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'Agenda benders' John Cole, Guardian, September 3, 2007 'Agenda benders' John Cole, Guardian, September 3, 2007

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As the new political year begins, who do we think is more responsible for the sad state into which public life has fallen, the media or the politicians? ... at least up till the 1970s, the political agenda was set by politicians [though this] did not mean that the media gave them an easy ride... What is new is the recent impatience of the media with the politicians' agenda [symbolised by the] paucity of the coverage [of Parliament]. [On interviewing techniques on radio and television, politicians] are so keen to curry favour with audiences that they fail to stand up for themselves... I rarely obtained any very fresh knowledge in [interviews on camera or on microphone]. Scoops are garnered in dark corridors. [Discussion of lobby briefings and reports from unnamed sources... Non-governmental organisations, charities, university researchers have all learned that the first sentence of their press release must contain a story... [Journalists] have some kind of duty to truth, so far as we can discover what the truth is. But are we taking on the malignant forces that impede the search for truth as often as we ought? [On the New Labour era] Why did correspondents constantly roll over and allow Campbell to tickle their stomachs in the hope of getting a news break the day before others?... broadcasters and journalists have a duty to audiences and readers not to allow politicians to manipulate them.

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758_32 Nico 'Agenda benders' John Cole, Guardian, September 3, 2007
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September 11, 2007

As the new political year begins, who do we think is more responsible for the sad state into which public life has fallen, the media or the politicians? ... at least up till the 1970s, the political agenda was set by politicians [...