It’s the media that need protecting

Abstract

The ex-Sunday Times executive and former editor of New Statesman examines the dangers faced by ever-expanding media. He writes: "The grand parallel between British and American government is the success with which citizens, over some 300 years, have restrained the abuse of power. This depends on an ensemble of protections - none of them cost-free - that make authority justify itself to individuals, and not vice-versa. Components are: personal privacy apropos the state; presumption of innocence; trial by jury; freedom from arbitrary restraint; immunity from torture; a secret, comprehensive franchise; and the privacy of access to information - particularly, the output of news media... Never perfectly installed, it is a present target for official bombardment in both countries." And Page continues: "The problem is that the great material success of our society radically increases its complexity, making it harder to explain and effectively more secretive." The media should beware, he suggests.