Media control

With regard to “Free the media market” (Editorial, July 18), does The Jerusalem Post believe that this would guarantee a free press?

Who would prevent business and political interests from making deals? And what about journalistic integrity? Worldwide, the unholy trinity of business, politics and a privileged journalistic elite who report “real news” has had a devastating effect on the quality of broadcasting, the environment and scores of other issues.

After working as a journalistic intern for an environmental group in the 1970s (the New York Public Interest Research Group, which was reporting on the Love Canal scandal), I spent decades wondering why major newspapers and press agencies weren’t full of articles about environmental destruction. It wasn’t until about a decade ago – when things had gone much too far – that the environment became a significant issue in the mainstream press.

Shouldn’t it have been obvious 50 years ago that cutting down the world’s forests and paving over vast tracts of land for more than a billion exhaust-emitting vehicles would have devastating consequences for nature and humanity? Shouldn’t journalists have realized this? Aren’t they to a great extent to blame for our current predicament?

The truth is that newspaper owners knew all too well that their advertisements were paid for by oil and car companies, and journalists knew on which side their bread was buttered.

You rightly point out that following the deregulation of Italian media, programming was quickly dominated by reality and game shows. You then argue that “if air time is soon taken over by game shows and reality TV, at least it will be the result of a free and open market determined by supply and demand.” As if viewers will have a choice!

Not only in Italy, but also in the Netherlands and undoubtedly many other countries, quality and thought-provoking programs and media have been largely replaced by mind-numbing entertainment. Placing media in the hands of large corporations is a political decision. It will guarantee that programming will uphold the interests of a political and business elite to the detriment of critical thinking and quality. ASAF SHIMONI Dafna