B and Danniella Westbrook. The fact that my parents initially took the programme to be a true documentary, although it was actually a spoof, reflects the real power of the media. Although benign in this example, when the vast majority of people rely on the reports in national television, radio and websites to inform themselves about issues of the day, is it any wonder that media outlets can so easily be turned to malevolent ends by governments?

Even in the mainstream Western media governments can manipulate public opinion by encouraging certain evidence to be reported: the imminent risk to British interests in Cyprus by Iraq, to give a recent example. Such stories receive considerable coverage in the media at the time, but when the government decides to stop endorsing this evidence, who notices? Yet how many people keep on believing the original report, as they've not happen to catch the little coverage of the correction, if indeed there has been any? Democracy requires informed opinion to function successfully, but how accurately informed is public opinion in practice?